FALMOUTH, Maine — If a discussion Monday was any indication, the middle and high school pay-to-participate program continues to be a source of concern for parents and school officials.
Since the program’s implementation in 2009, parents, staff and the school board have tried to reach a solution — or at least an understanding — in which sports can continue, inequities are eradicated and everyone is happy.
Parents of student-athletes currently pay a fee per season, per child. In high school, it costs $175 for most sports and $100 for track and cross country. In middle school, it costs $100 for most sports and $50 for track and cross country.
For some, the fees are a source of financial stress and lack of understanding.
“I would like more transparency as to where the money is going,” one parent told school board Chairman Andrew Kinley, referring to the broad statement their checks go to “general funding” in the name of closing a $150,000 annual deficit.
“We hear you,” Kinley assured the group gathered in the Falmouth Elementary School cafeteria. “We are also very concerned about the money.”
For many families, monetary demands for their children to play sports are unmanageable, especially on top of cleats, socks and helmets, which aren’t considered “core costs.”
The determination of what qualifies as “core” and what is deemed “unnecessary” lies in the hands of the school board.
The lack of agreement about what constitutes core creates tension among the board and booster parents, who voluntarily support specific sports via fundraising within the community.
Booster parents typically pay for assistant coaches, which aren’t included in the core cost.
“When you have 70 kids, you need an assistant coach,” a booster parent said.
“This is one of those tricky issues, because if [administrators] decide there’s one coach for 100 kids, then that’s our decision,” Kinley replied. “It might be the wrong one, but it’s ours to make.”
Kinley let the parents know that if boosters spent more money, they would be able to hire an assistant coach.
However, the success of the booster fundraisers has taken a hit since participation fees became mandatory.
“The thing is, we don’t have money to give (boosters) after paying these fees,” one parent said, speaking of his inability to donate. “There’s no breathing room.”
Athletic Director Cooper Higgins is all too familiar with this issue.
“I had 22 years without these arguments,” Higgins said. “I ought to be out on the field with the kids where I belong.”
Instead, Higgins said he faces some 200 emails per day, the large majority pertaining to the pay-to-participate program.
The director said he worries about the children.
“It creates a tough dynamic,” especially for middle-schoolers, he said, because the coaches have to go after the children who have to put their hands out to their parents. “It’s uncomfortable.”
“It’s funny that the most affluent towns seem to charge the most,” he added, smiling pensively.
Portland public schools, for example, are “fee-less,” one parent said, which leaves parents with the unanswered question: Why are Falmouth parents paying so much?
“Our intent is to tell you all the good and bad,” Kinley said addressing the next step as time ran out.
He also emphasized the importance of meeting several times a year for the parents to communicate with the board.
“We fail a lot,” he said. “But it’s not because we aren’t trying.”
And as for what qualifies as core?
“That’s a can of worms for next time,” Kinley said.