School Board eliminates ‘Pay to Participate’ fees
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
BAKER CITY – The Baker School District Board of Directors approved a request from Athletic Director Buell Gonzales Jr. to eliminate “pay to participate” student fees during their February 18, 2021 meeting Thursday night.
The district had considered doing away with participation fees two years ago as they developed their Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP). The District CIP committee, comprised of board members, district staff, community partners and parents, focused on the importance of eliminating barriers for students and families. Removing pay-to-participate fees was postponed last year due to complications resulting from COVID-19.
“During a normal year, we typically collect $9,000 from fees collected at the middle school and $29,000 for high school participation,” Gonzales said. “This school year, because of uncertainty related to COVID-19 guidelines, we didn’t charge or collect any participation fees.”
Gonzales reported the athletic schedule which began last September was temporarily closed down by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Governor’s Office last November, because of escalation of the pandemic across the state. Until just recently, Baker County qualified in the “extreme risk” category due to increased positive cases of COVID-19.
However, the condensed 20-21 athletic schedule had an unanticipated silver lining: it reduced normal district athletic costs by about two-thirds.
“That savings will more than cover the loss of participation fees for the 21-22 season,” Gonzales pointed out.
“This is a ‘win-win decision,” said Mark Witty, Baker 5J Superintendent. “Studies demonstrate a strong connection between student participation in extracurricular activities and improved graduation rates.”
“By eliminating pay-to-participate fees, we remove barriers to participation for families who have been hard hit during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic and pave the way for broader participation by students across all demographics,” said Gonzales.
About the Baker School District
Nationally recognized Baker School District 5J (BSD) is a major employer in Baker City, OR, serving 1,700 students locally with an additional 3,000 online students across the state of Oregon. Through enterprising, collaborative endeavors, BSD is creating an innovative educational foundation for future Oregonians. BSD believes strong school collaboration with local partners enables us to create vibrant communities that support lifelong learners.
