Newport — The school district will hold its first meeting to begin discussing the possibility of charging students a fee for extracurricular activities on Aug. 1.

SAU 43 Superintendent Cindy Gallagher said in an email that the purpose of the meeting is to establish a committee to study the topic and find residents willing to serve. Additionally, there will be a discussion on the “pros and cons” of charging for extracurricular activities, including sports.

The issue has been brought up during the budget process the last few years. At the annual school deliberative session in February, School Board Chairwoman Linda Wadensten explained why the board placed the article on the warrant.

“We wanted to put it out to the public to see how many are interested,” Wadensten said at the time. “It will tell us if we should look into it or it is a dead topic.”

Gallagher noted in her email there have been “strong feelings on both sides” and the study article barely passed, 261-211, at the annual school meeting vote in March.

The committee’s charge, as stated in the article, is to “study the feasibility” of fees. The committee will pass its recommendation, for or against, on to the School Board.

The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Sugar River Valley Technical Center. Anyone interested in serving on the committee or nominating someone, can call the SAU at 603-865-9701.