Milton finance panel recommends music lesson fee increases, defers formal vote to full school committee

The Milton Finance Committee reviewed proposed updates to the school district fee schedule on a motion to discuss the item and decided to leave any formal vote to the full school committee.

Finance Committee member (presenter) summarized proposed changes to the applied-music lesson program after consulting Rebecca Damiani, the applied music lesson program director. The committee discussed raising private 30-minute lesson fees from $30 to $33 and semi‑private 30‑minute lesson fees from $19 to $22. The proposal also calls for increasing the per‑session registration fee from $45 to $50. The presenter said the lesson rates had not been increased since September 2022 and that the registration fee helps cover program overhead, the stipend for the program director and a pool of scholarships for students who cannot afford lessons.

Why it matters: the finance committee said the music program is self‑sustaining — families’ payments cover instructor pay and program costs — so the fee adjustments are intended to allow modest pay increases for lesson providers while remaining within comparable district rates.

Committee members asked whether fees across other activities aim to be self‑sustaining. The presenter distinguished the music lesson program, which is run without operating‑budget support, from middle‑ and high‑school student activities. The latter receive only partial offset from fees; the remainder of those costs is covered by stipend and operating budgets. Committee members noted that stipends are set through the district’s collective bargaining agreement, which lists clubs and activities but does not guarantee that every listed activity has a funded appropriation.

The committee also discussed rental rates for school facilities. Members said rental rates have not been updated in many years (committee members referenced 2014–15 as the last substantial update) and that the rental schedule is charged by the hour. Committee members asked staff to review how other districts format and price rentals and to consider whether Milton should simplify or restructure the rental schedule before raising specific rates. Staff and committee members emphasized that administration and actual charging practices matter: a fee schedule yields revenue only if the district consistently bills and collects according to it.

The finance committee agreed not to take a formal vote on the fee schedule at the finance‑committee level and to place the item on the full school committee agenda for tonight, where a vote is scheduled. Staff agreed to put comparative data on community‑school fees and to add any supporting charts to the meeting folder ahead of the school‑committee meeting.