Committee: Slash Athletic Fees in Half

Schools officials on Tuesday will vote on a proposal that could slash athletic fees at by nearly half.

The move comes from the Athletics Advisory Committee, whose members are proposing a 46 percent decrease in student-paid fees.

In the proposal, fees for most sports would decrease by about 40 percent or more. The highest proposed decrease is cross-country, where fees could drop from last year’s $480 to $100 per student, a 79 percent difference. Cheerleading is next, with a proposed drop from $408 to $100, or 75 percent.

The reductions would be less significant for Arlington High School’s most expensive sports—ice hockey, gymnastics and football. Ice hockey fees would drop from $720 to $700 (3 percent); gymnastics would drop from $720 to $600 (17 percent); and football would decrease from $528 to $500 (5 percent).

Without counting ice hockey, football and gymnastics, the average reduction in fees for the other sports would be about 53 percent.

Stephen Harrington, a member of the Athletic Advisory Committee, said most of the cost would be offset by $100,000 stemming from this . Officials are also counting on $43,000 in Community Development Block Grant, a federal program that provides low-income students with scholarships for situations like this.

The Athletics Advisory Committee on Monday presented the proposal to the School Committee’s Budget Subcommittee, which recommended its approval. Now, the proposal will go before the , which meets on Tuesday, June 28, at 7 p.m.

Here's the proposed fee schedule: