Pay to Play, Part 1

In the summer of 2019 (when else?), the Hillsborough Township Board of Education adopted a policy calling for participation fees to be collected from students for most activities and athletics - the so-called "Pay-to-Play" policy. I was on the board then and opposed the policy as it was developed. I had different ideas.

I have always found that policies work best - and can best be defended to a skeptical public - when they are grounded in a sure philosophy. In this instance, the philosophical underpinnings that should have guided the board are that school - especially high school - is not only what happens between the first and last bell. Academic and social clubs - and especially athletics - are sometimes erroneously thought of as add-ons to the high school experience. This is not true. They are integral to it.

Charging a fee, even if it's only $100 per sport, is antithetical to our goal of having a barrier-free high school experience. And by the way, it's never just $100. If you have a couple of kids in school playing two or three sports per year, it can add up quickly. It was my firm belief then, as it is now, that the general public does not resent paying for the full cost of clubs and sports at the high school. They recognize the value of it.

If I had let my opposition to the policy rest there, I could have just shrugged my shoulders and moved on. But the truth is that I was never opposed to participation fees being collected from the younger students - namely 5th through 8th grade. At that level, parents routinely pay for all of their child's many after-school activities - sports leagues, martial arts, dance, scouting, etc. There is no reason the school district should compete with these businesses by offering free activities for 11-year-olds.

In fact - I had a whole concept for a 5th - 8th-grade after-school enrichment program that I first discussed with the superintendent way back in 2011. I will discuss that in the next installment.

[It should also be noted that, whereas the budget in Hillsborough for high school athletics is around $1 million, the participation fees collected - when I reported on this as a board member - only covered around 15% of that.]