By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Cherry Hill Sun
Students in middle school and high school might see an increase across the board for general extracurricular fees next year. Last week the Board of Education took steps to change the fee structure for students who want to participate in any extracurricular programming, which includes the prom for high school students.
The universal fee would be raised to $90 per high school student and $55 per middle school student, with a cap of $200 per family. Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunches would not have to pay the fee.
It’s expected to generate more than $500,000 in revenue during the first year, officials said. Students who choose not to pay the fee won’t be eligible for any extracurricular activities in the district, which include sports, drama, theater, and the senior prom.
The Board passed the measure on first reading by a vote of 6–1, with Wayne Tarken casting the one dissenting vote.
Discussion for raising the universal fee began during the construction of the 2010–2011 budget. The district lost more than $13 million in state aid, Assistant Superintendent James Gallagher said, so this is a mechanism that will allow the BOE to maintain its extracurricular activities.
“We had lost so much state aid, and we still had the same expectations to provide the extracurricular activities for all of our students,” he said. “Parents came out in droves at those BOE meeting and asked us not to cut the activities.
“This is basically the mechanism that allows us to maintain them.”
Every extracurricular activity is a cost to the BOE, he said. Even for dances the district has to hire chaperones to attend.
The BOE looked at several options for the fees and decided that this was the best way to go, Gallagher said. Several school districts have resorted to more of a pay-to-play strategy, with students paying for each activity, but the district decided that would not be fair.
A committee consisting of district representatives, teachers and parents determined this mechanism would be the best way to support extracurricular activities in the district.
“That was the intent and the rational. Hopefully we’ll be able to provide the same level for co-curricular and extracurricular activities that we have in the past,” Gallagher said. “Who knows, maybe if the state gives us some of our aid back in the future we’ll be able to decrease the fee.”
Seth Klukoff, president of the BOE, said this was first discussed in March.
The loss of state aid put the district in a tough position, he said, and district representatives did not want to cut any of the programs. He also stressed that the collection and organization of the fees will not necessitate the hiring of another administrator in the school district.
“We did this with the critical objective of wanting to preserve as many extracurricular activities as possible. They’re a major part of what makes Cherry Hill so special,” Klukoff said. “We were perilously close to losing various sport teams, musical programs, and other activities for next year. The goal of the fee is to help us preserve those activities because we’re sure to face difficult financial climates in the next few years.”
For more information and updates, please visit the district’s Web site at Cherryhill.k12.nj.us.
