Pay-to-play fees due Nov. 6

Perkins Schools fees, to be fully paid day after November levy election, range from $730 per high school sport to $100 per club
Alissa Widman
Aug 19, 2013
Fall athletes at Perkins Schools must pay all their participation fees by Nov. 6, according to guidelines the district released this week.
Click the link below to view a chart of data illustrating how Perkins Schools calculated the pay-to-participate fees.
The one-page outline details the specifics of the recently hiked fees, which were officially implemented after a majority of voters rejected the district’s 10-year, 6.73-mill emergency operating levy proposal Aug. 6.
The fees, according to the guidelines:
•$730 per high school sport.
•$220 per high school music participation (band or choir).
•$185 per middle school sport.
•$100 per high school or middle school club, although the amount approved on the Perkins school board meeting agenda in June was $150.
Pay-to-participate fees for athletes will cover transportation fees and coach and adviser salaries, according to the guidelines. They will also cover the athletic director Mike Strohl’s salary and benefits, about $109,000, and athletic secretary Linda Bixler’s salary and benefits, about $27,000.
Perkins Schools calculated the cost of pay-to-participate fees by adding the total cost of each sport and dividing by 622, the total number of athletes participating in district sport in the past school year, according to data the Register obtained from treasurer Lisa Crescimano.
The calculation means all athletes will pay the same fee, even if one sport is costlier than another.
The costliest sport per player is girls basketball, at $1,240, while the cheapest sport per player is cheerleading, at $373, according to the data. Sports cost the district $454,000 total this past school year.
If a majority of voters approve the November levy — identical to the levy they rejected in May — all fees paid up to that point will be refunded, according to the guidelines. Pay-to-participate fees will return to $35 for high school sports and $25 for middle school sports. Students participating in band and and choir will no longer pay fees.
Perkins Schools administrators will release more information regarding pay-to-participate fees Tuesday. Pick up Wednesday’s Register for details.


West 99

Don't worry low income families and open enroll- this fee does not apply to you


Yes it does.

I'm Done

If the levy passes then are donations refunded or does the district keep the money? Wonder what pot that would go in?






I say all parents don't pay any of this. If everyone doesn't pay, what can they do? Parents stick together and don't pay!


The donation to football-only fees speaks volumes about priorities in Perkins. Please vote NO in November.

My thoughts

Before the last election the "no" voters were saying that anyone who wanted sports should donate the money to the schools. Now, a rumor on here states that someone did just that and they get ripped for their priorities. If you think Perkins is football crazy take a look East at Huron which has a football only booster club.


Donating money to the schools would be great, My thoughts. Unfortunately, instead of donating to the schools, who are laying off teachers and cutting programs, it was donated to football only. Like I said, nice set of priorities.

Pirate Mom

The football donation is a rumor. No money was donated to any sport program.


This didn't happen.


I heard SMCC is thinking about purchasing the school. They need more room.


They just closed one of their buildings to consolidate. Try again.


Lets see the coaches take a 50% pay cut in their supplemental contracts for coaching. Lets tell them the same things we voters heard, Its for the kids, its for the kids well beiing, its only a few cents a day, do what is best for the kids,,,,,, Common on coaches lets see you folks step up to the plate as you wanted we voters to do a couple weeks ago.

Last but not least....$109,000 for an athletic director and a $27,000 secretary to boot. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING !!!! This guy no matter how qualified is way overpaid. There has to be a person that can do the job just as well for 1/2 or more cut in pay. For that kid of money let the athletic director be his own secretary.


Check out for your self the salaries of other Athletic Directors around Ohio! You will be amazed on how generous this school distict is with its pay to one of its own. Also, take into account how large some of these schools are in size compare to the athletic department at Perkins. Some of these larger schools have other sports programs, (Hockey, bowling, etc) plus the amount of students that participate well exceed the numbers that Perkins AD has to deal with! Ask yourself after looking at this, " Are you as tax payers, getting your Money'$ Worth?"


Band Director One:

Base Salary - $ 76,646.64
Marching Band Supplemental - $4,926.59
Wind Ensemble/Pit Orch. Supplemental - $3,031.97
Music Supplemental - 15 days - $6,214.65

Total: $90,819.85 not including benefit package


Okay,have you ever been involved in marching band? All the hours of summer and after-school practices, not to mention game nights, are a part-time job, hence the supplemental. I'm not going to defend the others because I don't know what those are. But to expect someone to work 10-20 hours a week extra and not get paid is ridiculous.


Choir Director One:

Base Salary - $66,194.82
Middle School Supplemental: $2,273.98
High School Supplemental: $2,652.97

Total: $71,121.77 not including benefits


Informed - My point is, if you take the $220 Band Pay to Play fee and multiply that times the 160 average number of kids in the program, that's $35,200. That's a lot of gas for five away football games and a few contests.

Let's say roughly 100 kids take choir and multiply that times the Choir Pay to Play fee of $220, that's $22,000 in additional revenue for what? They don't go anywhere. Maybe two contests. That's it.

What are these fees for? Is it to cover supplementals?

Between Band and Choir Pay to Play, that's roughly $57,200 in extra revenue for what?




Your comments on the band/ you have something against them? Or do you just not like them? Are you just PRO sports? These kids deserve just as much attention and support as the sports and other activities. They do go places. They are in just as many contests and competitions. Maybe not at Perkins but other schools are in competitions. There are awards and contests to WIN and scholarships to earn, just like SPORTS. The lessons, dedication, discipline ,friendships, and experiences are just as important as anything they would learn on a field/court.


I agree and I am Pro Arts, especially a successful and prestigious arts program like ours. My point is why the pay to play fees for a class? I consider Band and Choir a class with the band having supporting roles with sports, etc...., i.e. football, basketball, musical, etc... What is the roughly $60,000 in fees going towards? Fuel? Supplementals? I'm simply using this program and salary structure as an example.

Also, if you are for this Superintendent and BOE, why were they so willing to write a check for 1.7 million dollars for a stadium but have not offered to help the music program replace 13 year old uniforms at the cost of $75,000? The band boosters depleted their own funds in contribution to the athletic boosters 1.7 million dollar contribution to same said stadium. I don't see them writing the band a check!!! Or the choir for robes!!!

Hey Sup, BOE and athletic boosters, you going to write these guys a check for uniforms so they can play at your five home halftime shows? You going to cover their expenses so they can play at your five away games? No, you charge them $220 per student for gas!


I do not even live in Perkins. Just watching the story. I agree with you though. Too much was put into the stadium and football. It is that way in EVERY school. I think too much emphasis is put on sports. There is more to life than football. Good luck with your school.


Excellent post!


Informed- As the tax increase supporters like to tell us- IT'S FOR THE KIDS!

You must have never worked in a corporate job where you believe it's unheard of to work 10-20 extra hours per week? Welcome to the real world! Man, I wish I got a stipend for every extra thing I did... plus a guaranteed retirement after 30 years!


This isn't about me, but yes, I have worked salary jobs before--they suck sometimes, sometimes they don't. But in terms of the band director, these marching band duties are in addition to regular duties, not a part of them. Why do you expect someone to do a second job and not get paid for it?
Maybe you should have been a teacher if you wish so badly for those things.


Why do I expect someone to work extra hours and not get paid for it?


Isn't that what the tax increase supporters want everyone else to do? Sacrifice... for their kids. A couple less nights out a month, a couple less 6 packs, a few less Starbucks. Because, you know, it's for the kids!

I expect coaches and teachers to give up their stipends... FOR THE KIDS!


I think you have to look at this not as one who is involved in marching band program but a person who pays taxes in Perkins. These are salaries that are just not substainable with current taxes paid as we can see nor are they substainable with continured trips to the polls for ever more increases.

You say a person can not expect to work 10-20 hours and not get paid...lets poll the English teachers, Science teachers, Math teachers you name it and I bet you they work beyond the school day quite a few hours and I bet you they too work 10 + hours. Should we too give them a supplemental for working at home etc, on school matters? Fair is Fair !!!!!

Like it or not the work comes with the job. It means working football games with the band etc. If that is not to one's liking then the answer is fairly easy.....QUIT and find another job !!! I am sure their are others out their that would do the job within a reasonable amount of pay.

Let's face fact....none of these coaches, athletic director, band, supplemental contract holders are God's Gift to Perkins Schools System. If voters are asked to sacrifice so can these employees.


None of the other teachers have to work beyond their contracted time to get paid, so why would a band director? A band director also works at home beyond the 10-20 (closer to 20) hours of extra marching band time. When do you think they pick out and order sheet music, make-up marching formations, organize their contests and concerts, etc. No other teacher has to be at work in the evenings or weekends (for games, concerts, contests) unless it is a school-wide event, like an open house or parent-teacher conferences. They earn every bit of their marching band stipend. Objecting the base pay, benefits, or retirement is one thing. But do not expect someone to do an extra part-time job that is outside of the scope of the regular job and not get paid for it. If a math, science, or English teacher worked as a school tutor 10-20 hours a week after school and on nights and weekends, they would expect to be paid as well.


Informed you are not selling me or others with the overworked and assume you would say underpaid band director. We could well say picking out and ordering sheet music is a part of prep and like all teachers they have prep period for doing just that.

I don't think the band director or others in similar situation work harder or longer than subject teachers in the classroom. Only difference is they get paid more often for hours worked beyond the school day than the classroom subject teacher. We have very dedicated classroom teachers as we do band directors with each dong their best to impart knowledge on the students who enter their classrooms be it the football field in marching band too.

This might be a good time for those with supplemental contracts to show they really do care about students over their billfolds and take a cut to lessen the impart of pay to participate on the very students they wish to impart knowledge,