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Many cash-strapped school districts now are charging students fees to play sports or for other activities. In Harford County, North Harford High School's football players have avoided this through its fund-raising arm, the Endzone Club, which is staffed by parents. (North Harford High School / October 27, 2003) |
A successful year of fund raising for the Endzone Club means garnering $25,000 for the two football teams at North Harford High School in Harford County.
The money -- amounting to $300 per football player -- pays for equipment, uniforms and pads for the school's varsity and junior-varsity teams. If parents were asked to pay a fee to the school for playing the sport, that might make the club's job that much more difficult -- even if the fund raising still was involved.
"We think we do a better job fund raising and gathering donations than if parents had to pay a fee outright," said Terence Cox, the Endzone Club's president. He has two sons on the school's football teams. "We know where that money goes.
"And a lot of people want to do it," Cox said of the fund raising. "They want what's best for their kids, so they help out."
As the scholastic athletic season moves into full swing, several cash-strapped school districts in Maryland are following a national trend -- charging students fees to participate on high school sports teams instead of cutting back or eliminating extracurricular activities.
Known as "pay to play," the fees can range from a few dollars to more than $250 per sport. These fees know no socioeconomic borders, school officials say: Districts in wealthy suburban areas are as likely to impose fees as those in poorer urban regions.
In the Baltimore region, only school districts in Carroll County have imposed such fees, joining with those in Frederick and Washington counties.
Grumbling from parents
Besides the obvious financial problems associated with such fees, other unintended consequences could result, experts say.
"High school sports are all about competition," said Cox. "Hopefully, some of the kids will go on to the next level.
"If you do pay to play, you might be bringing in the recreation-sport mentality, where all kids get the same amount of playing time. Parents may say, 'I paid, so my kid should get to play just as much as the next.' "
Nationally, participation fees seem to be on the rise -- and in some regions that have charged fees for many years, the amounts are reaching unprecedented levels. The revenues from athletic fees can become quite significant for school districts, especially as participation rates continue to rise nationally.
"In general terms, it's out there and has been for a long time," said John Gillis, an assistant director with the National Federation of State High School Associations in Indianapolis. "The preference is you hope programs can be self-sustaining and not have to resort to pay to play. But many administrations are in the situation of either having pay to play or [not having] the programs."
Of a given school district, the athletic budget usually only represents about 1 percent to 2 percent of the total operating budget, Gillis said. But "sadly, when they make the cuts, those are the things that get cut first. A lot of times, administrations look at these programs and feel they are not necessary. We feel they are of great value, and the ultimate losers in the whole scenario are the kids."
Impact on participation
The increasing reliance on participation fees comes as the number of students participating in high school athletics is at an all-time high.
In the 2002-2003 school year, more than 6.85 million students participated in high school athletics, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. This marked the fifth consecutive year that a record was established for such participation and the 14th straight year the number of participants increased.
In Maryland, the numbers also have increased, with more than 97,000 students participating in public high school sports during the 2002-2003 academic year, according to Ned Sparks, executive director of the Baltimore-based Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association.
That number is up from 94,131 in the 2001-2002 school year and from 86,607 five years ago, he said.
The money -- amounting to $300 per football player -- pays for equipment, uniforms and pads for the school's varsity and junior-varsity teams. If parents were asked to pay a fee to the school for playing the sport, that might make the club's job that much more difficult -- even if the fund raising still was involved.
"We think we do a better job fund raising and gathering donations than if parents had to pay a fee outright," said Terence Cox, the Endzone Club's president. He has two sons on the school's football teams. "We know where that money goes.
"And a lot of people want to do it," Cox said of the fund raising. "They want what's best for their kids, so they help out."
As the scholastic athletic season moves into full swing, several cash-strapped school districts in Maryland are following a national trend -- charging students fees to participate on high school sports teams instead of cutting back or eliminating extracurricular activities.
Known as "pay to play," the fees can range from a few dollars to more than $250 per sport. These fees know no socioeconomic borders, school officials say: Districts in wealthy suburban areas are as likely to impose fees as those in poorer urban regions.
In the Baltimore region, only school districts in Carroll County have imposed such fees, joining with those in Frederick and Washington counties.
Grumbling from parents
Besides the obvious financial problems associated with such fees, other unintended consequences could result, experts say.
"High school sports are all about competition," said Cox. "Hopefully, some of the kids will go on to the next level.
"If you do pay to play, you might be bringing in the recreation-sport mentality, where all kids get the same amount of playing time. Parents may say, 'I paid, so my kid should get to play just as much as the next.' "
Nationally, participation fees seem to be on the rise -- and in some regions that have charged fees for many years, the amounts are reaching unprecedented levels. The revenues from athletic fees can become quite significant for school districts, especially as participation rates continue to rise nationally.
"In general terms, it's out there and has been for a long time," said John Gillis, an assistant director with the National Federation of State High School Associations in Indianapolis. "The preference is you hope programs can be self-sustaining and not have to resort to pay to play. But many administrations are in the situation of either having pay to play or [not having] the programs."
Of a given school district, the athletic budget usually only represents about 1 percent to 2 percent of the total operating budget, Gillis said. But "sadly, when they make the cuts, those are the things that get cut first. A lot of times, administrations look at these programs and feel they are not necessary. We feel they are of great value, and the ultimate losers in the whole scenario are the kids."
Impact on participation
The increasing reliance on participation fees comes as the number of students participating in high school athletics is at an all-time high.
In the 2002-2003 school year, more than 6.85 million students participated in high school athletics, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. This marked the fifth consecutive year that a record was established for such participation and the 14th straight year the number of participants increased.
In Maryland, the numbers also have increased, with more than 97,000 students participating in public high school sports during the 2002-2003 academic year, according to Ned Sparks, executive director of the Baltimore-based Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association.
That number is up from 94,131 in the 2001-2002 school year and from 86,607 five years ago, he said.
