The Westford School Committee spent a portion of its Dec. 15 meeting discussing athletics fees, program costs and proposed adjustments to the FY27 fee schedule.

Committee members asked staff for transparency on the full range of fees families pay for different sports (noting base fees such as $3.25 or $3.50 for most sports, contrasted with higher actual costs for ice hockey or crew). Athletics and finance staff presented multi‑year data and explained anomalies (for example, Alpine ski fees are lower on the district spreadsheet because student season passes are purchased directly from Nashoba Valley). The athletic program’s total annual cost was presented at roughly $1.3 million, with about $750,000 covered by the athletics revolving account and approximately $550,000 drawn from the general fund — roughly a 44% general‑fund subsidy, staff said.

Staff recommended a departmental proposal for FY27 that would increase the department-recommended base athletic fee by $25 across most programs; crew would be treated as an exception. Committee members pressed for clearer communication in the public-facing budget materials so families understand base-fee increases versus the full range of possible costs for high‑expense sports.

Why it matters: athletics fees and revolving accounts shift part of program costs to participating families; the subsidy level from the general fund is an explicit budgetary choice that committee members said should be contextualized with peer-district practices and program priorities.

What’s next: staff will refine budget language for public materials and continue presenting fee detail during the January budget hearings and the Jan. 20 vote schedule for FY27.