Caldwell students face pay-to-play fees after levy failed. How much it’ll cost them

Athletes in the Caldwell School District will need to dig into their wallets in the coming school year.

Students must pay a new $100 pay-to-play fee to join a high school or middle school team starting this fall, the Caldwell school board decided in a unanimous vote Monday.

The board tabled a vote on discounts for students who play multiple sports or families with multiple children until its July 22 meeting.

The board also increased the cost of ASB cards from $35 to $50.

The new and increased fees follow a failed $4.1 million-per-year levy renewal in May, which forced the district to slash its budget by 11.2%. Those cuts included the closure of Lincoln Elementary, the elimination of 64 teachers and staff members, and two-thirds of the district’s activities budget.

The new pay-to-play fee will help cover the cost of transporting students to and from events, Caldwell athletic director Jon Hallock told the Idaho Statesman last week. Previously, the district paid for all local travel.

“This would not cover all those costs,” Caldwell Superintendent Shalene French said during Monday’s board meeting. “But we do need to be able to cover some of the costs of transportation.”

Caldwell previously resisted pay-to-play fees because it serves one of the state’s poorest communities. But the levy’s failure forced the school district to make cuts, including $150,000 in coaching salaries and Caldwell High’s involvement in a swimming co-op.

Hallock said the district avoided eliminating teams in case a second levy passes in November. The May levy received 48.4% of the vote. It needed a simple majority to pass.

“The idea is keeping all the bones in place so when we get funding back, we’ll put meat back on the bones,” Hallock said.

Pay-to-play fees have become common throughout Idaho as schools plug holes in their budgets. West Ada ($110) and Middleton ($80) both charge high school families a per-sport fee, with the third sport being free. Meanwhile, Kuna charges $100 per high school sport and Emmett charges $50 with no discount for a third sport.

Boise, Nampa and Vallivue remain the only public school districts in the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences without a high school pay-to-play fee.

Pay-to-play fees do not include additional team fees or fundraising requirements, which often cost families hundreds of dollars for things like spirit packs, jerseys or summer camps. Those come on top of pay-to-play fees and any equipment a player must provide.

How many students will balk at paying the new fee remains unknown and a source of worry. Caldwell’s cross country team has already raised $9,200 through a GoFundMe to offset its transportation costs, largely through a single large donor. Its coach, Alex Martinez, testified Monday to the board.

“One hundred dollars might not be a whole lot to some families,” Martinez said. “But to some families, it is an insurmountable amount of money. It’s the difference between, ‘Oh, I can buy running shoes, or I can afford to participate on the team.’”

“Obviously you can’t have one without the other.”

Caldwell boys soccer coach Rhys Yeakley said many of his players work, but he regularly covers their existing costs for team T-shirts and socks. He and his assistant coach bought a family a refrigerator last season, and he said he offered to give up his coaching salary when he first heard of the looming pay-to-play fees.

“If a kid comes to me and says he can’t pay $100, we’re going to find a way,” Yeakley said. “No one is going to be excluded if they want to play. I’ll figure that out on my end.”

But fundraising works only for students and families willing to ask for help. French noted Monday that sports keeps many students in school, gives them a purpose and builds pride.

“We do live in a lower socio-economic area,” Hallock said. “We don’t have people in our community that can necessarily afford to pay for a fee on top of everything else.

“It’s not good for us to be looking at this type of fee. But to get through the situation we’re in, it’s the direction we have to go.”