Use of Participation Fees Falls Slightly
July 29, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The percentage of Michigan High School Athletic Association high schools that assessed participation fees to help fund interscholastic athletics dropped five percent during the 2014-15 school year to its lowest since 2011-12, according to the most recent survey taken by the MHSAA – although the ratio of schools assessing fees remained above 50 percent of respondents for the fifth straight year.
A total of 522 high schools – or 69 percent of the MHSAA membership – responded to the 2014-15 survey for the highest feedback rate since 2010-11. A total of 269 high schools, or 51.5 percent that took the survey, charged fees this school year, compared to 56.6 percent of schools that responded in 2013-14.
There were 753 senior high schools in the MHSAA membership in 2014-15. This was the 11th survey of schools since the 2003-04 school year, when members reported fees were being charged by 24 percent of schools. The percentage of member schools charging fees crossed 50 percent in 2010-11 and remained at 50.5 percent in 2011-12 before making a nearly five-percent jump three school years ago.
The largest drop of those charging fees in 2014-15 came at Class B schools, with 52 percent reporting fees after 62 percent reported using them in 2013-14. Class A schools saw a seven-percent decrease to 70 percent with fees, and Class D schools saw a four-percent decrease to 35 percent that assessed. Class C schools saw a one-percent increase to 47 percent assessing for participation.
Charging a standardized fee for each team on which a student-athletes participates – regardless of the number of teams – remains the most popular method among schools assessing fees, although that rate fell slightly from 41 percent of schools assessing during 2013-14 to 39 percent this school year. Schools charging a one-time standardized fee per student-athlete also fell, from 33 to 28 percent of schools that assess fees. The survey showed a slight increase in schools assessing fees based on tiers of the number of sports a student-athlete plays (for example, charging a larger fee for the first team and less for additional sports). There also was a slight increase in fees being assessed based on the specific sport being played.
The median fee by schools that charged student-athletes per sport did drop $10 to $75. Other fees remained consistent from the 2013-14 school year: the median one-time student fee at $100, the median annual maximum fee per student at $150 and the median annual maximum family fee at $300.
The survey for 2014-15 and surveys from previous years can be found on the MHSAA Website by clicking here.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
Rep Council Wrap-Up: Fall 2021
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 9, 2021
The authorization to use digital ticketing for Winter and Spring postseason events, an extension of the waiver for previous academic credit record and an adjustment to regular-season multi-media video regulations were the most notable actions taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its Fall Meeting on Dec. 3 in East Lansing.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and action during its meetings in winter and spring. This Fall Meeting saw the Council take only a few actions, while the majority of discussion centered on topics expected to receive more specific consideration at MHSAA sport committee meetings this winter.
The Council approved the continued use of the GoFan digital ticketing system for the MHSAA’s Winter and Spring Tournament events. The MHSAA first began using GoFan digital ticketing during the 2020-21 school year to comply with state contact tracing requirements due to COVID-19, and continued with digital ticketing via that service this fall. Tickets from GoFan are purchased on a phone or other “smart” device, eliminating the exchange of cash and other contact at an event site.
Also due to COVID, and the related challenges of remote learning, the MHSAA had suspended its previous academic credit record rule requiring high school students to pass at least 66 percent of a full credit load during the previous academic term (semester or trimester) in order to be eligible for athletic activity. Middle school and junior high athletes must pass at least 50 percent of a full credit load. Based on member school feedback and input, the Council voted to continue suspension of this rule through the rest of the 2021-22 school year, but reinstate the regulation beginning Aug. 1, 2022. The MHSAA’s previous academic credit record rule serves as a minimum standard; school districts may mandate higher academic requirements for eligibility.
The Council also approved an adjustment to the MHSAA’s video broadcast rules for regular-season events. Previously, those broadcasts could only be delivered to audiences through the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Network, or via a school-controlled webpage or social media page. The Council approved a change to provide an opportunity for schools, for regular-season events only, to allow MHSAA Tournament-credentialed media to broadcast their home events live, as long as a school is a member of the NFHS Network – which includes more than 520 of the MHSAA’s 750 member high schools. Postseason rights continue to belong to the MHSAA and its media partners.
A number of remaining discussions focused on results from this fall’s Update Meeting survey completed by administrators during the MHSAA’s annual presentations across the state. The Council considered survey data on a number of questions including whether the 11 and 8-Player Football Playoffs should be expanded to include nearly all schools. The Council also discussed questions on sports physicals, classification for postseason tournaments, sports-related summer transportation and contact days for coaches from teams not in season to work with their athletes, among other topics.
The Fall Meeting saw the addition of Ann Arbor Greenhills athletic director Meg Seng and Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy to the 19-person Council. Seng was appointed to a two-year term, and Malloy was appointed to finish the two-year term of former Romulus Summit Academy North athletic director William McCoy, who became part of the MHSAA staff in July. Also, Kris Isom, athletic director at Adrian Madison High School, was appointed to a second two-year term.
The Council reelected Scott Grimes, deputy superintendent for Grand Haven Area Public Schools, as its president; and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as secretary-treasurer. Novi High School principal Nicole Carter was elected Council vice president. (Grimes will become Grand Haven Schools’ superintendent Jan. 1.)
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.