WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren OhioPoland School Board votes down pay to play

Poland School Board votes down pay to play

POLAND, Ohio - Parents of student athletes in Poland can breathe a sigh of relief that they will not have to pay for their children to participate in activities.

"This isn't due to public pressure, but it's business. We have to be cognizant of the fact that red ink is marching close."  That's what Poland School Board President Elinor Zedaker said at a special board meeting Wednesday night.

Like other Valley school districts, in the wake of failed levies and budget cuts, Poland is looking for ways to make due with what it has. But at the special meeting board members decided that charging students to participate in activities was not the answer for the coming 2011 to 2012 school year.

The decision comes just before football conditioning begins on July 10th.

Superintendent Robert Zorn has received phone calls from concerned parents.  "If the board was going to enact a pay to play participant fee, not to exceed 150 dollars per family, that only gives them 10 days to pay that 150 dollars and i said to the board I don't want to have any hardship for any family."

The school board has already agreed to cut high school bussing for the coming year.  But the issue of pay to play has been tabled for now.

The resolution that the board passed states that they reserve the right to revisit the idea in the future.