Schools

Upper St. Clair School Administration Proposes Fees to Play Sports

Students would be required to pay $25 to $100 to play a sport at Fort Couch Middle or Upper St. Clair High schools.

As a way to make up for cuts in state funding, the administration of the Upper St. Clair School District is proposing athletic registration fees for students at and .

Superintendent Patrick O'Toole presented the plan to the school directors during Monday night's board committee meeting. 

Under the plan, high school students would pay $50, $75 or $100 to play a sport. Middle school students would pay $25, $50 or $75 to play a sport.

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There would also be a maximum amount a student would have to pay and a maximum amount a family would have pay, so students who play multiple sports and families with many student athletes would not have to pay a large amount of money.

The district is also examining the possibility of offering an early bird registration discount and scholarships for families who can't afford the registration fees.

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The registration fee proposal breaks sports into three tiers which are based on how much each sport costs the district. The calculations take into account coaching costs, supplies, officials, uniforms, paramedics, transportation costs and collected revenues.

High school sports in the tier one category, which would cost $100 for a student to participate, include baseball; boys' and girls' basketball; football; boys' and girls' soccer; and boys' and girls' track.

The tier two category, costing $75 per student, would be boys' and girls' cross country; boys' and girls' lacrosse; softball; boys' and girls' swimming; boys' and girls' volleyball; and wrestling.

In the least expensive tier one category, which would cost $50 to play, is cheerleading; field hockey; boys' and girls' golf; indoor track; rifle; and boys' and girls' tennis.

Administrators said fees would most likely be collected with physical forms. Students who didn't make the team after try-outs would be refunded.

Some school directors said they would prefer flat fees for all sports.

"I'm concerned about the tiers," vice president of the school board said.

"I would rather see a flat fee. I don't want to see parents encourage a sport because it's less expensive. A flat fees keeps it simple. Tiers invite controversy," school director said.

Other school directors said they supported the administration's plan.

"Tier costs are not unreasonable. The max cost for a student and a family will cushion the blow," school director Louis Mafrice, Jr. said.

"I buy into the tier formula because it's something you can explain instead of putting an average fee on every sport. The rationale and analysis appeal to me," school director said. "It's impossible to come up with something everyone thinks is fair.

"I don't like to pick on sports, my kids played sports...but given what we're faced with, I'm in favor of this plan."

Board president said he agreed with Petersen. "None of us want to be in this position. Hopefully the parents can understand we're struggling through this crisis," he said.

School director Louis Piconi said he would be interested in using a different formula. For example, he said, it wouldn't be fair for rifle athletes to pay for 100-percent of their costs and football players to pay for 50-percent of their costs.

School director Bruce Kerman said he hopes this process will help the district discover ways to make sports more cost effective and perhaps decrease the amount of traveling teams do.

The school directors will further discuss the athletic registration fees and the budget at the next school board meeting on Monday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the . The final budget vote will take place Wednesday, June 22 at 8 a.m. in the central office board room.


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