Board opens discussion on pay-to-play fees, stadium renovation and scholarship options

One board member proposed a framework to address deteriorating extracurricular facilities: reinstate pay-to-participate fees into a restricted 'extracurricular facility maintenance' fund, explore public financing (bond/lease) to renovate the stadium (ADA-compliant home/visitor stands, press box replacement, new track and turf, improved lighting and restrooms), use the existing limited turf-replacement fund as seed money, and create a scholarship-granting organization (SGO) to subsidize fees for families in need.

The proposer said a prior pay-to-participate program historically produced approximately $225,000–$275,000 annually and suggested that, combined with naming-rights sales and an initial public financing, the district could address multiple safety and accessibility issues without drawing general‑fund capital from buildings. Board members asked for a condition assessment of the field and track and requested a complete athletics/activities budget: ticket revenue, booster income, uniform and official/referee costs, and current concession arrangements.

Multiple board members pushed back on the idea of charging families to compensate for structural building needs, asking instead that staff provide evidence of safety hazards or condemned conditions before asking families to bear costs. Several members also asked for modeling that demonstrates how pay-to-play funds would be restricted and audited and how an SGO would be structured for local use.

Staff committed to provide a facility-condition assessment, the athletic department’s operating budget and participant counts; board members signaled they were open to further study but not prepared to approve fees without clear evidence of imminent safety risk or a robust plan for assistance to low‑income families.