Perryton ISD public commenter urges district to restore cash ticket sales, questions app fees

Barry Barclay, a public commenter, told the Perryton ISD school board during open forum that the district's policy requiring all event tickets be purchased through a phone app creates barriers for some families and funnels service fees away from the schools.

Barclay said the policy can exclude older residents and those without smartphones, and he raised concerns about per-transaction fees. "Each transaction now carries a service fee of about $3.75 or something," he said, adding that the fee "does not go back to our schools." He asked the board to "please consider restoring cash as a payment option or at the very least, ensure every dollar of those service charges coming back to benefit our schools, not some financial middlemen."

In his remarks Barclay described hypothetical grandparents, "Fred and Ethel," who live 20 miles out of town and may not have or know how to use smartphones. He said Fred "can barely see the numbers" on his flip phone and would be unable to use the app, creating embarrassment and frustration at the gate. Barclay said he supports technology and app options but opposed removing cash entirely because it removes choice and can exclude community members who want to attend school events to support students.

Barclay also questioned whether refusing cash is legal, saying U.S. currency is defined as legal tender and asking the board to review the district's authority to refuse cash payments. The transcript does not record a response from board members or district staff in this meeting segment.

The issue was raised during the board's open forum; no formal action or vote on the ticketing policy was recorded in the provided transcript.