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Committee waives Best Buddies activity fee for 2026–27 after participation concerns
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Summary
After administration reported drops in club participation following a new registration and activity fee, the school committee voted to classify Best Buddies as a service club and waive its $75 fee for the 2026–27 school year; members asked administrators to return with fuller fee analysis.
Superintendent Morgan and Ryan DeMar reviewed participation data and the district's decision to use new registration tools that affected roster tracking for clubs and activities. DeMar said that, after registration reinforcement and policy enforcement, only 28 high‑school students had purchased activity cards this year for clubs—down from higher earlier participation—while athletic registrations remained relatively stable.
Several committee members said activity fees were a barrier for small service clubs. Randy Rush described how some small clubs lost members after the fee enforcement. Ryan DeMar and others recommended that Best Buddies be considered a service learning club and that its fee be waived. Keenan Francois moved to add Best Buddies to the service‑learning category so it would not be charged for 2026–27; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call.
Superintendent Morgan noted athletic user fees cover roughly 23% of program costs; administration agreed to return to the committee with a more detailed analysis of the $75 activity fee and the broader fee structure to inform any future changes.
