School committee considers reviewing controversial club fee policy - Sentinel & Enterprise

School committee considers reviewing controversial club fee policy - Sentinel & Enterprise

LEOMINSTER — The Leominster School Committee discussed whether it should revisit the club fee structure at its meeting Dec. 16 after Leominster High School principal Steve Dubzinski reported there was significant pushback from students.

“I’ve just been hearing a lot of negativity about these fees,” said school committee member Sue Koehler, after Dubzinski delivered a brief report about the fees. “You know, a lot of these groups are service groups.”

The fees, which went into place after a 2017 budget crisis, are a flat $75 per student, regardless of how many clubs or organizations he or she is in. They are intended to help supplement stipends that advisers receive for the extra work they perform in overseeing student groups.

“How can you ask people to volunteer and donate their time and then turn around and say, ‘oh by the way we’re going to charge you,’ ” Koehler said on Monday. “It doesn’t make sense. We really need to rethink this whole fee structure. I seriously think it’s ridiculous.”

At the meeting Dubzinski said he was in favor of reopening a discussion about the fees, and pointed out that the fees pose a challenge for organizations that are not service-oriented. He used the Art Club as an example, noting that they do not have a budget and have to raise money in order to cover costs associated with running their group.

This prompted Mayor Dean Mazzarella to ask what the fees were for, if not for operating student groups.

“The stipends should have been budgeted for anyways,” said Isabelle Alera, the policy subcommittee chairperson. “We know it’s a yearly expense.”

In October, students from Leominster High School’s S.T.U.M.P. club, which stands for Students for Transparency and Understanding of Municipal Politics, delivered a presentation to the policy subcommittee, detailing why they thought the fee structure was unfair and unsustainable.

At the time, they argued that the $75 each student is responsible for paying each year is only a fraction of what it costs to fund adviser stipends. They have also pointed out that the fee can pose a significant burden for families in addition to other expenses associated with being a high schooler, including, among other things, costs associated with the college application process.

Teachers and staff who advise student groups are paid stipends determined by their base salary and how long they have advised a specific group. Different student organizations come with different stipend rates, based in part on how much work advisers are required to do. The exact rates were negotiated as part of the most recent contract between the district and the teacher’s union.

“It’s comparable to sort of the sports and fees and everything else,” School Committee Chairperson Eileen Griffin said at the meeting. “And at this point, it’s trying to be equitable for anyone participating in extracurricular activities.”

Griffin noted that families under financial strain are eligible for waivers and assistance.

Dubzinski estimated that between 650 and 700 students were enrolled in clubs, but the overlap among students in multiple groups made the exact figure difficult to determine. However, after the discussion, Mazzarella asked that those numbers be gathered, citing them as necessary for moving forward.

“I think we need a more comprehensive discussion on this,” Mazzarella said.

No date for reopening the conversation was proposed.

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2019-12-23 11:22:28Z
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/school-committee-considers-reviewing-controversial-club-fee-policy
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