Glen Rock Students Will Pay to Play – or not – with Activity Fee Change

Parents of all high school and middle school students will likely have to pay an activity fee next year.

Administrators recommended the move from the current "participation fee" to an "activity fee" in the hopes of encouraging total participation in extracurricular activities.

An estimated 80 to 90 percent of students already participate in extracurriculars. The language in the resolution essentiallly states that just by being a student, participation in activities already occurs.

There will be .

The vote to introduce the resolution was nowhere close to unanimous, however, passing 5-4.

Members Robin Rubinstein and Randi Blumberg said there were detail and big picture concerns. Activities like pep rallies, canteens and school dances shouldn't be fee-based activities, they argued.

Further, Blumberg said, the fee was only instituted three years ago after the Christie administration raided school aid funds, leaving a sizable hole in the budget. Pointing to the just-passed 2013-2014 budget, which actually lowers taxes, Blumberg said, "Do we really need it?"

It isn't a money grab, according to board vice president Barbara Steuert.

Fees next year are expected to be lowered from $200 at the high school to $175, and $100 at the middle school to $75. No decision though has yet been reached on a new fee structure. 

"The situation is fluid," Steuert said.

The budgeted appropriations in next year's budget remain exactly the same, at $150,000. Financial hardships of students will also be considered, she said. 

Ultimately, according to Steuert, the move is about simplifying logistics while encouraging students to take advantage of all of the district's offerings.