Loudoun to Charge Athletes $100 Per Sport Next School Year

By Dan Sousa
LoudounPrepSports.com Senior Content Editor

(June 24, 2009) – Parents and athletes better start saving their pennies this summer as the Loudoun County Public Schools will charge next year to play sports for the public high schools. The new fee is not cheap either at $100 per sport.

While those eligible for the free lunch program may have the fee waived, there are no built in caps per family or athlete such that a family with three students playing two sports each next year would pay a whopping $600 fee.

See below for the offical letter on the new fees from LCPS.

Feedback: What do you think of the new fee? Email us at dsousa@digitalsports.coma and we will print your comment here!

–– Michael Turner writes:

Regarding the new athletic fee implemented by the Loudoun County Public Schools, has the county determined the answer to a couple of questions:
1. Where does the money collected go to? Who controls it? What happens to the money?
2. There will be schools that “collect” more money than others. Stone Bridge may collect more money than say Park View. Does the money get redistributed to the schools?
3. Who is going to tell a parent that they are not eligible for a discount or exemption from the fee? And when kids are paying money to pay, who is going to deal with a parent who complains that their kid isn’t getting a lot of playing time despite paying a lot of money to the school?

This part of the “budget” isn’t a cut. It is a money-making feature. So, in theory if there are 300-400 kids participating in HS sports over the three seasons, a school could conceivably collect $30,000-40,000. Multiply that by 10-12 high schools and the county will collect nearly half a million dollars. Not a huge drop in the bucket in ther overall budget but it could save some people their jobs or take care of say freshman sports. Add to that the student parking fees that may bring it money, the county will make some money.

— Clarence Zarobila writes:

This is a bad idea and will lead to the end of competitive high school sports in Loudoun County. In my opinion, the following will occur:

1. roster sizes will shrink, as coaches will only take the most talented players because they will not want to deal with disgruntled parents of “bubble” players;

2. grumbling from the parents of those on the roster who don’t play as much (regardless of what euphemism is used to describe the participation fee) will put added pressure on the coaches. This will eventually lead to

3. complaints from these parents to the ADs, who will then refer the parents to LCPS Board. LCPS will be forced to introduce a minimum play rule, thus guaranteeing a mediocre level of play;

4. then, talented coaches, not wanting to deal with Loudoun’s system, will eventually flee to a school system where they will be free of Loudoun’s constraints;

5. and worst of all, the best players may not be able to pay the fee. Or, their play time will be seriously diminished by the less-than-talented players. How will this help the talented players who have a chance to compete at the next level? It won’t. Will we see the end of athletic scholarships and championships because of this silly fee? Probably.

I am glad my son is a rising Senior. He and I will have only one year in this system, and with great interest we will be watching the chaos that is going to emerge.

Thank you Digital Sports for allowing comment on this matter.

Dear
Parents of High School Athletes,

Beginning the fall of 2009, Loudoun
County Public Schools will require that each student pay a non-refundable athletic fee of $100 for each sport in which he or
she is a confirmed member. Athletes that
tryout and become an official team member will be required to pay the athletic
fee prior to the first official contest in order to be eligible to
compete. Fees collected will contribute
to the Loudoun County Public Schools budget to assist with coaching salaries, security,
field maintenance, transportation costs, and VHSL Membership fees. The assessment of fees has been implemented at
the direction of the School Board. There
is no relationship of athletic fees to a
guarantee of student playing time.
Playing time for athletes is the sole decision of the Head Coach and
his/her staff.

The fee will be waived for students that
qualify for the free lunch
program. The free lunch form must be
completed by the parent to document eligibility. Athletic fees may be paid on-line by credit
card through the Loudoun County Public Schools payment portal system or by
cash, check or money order at the school.
We anticipate the on-line payment portal to be available for use on or
before August 1, 2009.

If you have any questions, please
contact the high school which your son/daughter attends.