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Committee weighs modest athletic fee increases to shore up program costs
Summary
Finance subcommittee proposed raising two user-fee tiers by $25 and reclassifying a few sports; staff estimated the package would generate roughly $26,000 after waivers and family caps while members voiced concern about middle-school participation and equity.
The Newburyport City School Committee discussed proposed athletic-fee changes on March 11 as part of budget deliberations. Finance subcommittee and athletics staff proposed increasing tier 2 fees from $300 to $325 and tier 3 from $250 to $275, keeping tier 1 at $450, and reclassifying the ski team to a higher-cost tier and moving indoor track up a tier.
Finance subcommittee reported the combined package would generate an estimated $26,000 in additional revenue after waivers and family caps; a narrower option (re-tiering only) would generate roughly $9,000, and adding a modest middle-school fee (conceptually $50) could produce about $9,000 more.
Members debated trade-offs. One committee member said the district’s current athletic participation is strong and warned that even modest fee increases can be a burden on families. "That is a burden," Member Higgins said, adding she has "heartburn" about fees and that incremental increases could become a slippery slope. Others argued fees should cover a larger share of program costs; finance staff noted user fees currently cover roughly 23% of an approximately $1 million annual athletics program, and a 75/25 split between district subsidy and family fees would be closer to regional comparables.
Staff and subcommittee members emphasized that waivers and family caps would remain available and called for clearer communication to families about waiver processes. Options to avoid raising fees — program trimming, fundraising and operational efficiencies — were discussed but not adopted.
Status: committee discussion only. Staff will return with sport-by-sport cost breakdowns, waiver data, and refined recommendations at a future finance-subcommittee meeting.
