The Noblesville Board of School Trustees has approved a schedule of transportation fees for students who participate in high school extracurricular activities, including athletics, and an athletic support fee for high school athletes. The board voted 4-1 in favor of creating the fees. Board president Chris Hamm cast the only "no" vote.

Transportation Fees
The three-tiered schedule of fees for transportation is based on the frequency of travel per team or organization. The fee for teams and groups that travel frequently are higher than those who travel less.

Tier 1:
Athletics - $50 per student per sport
Performing Arts - $50 per student per group in which they are involved

Tier 2:
Speech Team - $30

Tier 3:
No standard fee; students will pay all costs associated with the trip, either through dues, fundraisers, or a direct charge. This tier applies to groups such as the French Club that may travel to Castleton one time a year; the yearbook/newspaper staffs that travel to Franklin College one time a year for the Indiana High School Press Association's annual convention; and the Bridge Bust teams that travel to Ball State University one time a year for a contest.

Athletic Support Fees
$50 per student per sport.

Please note
**Included in the fee schedule is a $400 per family per year maximum for transportation and athletic support fees combined. In addition, students whose families qualify for reduced price lunches would qualify for reduced fees and those whose families qualify for free lunches would be exempt from paying fees.

Why are we charging fees?
The transportation fees are expected to cover the expenses incurred by teams, clubs, and other organizations for their travel. Transportation fees previously were funded by the school district, but the expense has been eliminated to reduce operating costs in the general operating fund.

In the athletic department specifically, approximately 900 students participated in athletics in the last school year. The transportation fee and the athletic support fee each will generate approximately $45,000 and help the athletic department offset a 25 percent reduction in its budget. The athletic department's budget cuts are part of a district-wide budget reduction of more than $3 million.