Oswego School Dist. 308 officials say that more than $5 million in unpaid student fees is contributing to the district’s financial crisis.

“Over the past five years, more than $5.1 million in fees has not been collected,” district officials said in a post on its website and Facebook page. “As of this school year, $1.6 million in assessed fees remains uncollected. Last year, $1.5 million went unpaid.”

Schools are prohibited from withholding students’ grades, transcripts or diplomas because of an unpaid balance on the student’s school account, according to district officials.

The district offers a program for families that cannot afford the student fees.

“Applications for free or reduced fee status are available and families who qualify receive relief,” the district said. “That process exists precisely because the district recognizes that financial hardship is real and no student should be locked out of their education because of it.”

But the $1.6 million currently owed in unpaid fees this school year does not come from families who applied for hardship assistance, according to district officials.

“It represents families who have simply chosen not to pay,” officials said.

According to the district, District 308 charges fees to help offset the direct costs of student participation in academic courses, extracurricular activities, athletics, and technology.

“Course fees, activity fees, sports fees, technology fees, and registration fees each represent a share of the cost of running a district of this size and scope,” officials said.

The district covers about 68 square miles, with students not only in Oswego, but also Aurora, Joliet, Montgomery, Plainfield and Yorkville.

In March, the district announced that it will have to make across-the-board staffing cuts because it is losing $8 million in state funding.

The reason for the decrease in funding is because the district has been moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in the state’s evidence-based funding system.

Under the system, the funds flow first to the school districts that need them the most.

“While the district absorbs cuts in state funding, battles rising transportation and special education costs and makes difficult decisions about staffing and programs, a significant portion of the community has not paid for services their children are actively receiving,” district officials said.