Cliff Buchan
News Editor

When students return to school next fall, they will likely be asked to pay activity fees based on the length of the season for their sport or activity.

Following several months of study, a committee in ISD 831 has crafted a new plan for activity fees that will base the charge on how long the activity lasts during the season. A maximum family rate of $900 will be maintained under the proposal.

The ISD 831 Board of Education had its first review of the proposal on Thursday, April 6. Joel Olson, high school activities director, said the option was the plan of choice by a committee that has met since last fall and researched plans for fees.

The school board plan followed a budget add back program in the wake of the arrival of increased state aid for the current school year. The budget was modified by $2 million in advance of the state aid hike.

The modification included a jump in the fees paid by students to participate in activities.

Last fall saw the school board vote to lower the fee rates for the winter and spring seasons. The work of the committee will be implemented this fall providing the school board ratifies the plan.

The best choice

Olson assured the school board last week the option for a tier-based fee system was the best option in the eyes of citizens, parents, coaches, teachers and administrators who served on the ad hoc committee.

Their recommendation was derived after researching fees charged by Suburban East Conference schools and those assessed in Eden Prairie and Centennial. The Eden Prairie model follows a tier structure tied to length of season for the sport or activity.

Olson said the committee also looked at fee options that took into consideration the revenue raising ability of an activity, a flat fee rate and a fee rate based on a rating of the sport or activity.

ìThe parents are for this,î said board member Joe Grafft who served on the committee.

Responding to questions, Olson said the new fee structure would generate about one-third of the total costs of activities for students in grades 7-12.

He anticipated no negative impact from the new fees in terms of participation levels. While fees have steadily gone up the past three years, participation rates have also increased, Olson said.

With a fee system tied to the weeks in a season, any future fee increase would not be a complicated task, Olson added.

How it works

The proposed system works based on the number of weeks in a season as identified by the Minnesota State High School League. For in-school activities such as plays, the weeks were determined internally with the input of play directors, Olson said.

To calculate the student fee, the school will apply a flat charge of $13.50 times the number of weeks in a season.

The fees will be based on the length of the entire season, not the number of weeks a student participates.

Basketball (girls and boys) and drum line will pay the highest fee at $243 per individual because they have the longest seasons at the grade 9-12 level.

The current rate this winter and spring for basketball and drum line was $190 for each individual.

The list below shows the proposed new fees under the plan as recommended:

ïOne act play, $108.

ïAll Grade 7-8 sports, $121.

ïTennis (girls and boys), $149.

ïSpring play leads, speech, debate, fall musical leads, cross country running and soccer, $162.

ïBaseball, golf (girls and boys), track, softball and volleyball, $176.

ïAlpine skiing, Nordic skiing, swimming and diving (girls and boys for all sports), and synchronized swimming, $189.

ïFootball, wrestling and gymnastics, $203.

ïDance team, $216.

ïGrade 7-9 clubs and non-athletic activities, $70.

ïGrade 10-12 adaptive athletics, non-leads in plays and weight training, $90.

The proposal also recommends a $100 equipment deposit fee. The deposit will be refunded to the student when the equipment is returned to the school.

The proposal maintains a district policy of not charging fees to service-based organizations including National Honor Society, the FFA and student council.

The family maximum of $900 remains in place and is a system designed to ease the financial burden on families with multiple students taking part in activities or sports.

The $900 family limit is a $150 reduction from the $1050 total that had been in place prior to the board fee reduction action last fall.

The family limit was $750 for the 2004-2005. The big hike from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006 reflects the steady increase rate of activity fees for students in ISD 831.

In 2004-2005, students in Grades 9-12 paid $150 to participate in one activity. The fee jumped to $205 for the 2005-2006 term.

The board action last fall dropped the Grade 9-12 fee rate to $190 for the winter and spring seasons this school year.

The school board is expected to consider final approval at its next regular business meeting on Thursday, May 4.

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