Board considers user fees for school sports and other co-curricular activities

Pay to play discussion on deck for Jan. 26 meeting

Pay to play is back on the table for students who participate in co-curricular activities at Kennett High School and Kennett Middle School.The Conway School Board is considering instituting user fees to generate revenue for the school district and will seek public input at a meeting on Monday, Jan. 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.The two schools did have user fees for one year in 1996-97 and generated approximately $30,000.Co-curricular includes all sports (varsity and junior varsity), band/chorus, drama, dance, outing clubs and other school affiliated clubs.The board has not yet developed a fee rate; however in 1996-97, students paid $50 for fall sports or their first sport of the year. If they participated in a second sport, they then paid $30 for that sport. Anyone who participated in a third sport paid $10 for that sport."I'm hoping we have a great turnout," Sheryl Kovalik, chair of the school board, said. "We would like people to come and have a conversation with us. I do not personally have an opinion. I really want the public to come. It's a user fee conversation, it's wide open for discussion."Kennett High Principal Jack Loynd is unsure if he will be able to attend the meeting, but let the board know exactly where he stood on the topic. He opposes it. "I'd like to go on record and say I'm totally opposed to user fees," he said. "We get so much volunteer support and in-kind service here already. Our volunteers and boosters put in so much time. Look at our uniform situation."Loynd said he couldn't recall the last time money was placed in the budget to replace athletic team uniforms. Those items have been covered through team fund-raisers or donations from supporters.Board member Kelley Murphy, who chairs the co-curricular committee for the school board, felt the meeting should not be held yet. "The co-curricular committee has not met and had an opportunity to discuss this," she said. Ironically, it was learned Monday that the co-curricular committee has yet to meet this entire school year, yet at past meetings, the board stated that the committee is working on equitable funding for all sports."I suspect things will be heating up over the next year as we attempt to get a handle on the equity of our funding for these programs," Kovalik stated in July in a committee outline. "The task force made recommendations that we need to be sure to have 'something for everyone' which may not be the case."Last month, the board granted the creation of a varsity lacrosse team, giving conditional approval for one year, allowing the program to gain varsity status and compete under the Kennett High athletic umbrella in New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association play. Kovalik attached the provision that the board's co-curricular committee, which is currently studying the school's entire athletic program, recommends that lacrosse be allowed to continue beyond the 2009 season.Murphy said the co-curricular committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting Feb. 3."It's a public hearing, a one-way exchange," Kovalik said of the decision to have the Jan. 26 meeting.School superintendent Carl Nelson agreed. "I see it as the board listening, gathering input."School board member Rick Breton sided with Loynd in opposing the fees."If you start charging your boosters, you're going to lose them," he said.Loynd felt another avenue could be explored."From a taxpayer's perspective we can do a better job of charging (admission) at our games," he said, explaining it's not uncommon to see other schools charging $5 to get into games while at Kennett not every sport charges a fee to spectate."I can see a Tele-Talk coming," board member Dick Klement said, smiling."I just hope we get a broad base of public opinions," Kovalik said, and she offered her e-mail (skovalik@roadrunner.com) to anyone wishing to have their comment read into the record on Jan. 26.