Looking for 'pay-to-play' states

California is in a huge economic crisis, and our local school district has two proposals that would eliminate Frosh/Soph and JV sports or eliminate high school sports entirely.

USA Today ran a story in 2004 that said 34 states have districts that ask their students to "pay-to-play." I've picked up a few states here and there via Google but I'm trying to track down more than one or two names. I'm also looking for the price of fees, possibly a breakdown on what those fees cover.

Has anyone done a story on pay-to-play?

Main problem in California is that it was deemed illegal in 1984 by the state supreme court. So first the voters would need to overturn that ruling, but I'd like to point out some of the fees for our readers and get people talking.

 

Minnesota has them. The cost varies by district. Arizona had them as well, but I haven't lived there for nearly 10 years.

 

I did a huge feature on this in college and I also coach at a pay-to-play school. (We adopted it this year). PM me for more info.

 

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/02/more_high_school_athletes_have_to_pay_to_play/

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/10/26/hspayplay_1026.html

 

They implemented it Flagstaff when I still lived there ... not sure if it's still going, but I would assume so.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/2004-07-29-pay-to-play_x.htm

 

Some districts in Idaho do this.

I wrote a story on it a few years ago. I'll see if I can find it.

 

Thanks...I've already read over those stories. Like I said, I've Googled this first before I came on here.

 

The problem that I have with pay to pay is this: If my kid wants to play and they're not particularly good or they ride the bench, or the team sucks and/or has a lousy coach, I can't see parting with say $500 in these hard times.

 

Pretty sure Ohio has districts with pay to play, or did when I was in HS. That was before a lawsuit forced major changes to school funding though, so things may be different now.

 

If you make kids play $50 to play a sport or be in band or cheer, you are talking about 1,000 students paying per high school depending on the size of the school. I am going to assume that the kids who cannot even afford $2 for lunch will pay $50 to be in the band. Right now, my county is working at 23% free and reduced lunches for students and that number is growing faster than Jessica Simpson's waistband.

So if you have six high schools in the district, that is about $300,000 per year. It sounds like a lot, but is chicken shit compared with what everyone is facing right now.

$300,000 is five teaching positions. Shit, maybe four.

Four out of 3,000 staff members.

You want to write a story about how a district can save some money without altering how students are treated on a day-to-day basis? Ask why the hell 50 miles are put on a bus that carries students 13 miles a day? When you factor replacement costs of buses and the spastic fuel prices, you will see that not leaving buses at the school is idiotic. This is easily six figures.

Ask an AD to let you into a 300,000 square foot school on a Sunday morning, and if the building is 70 degrees when it is 35 degrees outside, it does not take a Mensa member to see money being pissed away there.

Did you know it costs about $450,000 just to power, cool and heat just one high school each year? A building that is used 180 days for teaching and heated and cooled 365? Sheeeeeeeeeeeettttttttttttt.

You could save six figures at that school just by using basic common sense.

 

93Devil...good points except we're talking 18 high schools in one district. Plus, $50 would be on the low end to what most schools are getting for activity fees per student, based on what I've read.

$50 for one sport or one extracurricular activity. Most kids are in two sports and another club. That's when real money can come in.