Pinellas County schools add ‘pay to play’ fee for athletics

LARGO, Fla. — Students in Pinellas County Schools will have to pay a fee to play school sports. The school board made the decision at Tuesday’s board workshop, and school officials say it’s to help expand offerings to student athletes.

It is $50 per sport, with a max of $200 per family. Parents who talked to Spectrum Bay News 9 say they support school sports, but the price to play keeps rising and they worry some families won’t be able to afford it.

“I mean, if my daughter wants to play sports, I’m going to find a way, but I think for some families it might be a little bit harder,” said Katrina Piparo.

Piparo’s daughter, Alyvia, cheers and plays flag football for Hollins High School. She says she loves participating in both sports, but admits, even without the new $50 fee, per sport, it can be pricey.

“For example, flag football, you have to buy your cleats, you have to buy your gloves. There’s a lot of purchases that need to be made for sports once the kids get started,” she said.

While she feels it’s money well spent, she worries the added fee to play may be more than some families can afford. But Marc Allison, who is the athletic director for Pinellas County Schools, says there will be help for families who need it. 

“We know that our athletes, students that get involved and are engaged in school in any way, shape or form, have a greater academic success story.  They have better connections, less behavior challenges, and those kinds of things, and by continuing to offer more and more opportunities, we are able to reach out to kids that might not have had these opportunities other ways,” he said.

Allison says the district will use the money from the fees to add sport programs to both middle and high schools. He says other school districts have implemented similar fees to keep up with rising athletic costs.

“As we continue to expand and offer opportunities we know that there’s rising costs already with the cost of officials, the cost of transportation, uniform costs, all those things rise, and we don’t want to sacrifice the excellence that’s already occurring in our schools,” said Allison.

Donna Munera’s son is 15 and is on the track and swim team at his high school. She says she understands the budget restraints school districts are facing, and, personally knowing what a difference sports can have on your life, she is willing to contribute.  

“It’s so much more than just playing a game, and I know it needs funding, and I personally am willing to help with that funding, I hope the community is,” she said.

Parents say they hope some of the money from the fee is used to support current sports as well, and not just going towards new programs. Munera mentioned that her son’s track team can’t afford to pay for a school bus to take them to meets, and it often falls on parents and coaches to make up for things the teams are lacking.

Pasco and Polk County schools both have participation fees, similar to what Pinellas is implementing. Hillsborough County Schools only has a participation fee for lacrosse, and Citrus County Schools is considering adding a fee — they say they will decided over the summer.