Boosters Organize Outcry Against 'Pay to Play'

Harford County high school booster clubs are coming together to voice their opposition to the new activity fees approved by the school board in June.

Under the new fee structure, individual students will be charged $50 per sport, per season and $25 for each extracurricular activity such as band. Children of school system teachers and active duty military personnel and those who receive free or reduced-price lunches are exempt.

The fees are designed to help close a $20.2 million shortfall created by the county budget, the school system said.

Booster club presidents from eight of the county's 10 public high schools met this week to discuss their concerns about the new fees and plan statements for the upcoming school board meeting July 29.

The clubs' representatives agree that the fees add up quickly, especially for highly involved students. There is no cap on how much an individual student or family can pay.

"JV is going to be nonexistent if this goes through; entire teams may fold is what we see happening at Joppatowne," Samantha DiBastiani, president of Joppatowne High School's booster club, said.

DiBastiani went on to say that some parents at Joppatowne can't afford to pay $5 to watch their children play in a high school game, let alone a $50 fee.

Barbara Helm of Fallston said she feels the new fees discriminate against those of lower income, and cited the school system's policy on extracurricular activities that states, "Students have the right to participate in school activities regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin, gender, disability, economic status or program of study."

Helm went on to talk about a Fallston High School alum who was able to attend a well known college based on top grades and participation in multiple sports and activities.

The cost of an extensive high school resume could rise into hundreds of dollars per school year under the new fee structure.

“Does that not impact the core of what public education is supposed to provide?” Bill Benson, president of the Patterson Mill High School booster club, asked.

DiBastiani and other booster representatives suspect parent involvement may also decrease because of the fees. They foresee booster clubs and parent teacher associations having diminished participation due to the added cost, a sentiment Patch blogger John Franklin agrees with.

"I am thinking as a parent why should I volunteer my time any more with booster clubs, PTSA, fund-raisers (basket bingo's, bull roasts, working concession stands, selling pizza's, candy) etc. if I have to pay an extra fee for my kids to be involved," Franklin writes in his blog on Bel Air Patch.

Benson said one of his primary concerns is where the money will go.

"The fee is not going back to the activity, it’s going back into the general fund," Benson said at Monday's meeting with fellow booster club representatives.

"This policy money is going into a pool and that scares the heck out of me, I just don’t see the accountability," Benson continued.

The boosters are coordinating with parents and students to wear school colors to Monday's board meeting where they plan to speak. While the fee policy has already been approved, a potential policy conflict correction is on the school board's agenda.

A dozen parents participated in this week's meeting on the subject. In addition to representatives from Fallston, Patterson Mill and Joppatowne were booster club members from C. Milton Wright, Bel Air, Edgewood, North Harford and Havre de Grace high schools. Aberdeen High School does not have a booster club.