Regional school committee approves higher athletic user fees for 2018–19

The Regional School Committee voted to adopt a revised athletic user-fee structure for the 2018–19 school year after an extended discussion about program costs, waivers and family impact.

The proposed schedule, presented by Jim Buscio, the district’s athletic director, was described in the meeting packet and stated in the session as “The proposed is $3.25, $201.50, with a maximum for a family cap of $1,100,” and earlier discussed as increases from the existing fee levels. Committee members asked for clarification about which participants the figures represented, waiver counts, and how often families reach the proposed family cap.

Committee members and staff said the fee proposal responds to recurring operating deficits in the athletics fund that the district has absorbed in recent years. Fred (staff member) and others described persistent shortfalls—about $37,000 in FY16 and more than $50,000 in FY17—and noted spikes in one-time costs such as replacement of football uniforms and transportation that can push the budget further into the red.

Members debated alternatives, including raising gate receipts and redesigning how the athletics budget is presented (for example, budgeting the full athletics cost and counting fees and gate receipts as offsets). Several members said they would prefer not to increase fees. Some speakers highlighted the disproportionate burden on families with multiple athletes and on lower-income households: one parent reported paying about $2,000 the prior year for two student-athletes.

Supporters of the fee increase said the user-fee system has preserved levels of participation and program quality that otherwise would have been cut, pointing to private donations and booster fundraising that supplement the athletics budget. Committee members and administrators also discussed program-specific costs—most prominently ice hockey, where practice ice and tournament ice time were described as especially expensive—and the district’s past reliance on booster fundraising for equipment and facility needs.

After discussion, a member moved “to adopt the user fee as presented.” The motion was seconded. The chair called for a voice vote, and the motion passed with one abstention and a majority in favor (the committee recorded the result as a 4–3–1 vote in support). Several members said they remained uncomfortable with the increase and asked administration to return with a restructuring proposal that would present total athletics costs with fees and other revenue shown as offsets.

The committee directed administration to continue exploring alternative budget structures and to provide additional detail about waivers, family caps, program-level revenue and gate receipts in future budget discussions.