Marysville schools reduces pay-to-play fees

MARYSVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) -- A central Ohio school district has stepped back its pay-to-play fees following voters turning down a ballot levy earlier this month. 

The Marysville School District’s board of education held a special meeting Monday solely to discuss the fees for athletics, band and show choir.

The board voted to reduce the fees to $575 for winter and spring athletics and $235 for band and show choir.

The athletic fee is a nearly $200 reduction from the initially announced fee of $770 and $270 less than an approved $845 fee.

Families who have already paid the athletic fee will be contacted by the athletic department sometime in December to begin the refund process.

The fees are the result of voters rejecting an emergency levy in the Nov. 5 election. 

The district initially listed extracurricular fees at $770 each but approved a measure by a 3-2 vote last week to charge $845 for athletics and $235 for band and show choir. 

That meeting on Nov. 21 also saw Superintendent Diane Allen announce her retirement after 26 years with the district; her resignation becomes effective in May 2025. 

Allen said after Monday's meeting that she is relieved parents don’t have to pay as much. 

“My hesitation around the change last week is it increased a burden to families in a very short amount of time,” she said. “So those fees are due before the first contest, and it gave some families only three days to make up the difference.” 

Allen said the district is eating the extra cost. 

With two failed levies in the past year and a half, Allen said Marysville is dealing with a revenue problem and it won’t change without more funding. 

“We haven’t had new money approved here in 16 years, so it is a burden for taxpayers, we understand that, but obviously we do have a revenue challenge in front of us,” she said. 

“As we sat here and we watched tonight, I don’t know how many times I heard the board misrepresent the number, they don’t have the correct number,” parent Steve Sherwood said. “It’s $575, $747, $730, $830, it was just all over the place. I just don’t see the basis on how they’re coming up with these numbers based on facts. It all seems to be presumption.” 

Sherwood’s daughter is a high school athlete. He said his family was prepared to pay the fee no matter the cost. Now he said he’s worried paying less will cause more problems in the future, especially if another levy fails. 

“What happens when they put this on the ballot for the spring and it doesn’t pass, are you going up to $990?” he said. “You know, what’s going to happen to that number? The fact that the number keeps going up and down, up and down gives me concern that the board and the administration don’t have a firm grasp of the costs.” 

In addition to extracurricular fees, the district is considering staffing changes, including laying off some teachers as soon as the first week of December.