COVER STORY
Saving extracurriculars with ‘pay-to-play’ fees by Terri McHugh
Terri McHugh is
I
t’s fall. Cross country teams are
responsibility with student partici-
cation Longitudinal Study. Although
running a course through town.
pation in extracurricular activities?
the analysis couldn’t ascertain defin-
Football players are tossing the pigskin.
As school boards debate fees,
itively whether participation in
tions director for
Volleyball teams are working on the
they often discuss the importance of
extracurricular activities leads to
School District
bump, set and spike.
extracurricular activities.
increased success at school, the data
community rela-
54 in Schaumburg, Illinois.
But can every student in the dis-
The National Center for Edu-
did show that students who partici-
trict afford to play? Are there stu-
cation Statistics examined the rela-
pated in extracurricular activities
dents sitting out this season because
tionship between extracurricular
had better attendance, were more
their families can’t afford the athlet-
participation and student engage-
likely to have a GPA of 3.0 or greater
ic fees?
ment in school using data from pub-
and were more likely to expect to earn a bachelor’s degree.
And what can school board mem-
lic high school seniors in a 1992
bers do to balance the goals of fiscal
National
In addition, the U.S. Department
Edu-
of Health and Human Services recommends at least 60 minutes daily of physical activity for students ages 6 to 17. The Institute of Medicine’s report Preventing Childhood
Obesity:
Health in the Balance also recommends that schools provide a significant portion of a student’s physical activity minutes. Extracurricular sports, in addition to physical education classes, help meet those goals. However, school boards also face uncertainty over state funding, property tax appeals and the rising costs of educating today’s students. How can they continue to provide extracur14
THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012