By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

BELLINGHAM — Students will be paying more to play sports next year after the School Committee Tuesday reluctantly approved increases in athletic fees to help balance the school district's proposed $20.3 million school budget for fiscal year 2009.

The $20,347,486 level-service spending plan represents an increase of about 5 percent, and includes — in addition to the athletic fee increases — staff and program cuts. School officials say the town is only offering the schools an additional $380,000, which isn't enough to cover what the School Department had requested.
As a result, the budget as approved by the committee last night includes cuts to the Spanish program and a reduction of custodial positions, as well as higher fees to be paid by students playing football, hockey and other school sports next year.
The increase in fees, which school officials hope will generate an additional $41,000, will be part of a new two-tier athletic fee system that will effect students participating in all sports at the high school and middle school.
Right now, students playing football and ice hockey pay $150 per season, and all other high school athletes pay $125. Middle school athletes pay $100 per sport per season and the family cap is $250 per season.
Based on a proposal submitted to the committee by Athletic Director Leo Dalpe, the new fees will be $200 per sport for athletes at the high school; $150 per sport for athletes at the middle school; and a family cap per season of $400. The fees will be waived for those family unable to afford them due to financial hardships.
"We don't want to stop any child from playing sports," said School Committee Chairman Michael J. O'Herron.
Some School Committee members argued that because the fees have been increased, more waivers will likely be submitted, whch would defeat the whole purpose of the increase.
Now that it has been approved by the School Committee, the budget will go to Town Hall next week and be presented —along with the proposed $44.6 million muncipal budget — to annual town meeting voters on May 28. The municipal budget represents an increase of about 3 percent over the last year's budget.
Town officials say they may have to cover a shortfall of up to $1.3 million in the municipal budget before Town Meeting's final vote and are anticipating using funds from the stabilization account, the town's ambulance receipts and overlay surplus account to cover that shortfall.