Scarborough implements pay-to-play system, while South Portland explores one of its own.

SCARBOROUGH–When school opens back up in the fall, Scarborough students in grades 6 through 12 will be greeted by not only the familiar faces of teachers, staff and fellow students, but the reintroduction of fees for extracurricular activities as well, a system that will have athletes paying $100 per season.

The fees, said Superintendent David Doyle, were necessary to cover a $200,000 gap in the overall school budget, which materialized as a result of dwindling state aid and other revenue streams into the district. Whether the fees will be able to cover that gap is to be determined, Doyle said.

“This is the first year we have introduced it at this level. We’ll see what sort of gap it fills,” he said.

Also, in South Portland, the Board of Education has set up a Co-Curricular Fee Task Force to look at how to reduce the cost of co-curricular activities, including possibly a fee system of its own.

The task force will be comprised of two school board members, the school’s athletic director, the middle school administrator, two coaches, two booster group representatives, two parents and a representative from the Central Office. The task force is expected to be selected at the July 12 school board meeting at City Hall and begin meeting later this month. The group will present its recommendations to the Board of Education by October.

Introducing more substantial athletics and activities fees are thought to be a stopgap measure in Scarborough, not a long-term source of revenue.

This past year students had a reprieve from activity fees, in part due to Scarborough’s participation in the Sports Done Right Program, which stressed athletics were an opportunity for learning and for skill development for all students.

In previous years student athletes were required to come up with a $25 fee per season, but that system, unlike this one, Doyle said, was not in place to raise large amounts of revenue for the district.

Under the new athletic fee system, Scarborough High School students will pay a $100 fee per season, regardless of the sport, while middle school students will pay a $75 fee.

For other extracurricular activities, such as after-school groups, fees will be $50 per year per activity at the high school and $25 at the middle school. High school students can pay a one-time $300 non-refundable fee, which will cover the costs for all extracurricular activities for the student for one year.

Doyle said the three-member School Board Policy Committee has asked the rest of the members of the Board of Education to offer a flat fee for middle school students as well.

Fees for service clubs or athletics funded through 100 percent booster club support, such as the ski team, will be exempt. Similarly, students who are part of the free/reduced lunch program are not required to pay fees. Families in tough financial times can submit a fee modification form to Athletic Director Michael LeGage.

While the fee amounts have been set for both high school and middle school activities, Doyle said the department and the Board of Education are still in the process of coming up with a collection system for the fees.

“We are going to try to make it a little bit more streamlined,” he said. “In the past coaches collected the $25, but I think we’ll try to get it a little bit more streamlined and easier to collect.”