Newport
Though no one spoke strongly against the idea of fees, the tone of the discussion suggested most oppose the idea.
Superintendent Cindy Gallagher said at the beginning of the meeting that “feedback so far has been against it.”
Parent Katie Lord said that even though scholarships would be available to some families who don’t have the means to pay, not everyone will take advantage of financial assistance.
“Some kids may just decide not to be involved,” Lord said.
In turn, that could increase some social and physical ills including depression, low self-esteem and obesity, she added.
“You take away sports, you are losing these kids,” Lord said.
At the end of the one-hour meeting, Gallagher, who led the discussion, said between 9 and 12 people have expressed an interest in serving on the committee, which likely will hold its first meeting the last week of August.
She expects weekly meetings, which will be open to the public, leading up to a recommendation to the School Board in early October.
If the committee does recommend fees and the board agrees, they would not be implemented until the 2018-19 school year.
“This is a huge undertaking,” Gallagher said. “The (School Board) wants to hear the pros and cons. It is not just whether we charge $25 to play football.”
The committee is the result of the narrow approval at the annual school meeting in March of a warrant article that asked whether the town should study the feasibility of charging for extracurricular activities to generate revenue.
One of the first questions that need to be settled is which particular activities would be affected and whether fees being charged now will be revised.
Some activities, Gallagher pointed out, take place after school but are considered co-curricular because students can earn credits so there won’t be a fee. Others programs such as Youth in Government, already require students to pay toward accommodations when they go to Concord.
Resident Paddy DiPadova asked about the math and debate teams, which have expenses for bus travel.
“We also have to consider academics. Not all students are athletes,” she said.
P.J. Lovely, the town’s recreation director and a parent of school-aged children, asked if the money would go to the school district or to support a particular activity.
Kristy Kibbey, another parent, said her family pays a lot in taxes already and probably would not qualify for a scholarship.
“Now we have to pay for our kids (to play sports),” Kibbey said.
Brad Palmer, who coaches track and field at the high school, asked that if students must pay, would the coaches be required to give equal playing time.
“Whatever the activity is, it has to be fair for everyone,” Palmer said. “That is a huge issue.”
Palmer also was concerned that if the fees generate revenue for sports, the School Board may decide to cut athletic funding in the budget because it would expect parents to keep paying more.
“It could happen,” he said.
Other issues to be sorted out are students who participate in activities but are from neighboring towns and come to Newport under a tuition agreement, are home-schooled or attend a private school such at Mt. Royal Academy in Sunapee.
Gallagher said she will provide the committee with full information about other districts that charge fees, such as Hanover and the city of Berlin, which has a socioeconomic profile similar Newport’s.
The School Board did not attend the meeting and said in a statement it wanted the community to own the committee and not appear to be influencing it in any way.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
