The Austin Public School board voted Wednesday night to ease the financial burdens of families with children participating in multiple sports.

Thursday, October 21, 1999

The Austin Public School board voted Wednesday night to ease the financial burdens of families with children participating in multiple sports. They voted to put a cap on the athletic activity fee, which was running $50 per student, per sport. Hence, a boy at Austin High School who plays basketball, football and runs track was investing $150 in his athletics, just in fees.

The board voted to cap the fee at $100 per student,which was a step in the right direction. Athletics should be available to any student who wants to try out for a team, and no one should have to say "I had to choose between volleyball and softball because my family could only afford one sport," or worse yet, "I can’t play this year because my parents can only afford to pay for my older sister."

While this action was commendable, there are large families in Austin with several children in sports. Considering that a child at Ellis pays to play at the middle school level, as well as the fees paid at Austin High, a family with four active children in grades eight through 12 can be looking at a hearty financial investment to put them all in uniform.

Perhaps the board should consider a family cap as well, to insure that girls as well as boys can play sports, and that families never have to choose who gets to try out for track and who doesn’t.