School directors have approved an $80-per-student activity fee for seventh- through 12th-graders who sign up for extracurricular programs at Pine-Richland Middle and Pine-Richland High schools.
Dennis Sundo, finance director for the district's school board, was the lone dissenter when board members voted 5-to-1 on July 18 to set the fee.
Sundo opposes the $80 figure because Pine-Richland Middle School offers fewer extracurricular activities than Pine-Richland High School.
"I think the middle school fee should be less," Sundo said.
The new fee applies to all after-school clubs and athletic programs, plus, activities ranging from working on the school's yearbook to performing in musicals.
"If students qualify for free and reduced (price) lunches, they are exempt from the fee," said school district spokeswoman Rachel Hathhorn.
Students qualify for reduced-price lunches, for example, if they live in a four-person household with an annual income of $41,348 or less. Students qualify for free lunches if they live in a four-person household with an income of $29,055 or less.
Approximately 2,250 students attend the Pine-Richland Middle and Pine-Richland High schools.
The school district expects to reap about $150,000 in revenue from the new activity fee.
"All payments will occur online or by phone. Electronic checks and credit cards will be accepted," explained Ryan Manzer, the district's assistant director of finance.
"Detailed instructions will be issued when they are available."
No discounts will be available for families with more than one child enrolled in the middle or high schools.
What happens if a student's activity fee goes unpaid?
"The student will be marked ineligible, similar to the process for academic eligibility for our sports programs," said Manzer.
"We will be developing a procedure to notify those who have not paid."
