WEST MILFORD West Milford will again have a $75 Activity Participation Fee for all West Milford High School students who participate in activities during the 2012-2013 school year.
The West Milford Board of Education voted 7-2 to charge the fee for extra-curricular activities for high school students. The fee is to be paid by each student who wishes to participate in activities such as sports, arts, technology, and academic clubs.
Trustee Jim Foody suggested the board use the savings they anticipate from electricity or some of the fund balance that is carried over each year to cover the amount that would be collected and eliminate the fee for families. Trustee Marilyn Schultz stated she was also against the fee and would vote no. They were the only two trustees who voted against it.
Board President Dave Richards said he believes the fee is necessary to cover the costs of the programs and additional expenses. Richards said they cant charge a fee one year and not the next, and then charge it again the following year, saying you cant turn it on and off. Richards said he would rather have the fee than risk having to lose a program such as freshman sports or bowling, for example.
Other school districts charge a separate fee for each sport or activity, Richards pointed out. The West Milford participation fee is paid once each school year no matter how many activities the student is involved in.
Last year, Richards said, there was a sponsor program available for anyone who could not afford to pay the fee. It was created at the suggestion of Trustee Greg Bailey and both Richards and Bailey offered to personally sponsor anyone who could not afford the fee. No one used the sponsorship; no one even inquired about it, Richards said. Every student who participated in an activity paid the fee.