Geneva schools suspend pay-to-play for 2024-25 school year

May 17—GENEVA — The Geneva Area City Schools Board of Education voted to suspend the district's pay-to-play policy for the 2024-25 school year.

Discussion on the matter started when a motion to approve the revised fees for the upcoming school year was not seconded.

Board member Jamie Ortiz eventually seconded the motion so there could be discussion, then proposed suspending the fees.

"It just seems like we keep asking and asking and asking our families to pay more money," she said.

Board member Brock Pierson said the district needs to restore services.

"I agree with Mrs. Ortiz," he said. "In my personal opinion, pay-to-play should be eliminated. It's an unnecessary barrier, and it stigmatizes certain sports, and it kind of throttles athletes that would otherwise be able to play, to have an outlet."

Board president Marti Milliken Dixon asked if there were students who were unable to play in a sport because they cannot afford the fee.

Pierson said it is embarrassing for a student to have to stand up and say they don't have the money to pay for the fee.

District Treasurer Kevin Lillie said Geneva added the pay-to-play fee when the district was facing financial hardships, and if it were to be removed, it would be difficult to reinstate it.

He said the Mark Brace pay-to-participate fund only pays for sports fees, and usually only contributes half to three quarters of the total fee.

"It's up to the board," Lillie said.

District athletic director Jennifer Crossley said students have to ask for funds from the Mark Brace scholarship.

Board member Beth Cybulski asked if the fees are something that could be suspended for a year.

Lillie said that is up to the board, but it would impact the five-year forecast.

Board member Michele Krieg said she believes the district is at a time when it needs to meet their families where they are.

"I think it is an appropriate measure to extend that grace back to the community and say, 'Thank you for helping us when we needed it, and we're in a position right now where we can turn around and give this back,'" she said.

Lillie said the fees bring in about $103,000 per year.

Pierson said he felt comfortable with losing the $103,000.

Lillie said he does not see the change as a bad thing, but wanted the board to be aware of the potential pushback from the community if they have to reinstate it.

"When this was put in, obviously we were cutting sports, middle school, freshmen sports, even some varsity sports that at the time had low numbers, cross country and swimming," he said. "A number of those sports were funded by outside organizations, they slowly were brought back to where, at this point, we basically have them all back."

Krieg said it would be appropriate to thank the community and put the money that would be spend on those fees back into parents' pockets.

"If we were in that position again, the conversation would be completely different, because we would be able to cite these examples as to when we were able to give back," she said.

The vote to suspend the fees for the coming school year was unanimous.

Krieg suggested evaluating the fees again after the coming school year.

In other business:

—Crossley and Kevin Hutchens, members of the committee see to establish an athletic facility for the district, presented the committee's plan to the board and meeting attendees.

She said the committee shopped around, spea to officials from other Ashtabula County schools about what they liked about their current facilities.

"There's been many facilities committees over the years ... based upon different plans the superintendents had put in place," Crossley said. "Nothing has ever gotten off the ground."

The first phase would involve a football stadium with a turf field, a band pavilion, 4,500 seats, and four locker rooms, to be built where the two soccer fields are currently located, just east of the high school. The field would also have an eight-lane track.

Crossley said there would also be storage under the stands.

There would be two entrances, one on the high school side of the field, and one on the other side of the field.

Hutchens proposed having turf par. He showed a photo of Penn State's football stadium, which has turf par.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to put a lot of asphalt out there for five games," he said. "We can go out there with a paint machine, stripe it a couple times a year. It is way more environmentally friendly,

Crossley said the two main soccer fields will have to be relocated. The first phase of the plan would call for the revamping of one field north of the east entrance to the school, and two new fields to the east of that entrance.

She said there is a proposed enhanced first phase, which would include a mall soccer stadium with a turf field with lights and a small set of grandstands.

The eastern entrance to the school would be become a "T" intersection, Hutchens said.

Crossley said the first phase would also run water and electric lines toward the baseball and softball fields, which currently do not currently have utilities.

The committee was asked to think about the long-term, and that long-term view includes a potential field house and additional pair of soccer fields, Crossley said.

Krieg said during initial discussions, the committee was encouraged to include everything they want.

She asked if the district should focus on an engineering company that could give the district an estimate.

Krieg said there are ways the district could use the facility to meet educational needs, which could open up other avenues of funding.

Hutchens said it is possible the Federal Emergency Management Agency would contribute funding to a proposed field house if it was designed to certain specifications.

—The board also discussed provisions in the middle and high school student handbooks, which states book bags would not be allowed to be used throughout the day by students.

Krieg read an email sent to her by a middle school student, which states the change would punish the entire student body for the actions of students who are brea the rules.

Pierson compared the ban on bookbags to collective punishment.

Cybulski was also sent a Google survey, with 52 students giving their reasoning on why they dislike the policy.

Krieg also suggested having a student representative on the board. The student would not be part of executive session, she said.

"I would like to have these conversations now, to involve our children, so that we're ready to go in the fall," Krieg said.

Substitute Superintendent David Riley said he and [GHS Principal] Mr. [Michael] King had a discussion on that same topic on Wednesday as well.

GMS Principal Kent Polen said the primary concern was weight of the bags, and having them be a tripping hazard in the hallway.

Krieg proposed adding a minute to the time between classes.

Cybulski said she believes the concern isn't timing, but not having what you need.

Krieg suggested making some changes to try to alleviate the issue before banning bookbags entirely.

The approval of the student handbooks was postponed for further discussion.

—The board and GATA agreed on a two-year extension of the contract between the union and the district.

—The Geneva board of education approved the district's five-year forecast.

Lillie reviewed the forecast for the board.

He said the changes to the forecast are largely on the revenue side.

The forecast shows the district in the black for fiscal years 2024-26, then in the red almost $1 million in FY 2027 and $2.3 million in 2028. However, the district will still have an unreserved cash balance of $15.6 million on June 30 of 2027, and $13.3 million in 2028.

Lillie warned that, while the forecast does not show any new levies, the district has its last chance to renew a permanent improvement levy this November, and the district's school district income tax is up at the end of 2028.

"The five year forecast shows you in very good shape, the best cash balances the district has had in a long time," Lillie said.