Ricky this is where I get on my stump. If I recall correctly those are not usually just fees for sports. I think band, cheerleading, drill/color guard, and some other higher profile extra-curricular activities also pay the fee. I am not sure if New Albany has a cap for multiple activities or siblings.
Our daughter goes to a private christian academy. Mainly because we are the weirdos who want their child to have good christian values growing up but also because of the Win-Win proposal from 1986, where we live is considered in Columbus Public and we do not want our child in that system. Now before anyone thinks we are looking down our noses, my wife and I are both Columbus Public graduates and it was getting bad when we were both in those systems. I was the product of the then court ordered busing and my sophomore year was the first year of the busing mandate. It sucked but that is another topic. I am college educated, my wife is not but I went on my own volition not on any urging from our guidance folks in high school. They were already practicing the "get em out, then they are not our problem" values even back then.
She absolutely loves her school and classmates and we are hoping to keep her in that type of school system as long as we can afford it and as long as she enjoys it. This is where I have an issue. I have to pay property taxes of which school funding for Columbus Public gets a piece of it. Why can't I get a waiver from this since we do not use the system? Why do my neighbors who have kids long gone from school have to provide for mine or any other child's education? That should be the responsibility of the parent and/or family! I just don't get it.
I'm not slamming public education, I don't care for the way the state of Ohio funds it which involves government which means they intrude into the way my child is taught if she goes to a public school. That should be my choice and my families if I am not able to make that choice. There are several states with Indiana being one of the top of my head that do not use property taxes to fund schools.
A quick anecdote and I'm done. I coach high school bowling in the Westerville system. It is recognized as club by the district meaning pay to play does not apply and we set our own participation fee. We also get no busing, uniforms, playing fields rentals, etc from the district as we are self funded. We are $275 which is $25 more than the pay to play in Westerville. When we break down our financials at our parent meeting, the skeptics in the room realize that they get good value because we also have good fundraisers in place or it might be twice that amount. One of our parents had 4 kids in high school for about 2 more weeks and 3 of them bowl. The fee they pay to bowl does not get credited against their pay to play family cap. The second oldest also plays varsity baseball and one of the freshman twins plays s0ccer and was good enough to run with the varsity most of the season. Now I know why the dad always looks wore out...probably has to work about 75 hours a week to afford it all.
I have a question on pay to play in school. Does anyone believe it's fair that I'm paying higher School Tax's for your child to reap the benefits that playing sports may bring to your Family or child? It's just a question everyone don't freak out.