High school sports: Fee waivers a tricky issue

Sports are expensive.

Heck, drama, debate and even that advanced art class can cost parents a pretty penny.

So what do those students, whose parents can't afford to pay for school lunch let alone fees for classes or sports, do when they want to participate? They apply for fee waivers. Parents have to prove their income, and if families qualify, students don't pay fees.

And while it would be difficult to find a principal who doesn't agree with the state's decision to allow low-income students to participate sans fees, the mandate comes without reimbursement for the schools that still have to cover the costs of those activities. Each district and school determines how much the fees for activities and athletics are for each student, but the waiver criteria are set by the state.

"The biggest problem with fee waivers is that it still costs the school money," said Dixie Principal Larry Bergeson. "We're just like most schools, if kids can't afford to pay the fees, we're still going to let them do the activities."

Bergeson is luckier than some. He only has about 10 percent to 12 percent of his students eligible for fee waivers. Although, like many administrators, he's preparing for an increase in the number of applications with the recent economic downturn.

With or without a recession, Ben Lomond Principal Ben Smith feels the pain of fee waivers as 70 percent of his students qualify to participate for free.

"I just put my activities out there, and then I just have to pray that we'll be able to cover it at the end of the year," Smith said. "It's a crazy thing. It hits me to the tune of about $100,000 per year."

Even the smallest increases, $5 or $10 per official, can break the bank for a school like Ben Lomond.

"Every little bit adds up," Smith said. "It's almost $350 for one night of basketball officials."

While some districts do reimburse individual schools for the lost income, most do not. And administrators agree it is the state that should reimburse schools for the waived fees. Otherwise, principals have to resort to raising the prices of other activities, fundraising and even using the school's vending machine profits to cover the shortfall.

"They don't have a clue how this affects us, unless you're living through it," Smith said. "Even my textbooks, only 30 percent of our students pay for the textbooks that every student must have. It's very difficult. We don't have a lot of options."

While extra curricular activities are considered a privilege, at least having access to sports and activities is seen as a right of all students.

"Students should have to come to school, get good grades, that's where they earn it," said Highland Principal Paul Schulte, "not in whether they can pay for it."

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