Marblehead School Sports User Fees Skyrocket Amid Budget Crunch

MARBLEHEAD, MA — School sports user fees could more than double for many Marblehead families under an option the School Committee approved to help offset a budget crunch and preserve classroom positions in the district.

The School Committee had been mulling options that could have raised fees between 235 percent and 371 percent under a proposal that would have the fees fund all coaching and supervising positions — compared to the 50/50 split that exists this year.

Under the current fee structure, students can play unlimited high school sports for $495 and middle school sports for $220 with a family cap of $800. There are also fees for playing high school club sports, flag football and middle school intramural sports.

But starting next year that family cap increases to $2,060 with the first season of a high school sport at $540, a second season at $490, and a third season at $440. Middle school sports will be $260 for the first season, $210 for the second season, and $160 for the third season.

Intramural sports and other activities are $290 for unlimited participation at the high school, middle school and elementary schools.

"I don't think any of us take this lightly," School Committee Chair Sarah Fox said before Thursday night's vote. "We discussed this quite a bit at previous meetings. This really was an effort to be as creative as possible to maintain staff positions and put educators in front of students. Through user fees and having the programs being mostly self-funded was a way to save positions, quite frankly.

"I think we all acknowledge the ideal is to be able to work toward reducing those as we move forward. But here we are."

Fox said families that find that user fees are preventing them from enrolling students in specific sports or activities should reach out to the school principals, athletic director and coaches for fee relief.

"I am confident we make those things work," Fox said.

The School Committee also voted to accept a gift of more than $600,000 from the All Sports Boosters Club to fund a new turf field at Piper Field. Work is set to begin at the end of the current school year and be substantially completed by the return to school in the fall.

"This school department is most grateful to the boosters for their fundraising efforts and their support of our students and student-athletes," Interim Finance & Operations Director Mary DeLai said in a letter to the School Committee recommending accepting of the donation.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)