UPDATED: Athletic, Bus Fees on Framingham School Committee Agenda Tonight

Tonight, January 5, the Framingham School Committee will review its policy on bus and athletic fees. The agenda specifically mentions “whether or not to impose” fees. Included in the review is also the high school parking fee.

Framingham Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Ed Gotgart is recommending no increase in any fees, but he is not recommending a decrease either.

One School Committee candidate would like to see these fees, specifically the athletic fee, “phased out” over a period of time.

“Why can’t the School Committee work on phasing it out over four years?” said former School Committee member Rick Finlay and current candidate for School Committee (The town election is in March.)

Currently, parents pay a $270 bus fee for students in grades 7-12, who live more than 2 miles from their middle or high school. Students in grades K-6 who live within 2 miles of their school may pay the fee for a bus, if a space is available. K-6 students, who are more than 2 miles from their school, get free transportation. There is a $540 maximum per family. Free transportation is also available for students in the free lunch program.

If a student wishes to play a sport at Framingham High School, they must pay a $225 per sport (actually, $231.64 as there is a service fee to pay it electronically. You can not pay cash or write a check.) There is a maximum $900 cap per family on sports fees at Framingham High.

Editor’s note: In full transparency, I have written a check this year for both a bus fee and a sports fee for our daughter.

But Finlay argues that Framingham now has more than 50 percent of its students on free and reduced lunch, which means Framingham is not collecting as many fees as it had previously.

He said when he was on the School Committee before, the Committee voted to reduce athletic fees from $250 to $225 and that the fee has not been reduced since. Finlay has not been on the School Committee since 2011.

The current budget for the 2015-16 school year is $115.7 million for Framingham Public Schools.

Framingham Superintendent discussed a budget increase of 10.8 percent needed for the 2016-17 school year to $128.29 million last month.

“In the current budget, what is $200,000 collected in athletic fees?” said Finlay. “One might argue that it is not a good year to eliminate fees, based on the request of an almost 11 percent budget increase. But when is a good time? We keep adding administration and non-teaching or support positions. If we can’t eliminate fees, we should phase them out.”

Gotgart told Framingham Patch the athletic fees brought in $201,000 to the district in 2014, according to the latest figures which were available from the athletic department.

He said in addition to the $200,000 collected in athletic fees, another $700,000 is in the operating budget to fund athletics at Framingham High, putting the cost of sports at over $900,000 a year.

The athletic department also has at its disposal, scholarship money donated to the district in the mid 2000s by former Red Sox player and Framingham native Lou Merloni. The money helps students play a sport who couldn’t afford it but doesn’t qualify for a waiver or a partial waiver, explained Gotgart.

Who Pays? Who Does Not?

In 2014, there were 445 athletes in the fall season - 311 athletes paid a fee, 7 were given a partial waiver, 119 had the fee waived and 5 were awarded a Merloni scholarship. A total of $71,000 was collected in fees.

In the winter season, there were 341 athletes - 261 paid a fee, 5 were given partial waivers, 72 had the fee waived and one Merloni scholarship was awarded. A total of $60,000 was collected in fees.

In the spring season, there were 397 athletes - 297 paid a fee, 9 were given partial waivers, and 64 had the fee waived. A total of $70,000 was collected in fees.

Gotgart said there were 1,400 athletes over three seasons in 2015, but did not have a breakdown on waivers.

Finlay said even with more than 50 percent of the students on free and reduced lunch, there are many more students, who can’t afford lunch but don’t qualify for the federal program. Some of these students are not playing sports because they can not afford the fee, and don’t qualify for a waiver.

Framingham Patch contacted the only other declared School Committee candidate Heather Connolly for comment.

She declined comment, stating as an incumbent Committee member, it is the Committee’s policy to have the Chair of the School Committee (Beverly Hugo) speak for everyone on issues before the Committee.

“As a School Committee member, we need to be mindful of fiscal responsibility while balancing the needs of all of our students, families and a robust athletic program,” said Hugo. “We need to recognize the importance of adolescent health, the prevalence of childhood obesity, the social and emotional benefits of athletic participation and the inequity of the lack of participation by an entire cohort of students who cannot afford to fully participate in our three-term sports season. We all look forward to a comprehensive discussion tonight at the table as we weigh in on this important policy.”

Gotgart said the biggest expense with athletics is the buses. He said that is about $200,000.

He said the money from the fees pays for the officials and other expenses.

Gotgart said the budgeted athletics figure covers about $250,000 in coaches’ salaries and stipends and then there is about $135,000 budgeted for the athletic office salaries at the high school for the director and the office manager.

Gotgart said some sports have additional costs too. For example renting Loring Arena for girls and boys hockey and renting Keefe Technical’s pool for girls and boys swim seasons. The gymnastics team has no equipment and has all meets and practices at a rented facility out of town.

But while some sports are expensive like hockey, with ice time, and other sports relatively inexpensive like basketball or soccer, Gotgart said he would not be in favor of a sliding athletic fee based on the cost of the sport for Framingham.

Gotgart said he would not be in favor of eliminating fees. He said for every $50,000 not collected in a fee - busing or athletic - it is equal to a teaching position in the district.

How does Framingham’s athletic fee compare?

Below is a list of neighboring high schools, high schools Framingham competes with in athletics, and school districts that the state believes is comparable to Framingham, and what they charge for athletic fees:

• Algonquin Regional charges $200 for an athletic fee
• Andover charges $380 per student or a maximum $760 per family.
• Braintree charges $225 per sport with a maximum of $450 per family, with the exception of ice hockey which is a $400 fee, and a $650 cap.
• Brookline charges $300 fee per sport.
• Everett has no athletic fees.
• Falmouth has no athletic fees.
• Haverhill charges $100 per sport and $600 family maximum. Plus additional fees for ski and ice hockey.
• Lincoln-Sudbury High charges $365 for an athletic fee, with the exception of ice hockey at $500. There is a family cap of $1,095.
• Methuen has no athletic fees.
• Milford charges $125 per sport, except for ice hockey which is $400.
• Natick charges $225 per sport but $400 for ice hockey.
• New Bedford has no athletic fees.
• Peabody is $150 per sport and $300 family cap.
• Waltham has no athletic fees.
• Wellesley charges $250 for an athletic fee with a family cap of $1,500.
• Weston has no athletic fees.

Finlay said the students, who play sports, represent the Framingham Public School district, they should not have to pay to play.

He said there are public school districts that do not charge an athletic fees and other districts, like Framingham, have lower fees.