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Board debates $36,570 scoreboard purchase and possible increases to pay-to-play and co-op fees
Summary
Board members discussed a proposed $36,570 scoreboard purchase (BSN quote including ~$16,500 installation), debated using student-activity funds and contingency money, and engaged in an extended debate about pay-to-play family caps and co-op sport costs with proposals to raise the family cap to $450 and charge $300 for some co-op sports.
Board members spent substantial time discussing whether to replace the large gym scoreboard this summer, how to pay for it and how district athletics should handle rising co-op costs.
The presenter (speaker 3) summarized three vendor quotes and a funding plan: "The BSN is... $36,570," including "installation is about $16,000," and recommended using $20,000 from older student-activity accounts, $6,570 from the current student activity/athletic account and an additional contingency of roughly $10,000 (the motion language had stated $10,000 not to exceed $12,000). Several board members said they had not seen specifications or photos and asked for additional detail before approving the purchase.
Members raised concerns about using student-activity funds that some alumni had designated for reunions or other purposes and whether the scoreboard’s features would be used. The chair asked staff to bring size/specification details and full quotes back to the board before a final vote; the item was deferred for a future meeting.
The meeting also included an extended discussion of pay-to-play fees and co-op sport charges. Administration provided comparative data from 24 schools: an average fee per sport of $157 and an average family cap of $540. The district currently charges $200 for a first sport and $125 for a second sport with a family cap described in the meeting as $325; staff proposed raising the family cap to $450 and charging $300 for certain co-op sports. Board members disagreed about whether the district or parents should absorb new co-op costs, pointing out examples where some co-op partners have begun charging districts amounts described in the meeting as high as $1,700 per student for wrestling and $27.99 per student for swimming (those figures were read from district analysis and require confirmation). Several members asked staff to survey other districts about co-op fee practices and to return with options that protect district budgets while minimizing barriers for families.
No final change to pay-to-play policy or scoreboard funding was adopted; the board asked administration for more detailed quotes and for comparative data on co-op payments and parental fees before any policy changes or purchases are approved.
