Students React to New High School Activity Fee

This fall,  students who participate in sports, clubs and co-curricular activities will be required to pay a $50 activity participation fee, the school district said.

While a few THS students have called the fee unfair, school officials explained that the fee was necessary to preserve programs and offset costs associated with school-sponsored activities.

The flat $50 fee covers a student for the entire school year no matter how many activities he or she joins. For example, a student involved in football, theater and baseball would pay the same fee as a student who participates in only track.

District Business Administrator Robert Finger said that during the 2010-2011 school year the district spent $809,083 for sport and extracurricular activities, with an additional $123,285 going for transportation-related expenses.

“We anticipate raising $25,000 from the participation fee to offset those costs. Detailed information will be coming out shortly in a letter from the high school,” said Finger in an e-mail. “Freshman sports are still eliminated for 2011-2012.”

In an , that eliminating freshman sports was necessary to save money on salary costs and support services. She said the total cost of the freshman sports program was about $66,000.

Board of Education Trustee Henry Pruitt said implementing an activity participation fee was an issue that was decided upon during this last budget cycle.

“In order to have a zero increase in the school budget, we had to set aside a fee for athletics,” he said. 

Pruitt said it’s not unusual for a school to charge an activity fee.

“Other schools do it,” he said. “It’s just bad economic times.”

Teaneck is not alone in having an activity fee, with districts in New Milford and Ridgewood also having fees.

BoE President Ardie Walser said the fee will allow the district to measure “how we use our financial and human resources effectively.”

“Chances are that students will participate more because they’re paying into it,” Walser said. “It’ll reduce costs for the districts and allow us to keep activities. And it’ll help us keep track of the level of involvement with students.”

Walser didn’t elaborate on what activities would be kept by the implementation of the activity fee, but Pinsak confirmed that stipends would be restored for about 10 previously cut activities, including high school dance and choir.

Walser said the Board had been looking to start an activity fee for a couple of years and that they wanted to make it a “reasonable and flat fee.”

“We really didn’t want to do [a fee] because we want all kids to be able to participate,” he said. “Today, with the current economic environment, we have a lot of programs in place, and we need to make sure that the finances involved with these activities are managed well. A lot of programs were cut last year because of money.”

Students who receive free or reduced-fee lunches would have the activity fee waived, said Walser, but he said some students who feel a stigma with the discounted meal program may not even choose to eat lunch at the high school, making it difficult to pinpoint who would have their activity fee waived.

“We will work to identify those types of students as well as those who want to participate but can’t afford it,” he said. “I see the fee as taking stock of the programs we offer. We spend funds on these activities to cover stipends and salaries and other associated costs. It will provide the district with a way to see if the money used for these activities is being used well. We can get statistics on the number of students in each club and how many pay the fee and how many may not if they can’t afford to.”

FEE CALLED ‘UNFAIR’ BY SOME

Five in-coming THS seniors and the parent of two THS students all weighed in on the fee. The majority of the group stated that the fee was unfair and didn’t take into account the other expenses families face to balance their own budgets.

Jordan Jeanty, who is co-president of the senior class, co-president of SOLVE (Students Obtaining Leadership Values Effectively) and a co-drum major, said he was concerned about the students who struggle with economic hardships. He added that he didn’t think the district would collect as much as they think they will because students won’t pay the fee.

Jeanty said he thinks that the fee will turn students away from joining clubs, especially if a family has more than one student at the high school.

“That’s kind of what Teaneck is all about – making all-around students, and I think they are may be killing it to make people pay money for it,” Jeanty said. “I feel like the Board [of Education] may be destroying the environment of the high school. They might not know it now, but as it ripples on, that may be a long-term effect.”

Jeanty explained that since freshman year, his classmates have been holding fundraisers to help make senior prom more affordable, mainly, keeping tickets to the event below $100. He said if the BoE ever wanted to raise funds for activities going that route, he and his friends would help spread the word.

‘SENIOR YEAR IS GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE’

Kelsey Boyd participates with the dance ensemble, is a flag twirler, and takes part in HEAL (a mentoring program for girls that stands for Helping Each other Achieve Longevity).

She said she can understand why the fee was put in place, especially with the rising cost of gas involved with transporting students to events. But she said groups like HEAL don’t travel anywhere and hold their own fundraisers to pay for events.

“We don’t ask the school for money,” she said.

She also said she has to spend money to buy boots and the sweats that go along with being a flag twirler.

“Me and a lot of my friends, we’re all looking for jobs now because we know senior year is going to be expensive,” Boyd said. “And we know that our parents are starting to say we have to pay for things ourselves.”

‘WE’RE REALLY NOT GOING TO HAVE THE MONEY’

Jamal Williams, who plays football and indoor and outdoor track, said it’s not fair to make students pay to do something that they love.

“I should just be able to play,” he said.

Williams said he currently doesn’t pay for anything with his sports – only if he loses some part of his uniform.

Even with the school officials stating that the money will help offset rising costs related to stipends and transportation, Williams was still firm with his stance that the fee is unfair.

“I understand that they’re trying to charge the students so they can help to pay for other things, but $50 is a lot of money,” he said. “It’d be better if they’d lower it to like $25 or $30, but $50 just to play a sport is unfair. We also have to pay for prom, so we’re really not going to have the money.”

Williams added that students will feel embarrassed if they can’t pay the fee, even if help is offered by the district.

“Sports keeps me busy and keeps me out of trouble,” he said. “And I enjoy doing sports. So, if I can’t do it because of a fee, I’d just be lost.

‘IT WAS ALWAYS A NO-CHARGE POLICY’

Hana Ramdedovic will participate in fencing and rowing crew. She said she and her teammates already chip in a little for travel-related expenses, though she didn’t elaborate.

“Personally, I feel that from last year’s budget cuts that our sports were affected already, not with just the cut of freshman sports but also with some deduction of budgeting for the sports,” Ramdedovic said in an e-mail. “This has caused us to have to contribute more financially for our sports such as travel and etc. Some might say as I that the extra $50 per year is a fair deal and can be easily paid; however, I know for some others it's not as easy to pay for. From all the benefits that participating in a sport can do for someone, it's not a fair option for them to have to pay for a sport when it was always a no-charge policy.”

HAVING A FEE BETTER THAN CUTTING PROGRAMS

Michael Marcial is a member of the swim team and the vice president of SOLVE. He also is involved with the Student Advisory Council, Israel Club, philosophy club and percussion ensemble.

In am emailed response, Marcial said he supported the activity fee and the reasoning behind implementing it.

“I feel that paying $50 dollars for one or 10 school functions would be much better than having to cut necessary programs as a result of insufficient funds,” Marcial said. “Students need these outlets, and it's better for them to have the option of paying to play or no payment than to have no choice whatsoever. My biggest fear would be that the participation fee could reduce student participation in clubs and sports.”

‘I WISH EVERYTHING WOULD JUST STAY THE SAME’

Parent Cedric James has three children in the district: one child in middle school and two in the high school – one a junior and one a senior.

“I’m new to Teaneck. I’ve been here close to five years,” he said. “And the reason that I moved over here was for the school system. You figure with the taxes – that’s like paying for your kids to go to school with the tax money. I wish that everything would just stay the same."

Because James’ boys play football, run track and wrestle, he faces a $100 fee for the school year.

“That money can go toward my son’s shoes for his prom or toward his limo,” James said. “I wish I didn’t have to pay it, but if it were to go toward a good cause like if the freshman sports were going to be saved, I’d pay it, even though my kids are upperclassmen. I would still like those freshmen coming in to have something to do because if you eliminate freshmen sports that will open up a door for kids to get into trouble and doing things they shouldn’t be doing.”

James said he hopes that school officials as least consider offering a discount to families that have more than one kid in high school.

“One hundred dollars is hard,” James said. “I got three kids, a wife, a mortgage, a dog. I have to prepare for my son to go to college next year. So any amount of money that I can save would be great.”

‘WE DON’T WANT TO PUT A BURDEN ON FAMILIES’

Walser responded to the concerns expressed by the students and James.

He said that any club, even if doesn’t travel, has to have a faculty member overseeing the group, which is where a stipend-related cost comes in. He said because implementing the fee is something new this year, there will be kinks that need to be worked out, such as where do the kids pay, who collects the fee, and what happens if kids don’t pay.

“The administration will be working out all the regulations in regards to all these details,” Walser said.

He said the district tried to let families know as soon as possible about the fee, but there were other items affecting the district that also required the Board’s attention.

Walser added that Board members can sympathize with the costs families face because they also pay high property taxes. But, he said the fee boils down to doing more with less.

“We don’t have as much money as we used to, and when you have less money, you can’t do as much,” he said. “We tried to make it a nominal fee. But, it will continue to be discussed, especially if families have more than one kid in the school because we’re not insensitive, and we don’t want to put a burden on families. But there has to be some balance in finding resources.”

When asked about holding fundraisers to help support high school sports and clubs, Walser said it can be difficult because volunteers in the high school setting also raise thousands for events like Project Graduation, which provides a safe venue for seniors after graduation.

“Volunteers get burned out, and there’s a lot of energy involved with fundraisers,” he said. “But, I welcome the ideas, and I encourage students and parents to attend our Board of Education meetings to continue the dialogue.”