JEFFERSON TWP — South Butler School Board members will vote next month on whether to implement a pay to participate policy for students for the next school year.

School board members meeting Wednesday night approved the policy for a first reading.

A $25 fee would be implemented for student participation in each nonathletic club, with a $75 cap per family.

A $50 per sport fee would be implemented for athletes, with a $100 cap per family.

Families that qualify for free and reduced lunch would be exempt from the fee.

Students at Knoch middle and high schools would be affected.

“We’ve faced increasing costs” with clubs, athletics and transportation, said Mike Leitera, superintendent. “There hasn’t been that increasing amount in state funding.”

Money raised would go into the district’s general fund.

The school board in 2013 voted against a pay to participate policy.

If the policy is approved, South Butler will be the fourth school district in Butler County to have students pay for some out of class participation.

The Butler School District recently approved having students pay $60 to play sports in grades 7th through 12th

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.

Also at the meeting, board members voted down the Butler County Vocational-Technical preliminary budget for next school year. Five out of seven of the participating schools need approve it to ratify it.

Jacqueline Pfeiffer, a South Butler board member who is on the Vo-Tech Joint Operating Committee, said there were too many variables, like ongoing contract negotiations.

“It was too bare bones,” she said of the budget. “It didn’t reflect rising costs.”