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West Shore not only district considering pay-to-play

A Birdsboro, Pa., school district in Berks County is strongly considering a policy that I suspect would draw pitchforks and torches in parts of York County if introduced locally.
According to the Pottstown Mercury, Daniel Boone School Board is considering this:

“A committee formed to examine the activity fee issue recommended on June 14 to charge $60 for athletics, band and winter guard in the high school and middle school and $10 for extracurricular clubs.”

Often, this is called “pay-to-play,” although in this case, it’s not just sports. West Shore School Board is doing some initial research* on the same topic, but isn’t this far along. (* The article is in our archives)

The reason it’s brought up at all is that some districts don’t feel they can continue to offer a litany of extracurriculars for, essentially, free, considering all the costs that go into it - coaches/advisers, equipment, travel, et. al. Makes sense in theory: You want to participate in something outside the classroom, you pay for it.

But it comes with a lot of issues:

• Charging may go against the principle of a free public education.
• Are extracurriculars, from band to football, part of the learning experience? Or just fun extras?
• Beyond that, would charging prohibit poorer students from participating? If the district supplements it for those students, won’t that negate some of the cost savings wanted in the first place?
• And would parents demand playing time for their less-than-athletic child, for example, if the coach benched them? “I’m not paying $60 for my kid to sit,” etc.
• What about a high school with pay-to-play competing against “free” high schools? That just seems like there would be some kind of inequities.
• And one other point, mentioned in the article: “Superintendent Gary L. Otto said the revenue projection from adopting an activity fee policy is $60,000.” … That’s not that much money in a $50 million budget. But on the other hand, it’s $60,000 that could be used to keep a teacher, for example.

What do you think? Should York County districts consider it as a money-raising venture? Or leave it the way it is?