BUTLER TWP — The Butler School Board is expected to vote next month on whether to implement an annual student athlete fee, which, if approved, would be effective this fall.

Board members discussed whether to charge $60 a year to secondary students who play sports. The discussion occurred during the athletic committee session, which was Tuesday night before the board meeting.

Athletic director Bill Mylan said the $60 per athlete fee would raise at least $30,000 annually. There were about 710 students in grades 7 through 12 who played school-sponsored sports in the district last school year.

“It’s such a growing trend to charge for activities nowadays,” Mylan said.

For instance, the Seneca Valley School District charges $125 per sport, and also has a fee for other extracurricular activities. The Mars School District charges $100 per sport.

At Butler, the proposed $60 fee would be the same no matter the number of sports the student plays. The fee would be reduced or waived if a student qualifies for free or reduced lunches.

Most board members were adamant that the fee would only apply to athletes in grades 7 through 12 and not to marching band members or students involved with other school-sponsored clubs.

“Right now, any sport my child is involved with in youth sports, we pay a fee for, and we do that every season,” said board member Neil Convery.

“It just makes sense to me because I look at it from a parents’ view on this. It doesn’t make sense that I wouldn’t pay in junior high once my child is playing for the school, but I do in youth sports.”

But while board member Bill Halle is against the activity fee overall, he said that if it is approved, it should be applied consistently across all student activities.

“If your child is involved in music or anything else as a child outside of school, you’re also paying a fee. So why would we just not only say athletes pay and other people do not? I mean, I’m against the fee period,” he said.

“I think the major difference is, honestly, when you’re a child, your parents are making a decision to pay their private money to where they’re in school, and when they’re involved in any activity that is representing the school, that’s with tax dollars. So I think that’s a huge difference.”

Other members said charging a fee for marching band would be like charging tuition since band is a class that students take for a grade.

“Bill, if you’re in marching band, that’s an accredited course,” said board member Jim Keffalas. “To me, that’s a huge difference.”

David Korn, board president, said, “I think we need to shy away from an activity fee, and more so (focus on) an athletic activity fee.”

Board members also discussed how the money would be allocated. Most agreed the money should be put in a discretionary fund for the athletic department’s use.

But some members said at least some of the money should be designated for general cost of maintaining athlete facilities. Convery noted more than $100,000 is spent on athlete transportation each year. Halle said the football field turf will need to be replaced within five years, which will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Debbie Brandstetter, business manager, said the district’s athletic budget this school year is more than $1.2 million, which includes salaries, benefits, transportation costs, uniforms, and other items.

If the fee is approved, the district plans to use software to streamline the online registration process, called familyid.com, which would cost about $1,800 a year to use.