COLUMBUS – In his 22 years as a head high school football coach in Ohio, state Sen. Cliff Hite’s athletes never were required to pay a fee just to join the team. But he saw what happened when a rival did that.
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“There were a lot of young kids in Marion (Harding) that couldn’t play football anymore,” the Findlay Republican said. “As the opponent, you sit there and go, ‘Maybe that’s going to be an easy win, but is that what we’re here for?’ I think we should give every kid that opportunity.”
Hite said he plans to convene an informal study committee this fall to discuss what can be done about pay-to-play fees many say can be detrimental to students and their families.
Over the years, a growing number of Ohio school districts have implemented what’s commonly known as “pay-to-play” fees that a family must pay in order for a student to participate in extracurricular activities.
A 2014 survey by the Ohio High School Athletic Association found that 46 percent of athletic directors said their schools had some type of pay-to-play fee, up from 42 percent in a 2011 survey. Central Ohio has the highest percentage of schools charging the fees, at 63 percent, while northeastern Ohio has the highest average rates, at $153 per sport or activity.
Hite was drawn into the issue by Secretary of State Jon Husted.
Husted has talked to the Ohio High School Athletic Association and legislative leaders about finding bipartisan sponsors for a bill that, he hopes, would one day make Ohio one of the first states in the country to ban pay-to-play fees. He said he’s trying to bring along groups, including school districts, to assure them it’s about helping kids in a way that doesn’t cause schools financial stress.