A Chance to Make an Informed Decision on November 5th

Our school district believes that participation in athletics, band, choir, drama, and other student organizations is an important part of offering opportunities to students. For many students, participating in these groups or as a member of a team makes for a much better school experience. In fact, research supports that students who participate in extracurricular activities perform better and have a higher rate of graduation than students who do not.

The budget reduction plan for Lebanon City Schools was released last week. This plan provides details regarding the planned cuts should the school levy fail on November 5. While most of the plan includes budgetary cuts, there is a part of the plan that calls for an increase in pay-to-participate fees.

Currently, high school athletes pay $250 per sport to participate. Junior high athletes pay $175 per sport. The revenue from these fees, around $250,000 per year, funds approximately one-third of the total cost for the athletic program. To continue our athletic program if the levy fails, 100% of athletic operating costs will need to be funded by the participants in the program. This means that pay-to-participate fees would increase from $250/$175 per sport to $700-$800 per sport depending on the total number of athletes.

Our athletic department has been fielding questions about pay-to-participate and we understand that a large increase will damage our program and lead to some students not participating. However, the core mission of a school district is to educate students in the classroom and without the additional revenue from this levy, our district simply cannot continue to supplement athletic costs.

The intent of this communication is to make all athletes and parents aware of the possibilities discussed here so that you can make an informed decision on November 5.

11/6/2019 12:30 AM