Reynoldsburg Schools proposes pay-to-play

(by Christine Bryant, Eastside Editor - May 27, 2009)

Administrators are proposing a pay-to-play plan that will allow Reynoldsburg students to participate in athletics next school year.

The recommendations follow the rejection of a 15.6-mil levy May 5. The district has since begun cutting $11 million from its budget, including the layoffs of more than 120 teachers, bus drivers and staff members.

The recommendations include high school athletic fees of $500, with a family cap of $1,000, as well as junior high school athletic fees of $300, with a family cap of $600.
Families with students at both the high school and junior high levels will pay a maximum of $1,600.

The fees are intended to fully support all costs associated with athletics and will be reviewed next year to ensure they have been set at the appropriate amounts, said Tricia Moore, coordinator of community outreach at Reynoldsburg Schools.

“Athletic fees will cover transportation, coaches’ salaries and facility maintenance,” Moore said. “Some facility maintenance and lots of special opportunities are paid for by boosters groups. Parents pay for uniforms.”

The recommendations also call for several program reductions.

If approved, Waggoner Road Junior High and Baldwin Road Junior High athletic teams will be combined, eliminating 23 coaching positions and saving about $109,000 in salaries and transportation.

One coaching position in each sport also will be eliminated, saving between $2,000 and $5,000 for each sport.

Reynoldsburg currently offers 20 sports, Moore said.

Teams will travel no further than 50 miles to compete, with exceptions being made to honor existing contracts.

“Other than combining the junior high programs, we will not eliminate any sports unless there are too few participants to field a team,” Moore said. “Some freshman or junior varsity teams might be eliminated as the administration eliminates one coach in each sport. Head coaches will be involved in those decisions.”

Booster groups also may choose to raise money to offset the cost of athletic fees, Moore said.

The district is creating an All Athletics Advisory Committee of parents of student athletes to provide guidance and accountability, as well as help coordinate fund-raising efforts among boosters, Moore said.

Parent booster groups are invited to send a representative to an organizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. June 9 at the school board office, 7244 E. Main St.

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