Elyria School Board: Pay to play a 'dead issue,' at least for now

ELYRIA TWP. — Charging Elyria students to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities is a dead issue, at least for now, after the idea failed to win support from any members of the Elyria Board of Education. The board also voted Wednesday in favor of placing a new 8.9-mill current expense levy on the ballot in November. All four board members present at the meeting said that they did not support implementing a pay-to-participate structure, with several of them citing the vocal opposition to the idea that the board heard at its previous meeting on June 10. Board Vice President Michael Gebhardt initiated the conversation by asking if anyone was in support of pay to play, as it is commonly known. He added that he was personally against it. "I know at this point I am not in favor of it," Gebhardt said. "I don't think it will bring in enough money, and I think there were some really good points made at the last meeting about our community and I just don't think, at this point, that it is good." At the June 10 meeting, students, teachers, community members and parents spoke out against pay to participate, saying that considering Elyria's higher-than-average poverty rate and other factors, it would severely limit participation and harm students. Superintendent Ann Schloss has said charging students for each sport they participate in would bring in between $125,000 and $175,000 per year, but only if every student currently playing a sport continued to do so. "I think that the information (expressed at the last meeting) was very impactful," board member Annie Carstarphen said. "I think that it gave a clear view. We know the economics of our area and our city, and knowing what we do I would not be able to support pay to play at this time." Board members Len Howser and Brent Parker also said they opposed the move. Board President Elaine Seguin was not at Wednesday's meeting, but has previously expressed concerns about pay to participate. The board members did, however, specify that their stances were subject to change if the district's financial situation changed or maybe even if a proposed operating levy were to fail. The district decided to review the pay-to-participate proposal after falling state funding and two failed levies in 2025 forced the district to implement a $9 million reduction plan. On Wednesday, the board voted in favor of the necessity to place a new 8.9-mill continuing current expense levy on the ballot in November. Treasurer Colleen Aholt said that the levy would cost homeowners $312 per year for every $100,000 of value of their home. The proposed levy will now go before the Lorain County auditor who will eventually forward it to the Board of Elections to be placed on the ballot. Several members of the board said Wednesday that if the new levy fails, the district will have to pursue other cost-saving measures, including potentially revisiting pay to play. "At this point I think it (pay to play) is a dead issue, unless something happens with the levy, and then we will go from there, I guess," Gebhardt said. "But as of now, it's a dead issue." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.