Tigard plans to to reinstate athletic fees of $175 per sport this fall to help out with district budget woes. (Staff file photo)

After a six-year hiatus, student-athletes returning to play sports in the Tigard-Tualatin School District this fall will find they will have to pay $175 for each sport they participate in. 

“With our district reducing staff to address a budget shortfall of approximately $11 million, it’s necessary to partially offset the cost of athletics through user fees,” reads a statement on the district’s website. 

Before those fees were eliminated in the 2019-20 school year, student-athletes in the district paid $225 to play a single sport with $125 charged for each additional sport. Annual costs per family at the time were capped at $700, the same family rate that will be reinstated in the fall.  

“There was a concern raised at that time over whether athletic fees created a barrier to participation for some athletes,”Alex Pulaski, interim communications and community relations director for the Tigard-Tualatin School District, said about the reason for eliminating those fees. “We found that this was not the case, and in reinstituting fees it was very important to allow for families to have opportunities for reduced fees and waivers.”

That means that students can request the new $175 fee be reduced to $75 or ask that the fee be waived entirely by submitting a form indicating whether the family income level is below a certain threshold.

During the 2018-19 school year, the school district collected $275,000 from athletic fees. District officials estimate about $200,000 will be collected in the upcoming school year, affecting about 1,800 student athletes.   

“Many districts across Oregon charge fees for athletic participation and given our budget challenges we believe it’s prudent to align with that practice,” Pulaski said. 

Those include the Beaverton and Sherwood school districts.  

In Beaverton, pay-to-play fees are $100 for freshmen, an amount that allows individuals to play as many sports as they choose. In turn, sophomores, juniors and seniors in that district are charged $100 for each sport in which they participate. 

Sports participation fees are much higher in Sherwood with athletes paying $250 per sport with an individual cap of $600. Family caps are set at $1,250 per school year.