Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Athletics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Milton School Committee reviews athletics fee increases, proposes $1,200 family cap
Summary
School staff proposed raising per‑season participation fees for middle and high school athletics, increasing charges for hockey and swim, and aligning a single $1,200 family cap. Staff estimated roughly $45,000 in additional revenue and directed the proposal to the finance subcommittee for next steps.
Milton School Committee members on Tuesday considered a proposal from district staff to raise student athletic participation fees for the 2025–26 school year.
The district recommended increasing the middle‑school participation fee by $25 and the high‑school base fee by $50, raising per‑season charges for each participating student. Separately, the district proposed adding $50 to the supplemental fees for hockey and swim, moving those fees from $350 to $400. Staff also recommended aligning and raising the annual family cap on athletics fees to $1,200 for the school year.
Staff said the fee is charged per student per season and that the family cap applies to the entire year. “38% of our families had the family cap this year,” a district athletics staff member said during the meeting. Staff estimated the fee changes would produce about $45,000 in additional revenue based on current participation levels.
In presenting the proposal, staff said the district compared fees and caps against several nearby, comparable districts and sought to place Milton within the middle of the regional range. They also said the fee revenue helps offset program expenses such as transportation, facility rentals, coach stipends and equipment. A staff member noted stipends for athletics exceed $600,000 in the operating budget.
Committee members asked about access for families that cannot afford fees. A district athletics staff member said the district works with families through existing reduced‑fee processes and “we don’t deny any student access to participate” when they cannot pay. Committee members discussed how fundraising and booster groups also supplement team expenses, especially for travel or overnight tournaments.
Members debated the rationale for previously higher caps for programs such as hockey and swim and supported a single family cap to simplify administration. Staff said analysis showed only a small number of families would reach the cap under the proposed structure and that aligning caps would ease billing and tracking.
No formal vote was taken during the discussion. Committee members asked staff to bring the formal rate proposals to the finance subcommittee in the coming week; one member said the committee would vote on the package on “the 16th” (date not specified in the meeting transcript).
