Pay To Participate
Pay to Participate
Transparency in Extracurricular Funding for the 2026-2027 School Year
When a student joins a sport, club, or performing group at the middle school or high school, the family pays a participation fee. This page demonstrates exactly how each fee is set, what the money pays for, what it does not, and the strict limits we enforce to keep a family's total manageable.
Why do we charge a fee at all?
The district's general fund exists first and foremost to pay for core educational operations: essential personnel, curriculum, special education, building maintenance, and the daily bus routes that get kids to school. While extracurriculars matter deeply, the Board of Education has maintained since the passage of the 2017 operating levy that families who utilize these programs should share in their direct costs.
How did the shared fee structure begin?
For several years prior to the passage of the 2017 levy, families were responsible for 100% of the participation fee to take part in middle school and high school extracurricular activities. After the district's 2017 operating levy passed, the district moved to a shared fee structure initially designed to split costs 50/50. However, to protect families, the district also implemented strict financial caps. Because of these caps, the district actually covers significantly more than 50% of the true costs today. The current fee schedule reflects this highly subsidized partnership.
About 54 clubs and teams (36 at the High School, 18 at the Middle School) are funded this way. In the most recent completed fiscal years, families paid $330,934.75 (FY2024) and $338,229.08 (FY2025) in participation fees. If the fee were eliminated, those amounts would have to be diverted from the general fund each year.
The Partnership: Where Do Your Dollars Go?
Shared Costs (The Fee)
The fee is a partnership, not full cost recovery. Because of our financial caps, the district's share of costs runs well above 50%, and this district subsidy only continues to increase as salaries and transportation costs rise. Your fee covers exactly half of two base calculations:
- Supplemental Coaching Pay: Half the cost of coaches and advisors at the rates in the Board-approved salary schedule.
- Transportation: Half the cost of bus and van transportation to away games, meets, competitions, and performances.
*Most clubs have no transportation cost, so their fee is simply half the advisor's pay divided by members. (e.g., A club with 265 members may only cost $6).
District vs. Personal Costs
Nothing else is in the fee. The district fully pays for:
- The other half of coach/advisor pay and transportation
- Retirement and Medicare contributions on that pay
- Game officials and contest workers
- School-owned uniforms (which are returned at the end of the season), equipment, fields, gyms, auditoriums, and utility/upkeep
- Rental of off-campus practice and competition facilities (e.g., pools, bowling alleys, gymnastics centers)
- Anything above the individual or activity caps
Personal Costs & Booster Fees (Not Included)
Items families buy directly or fees charged by external booster organizations are completely separate. This often includes required personalized items the student keeps (unlike shared district equipment). Examples include:
- Band Booster uniform fees or Robotics Booster fees
- Personalized shoes, warm-ups, or spirit wear
- Optional team trips or off-season training camps
How the Fee is Calculated: A Transparent Process
Every fee is built from three-year averages, so one unusual season does not swing the price. Starting with the 2026-27 fees, every level of a sport is rolled into a single fee. Freshman, junior varsity, and varsity are no longer priced separately, and boys/girls teams are combined (e.g., Basketball is one fee, Baseball/Softball is one fee). This replaced a system that once carried over 40 separate prices, making it easier to audit and understand. Nothing is estimated or assigned by hand.
The 5-Step Formula
- Average Coach Pay: Add up coach and advisor pay for the activity over three years and average it. (2026-27 utilizes 24-25, 25-26, and 26-27 schedule data).
- Average Transportation: Add up transportation charges for the activity over the three most recent completed years and average them.
- Calculate Family Share: Take half of each average and add the two halves together.
- Divide by Participants: Divide that total by the three-year average number of participants to get a per-student amount, rounded to the nearest dollar.
- Apply the Limits: Apply the 25% year-over-year limit and the maximum activity caps to determine the final fee.
Worked Example: High School Volleyball (26-27)
Coach Pay: Averaged $38,491.67 over 3 years. (Note: This figure is the sum of all coach salaries for the entire HS volleyball program—including Freshman, JV, Varsity, Boys, and Girls coaches combined.) Half of that is $19,245.83.
Transportation: Averaged $12,350.87 over 3 years. Half of that is $6,175.44.
Family Share: Together, the families' share is $25,421.27.
Final Fee: Participation averaged 58 students. Dividing $25,421.27 by 58 gives $438.30. Rounded to $438. (Last year's fee was $362, resulting in a 21% change—under the 25% limit).
Fee Limits & Payment Process
Annual Student Cap
$500 HS / $300 MS
Max Total Per Year
A high school student's fees are capped at $500, and a middle school student's fees are capped at $300 for the whole school year, no matter how many activities they join.
Please note: Caps are applied strictly per-student. There is no district-wide family cap.
Per-Activity Cap
$500 HS / $300 MS
Max Cost Per Sport
No single activity will cost more than these caps. For example, HS basketball calculates to $614 per player, but the fee is held at $500 (district absorbs $114). MS wrestling calculates to $422, but is held to $300.
Yearly Change Limit
25%
Maximum Variance
No fee moves more than 25% in either direction from one year to the next. For example, HS track calculated to $215 (a 33% jump from last year's $161). The final fee was artificially held to $201 to protect families from sticker shock.
2026-27 Fee Schedules
Each table shows the numbers behind the fee so you can follow the math. "Calculated" is the unrounded result of the formula above. Where the final fee differs from the calculated fee, the note indicates which limit applied.
| Sport | Avg Participants | Avg Annual Cost | Families' Half | Calculated | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball / Softball | 69 | $50,056 | $25,028 | $361 | $333 | $361 | |
| Basketball | 53 | $65,089 | $32,545 | $614 | $500 | $500 | $500 cap |
| Bowling | 38 | $8,412 | $4,206 | $110 | $93 | $110 | |
| Cheerleading, fall | 37 | $12,315 | $6,157 | $165 | $141 | $165 | |
| Cheerleading, winter | 32 | $16,046 | $8,023 | $251 | $213 | $251 | |
| Cross country | 64 | $29,148 | $14,574 | $228 | $235 | $228 | |
| Football | 80 | $60,971 | $30,486 | $383 | $387 | $383 | |
| Golf | 32 | $22,053 | $11,027 | $341 | $318 | $341 | |
| Gymnastics | 18 | $18,428 | $9,214 | $503 | $450 | $500 | $500 cap |
| Honeybees | 11 | $2,545 | $1,273 | $119 | $157 | $119 | |
| Lacrosse | 70 | $39,617 | $19,808 | $282 | $278 | $282 | |
| Soccer | 92 | $55,207 | $27,604 | $301 | $300 | $301 | |
| Swimming and diving | 40 | $26,741 | $13,370 | $334 | $361 | $334 | |
| Tennis | 45 | $25,627 | $12,814 | $285 | $290 | $285 | |
| Track | 140 | $60,017 | $30,009 | $215 | $161 | $201 | 25% limit |
| Volleyball | 58 | $50,843 | $25,421 | $438 | $362 | $438 | |
| Wrestling | 55 | $42,784 | $21,392 | $391 | $422 | $391 |
| Club or Activity | Avg Participants | Avg Annual Cost | Families' Half | Calculated | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Challenge | 12 | $3,856 | $1,928 | $156 | $125 | $156 | |
| Art Club | 19 | $1,009 | $504 | $26 | $14 | $18 | 25% limit |
| Biology Club | 60 | $1,513 | $757 | $13 | $24 | $18 | 25% limit |
| Drama Club | 51 | $1,178 | $589 | $11 | $13 | $11 | |
| Fall Play | 27 | $5,785 | $2,893 | $106 | $109 | $106 | |
| French Club | 52 | $682 | $341 | $7 | $6 | $7 | |
| German Club | 87 | $1,355 | $677 | $8 | $6 | $8 | 25% limit |
| Key Club | 265 | $3,279 | $1,639 | $6 | $6 | $6 | |
| Marching Band | 158 | $44,944 | $22,472 | $143 | $106 | $133 | 25% limit |
| Math Club | 15 | $2,270 | $1,135 | $77 | $77 | $77 | |
| MIM A Cappella | 24 | $5,738 | $2,869 | $121 | $95 | $119 | 25% limit |
| Mock Trial | 25 | $2,005 | $1,002 | $41 | $48 | $41 | |
| Model UN | 49 | $6,115 | $3,058 | $63 | $57 | $63 | |
| Robotics | 50 | $19,867 | $9,934 | $199 | $172 | $199 | |
| SAFE Club | 57 | $1,513 | $757 | $13 | $15 | $13 | |
| Spanish Club | 82 | $1,009 | $504 | $6 | $6 | $6 | |
| Spring Musical | 52 | $11,849 | $5,924 | $113 | $108 | $113 | |
| Student Council | 58 | $2,774 | $1,387 | $24 | $23 | $24 | |
| Youth in Government | 51 | $4,991 | $2,496 | $49 | $53 | $49 |
| Sport, Club, or Activity | Avg Participants | Avg Annual Cost | Families' Half | Calculated | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Club | 28 | $993 | $497 | $18 | $17 | $18 | |
| Basketball | 49 | $24,301 | $12,151 | $251 | $243 | $251 | |
| Builders Club | 13 | $2,235 | $1,117 | $89 | $73 | $89 | |
| Cheerleading, fall | 18 | $2,235 | $1,117 | $62 | $61 | $62 | |
| Cheerleading, winter | 19 | $2,235 | $1,117 | $60 | $65 | $60 | |
| Cross country | 50 | $12,651 | $6,326 | $127 | $141 | $127 | |
| Football | 43 | $25,495 | $12,748 | $300 | $257 | $300 | |
| Honeycomb | 13 | $2,322 | $1,161 | $93 | $73 | $91 | 25% limit |
| Jazz Band | 36 | $993 | $497 | $14 | $14 | $14 | |
| Math Counts | 36 | $2,609 | $1,305 | $37 | $41 | $37 | |
| Model UN | 15 | $1,990 | $995 | $69 | $93 | $70 | 25% limit |
| Power of the Pen | 12 | $2,235 | $1,117 | $93 | $85 | $93 | |
| Robotics | 53 | $10,238 | $5,119 | $97 | $81 | $97 | |
| Stage Crew | 29 | $1,986 | $993 | $35 | $52 | $39 | 25% limit |
| Track (spring) | 151 | $26,370 | $13,185 | $87 | $96 | $87 | |
| Volleyball | 25 | $12,645 | $6,322 | $253 | $242 | $253 | |
| Wrestling | 20 | $16,896 | $8,448 | $422 | $300 | $300 | $300 cap |
| Yearbook | 31 | $1,986 | $993 | $32 | $26 | $32 |
Estimate Your Student's Fees
Pick a building, check the activities your student plans to join, and this calculator will apply the per-student cap for you.
Subtotal (Before Cap):$0
What Your Student Pays:$0
District Absorbs (Due to Cap):$0
Ready to Submit Payment?
Fees are posted to your student's PaySchools account when they join an activity. The payment system applies the annual per-student cap automatically; if two or more fees push a student past the cap, the system reduces the later fee so the total stops at the cap. You never have to request it!
Log In to PaySchools Central ↗Questions?
Questions about a specific fee or a payment issue can be directed to the Treasurer's Office:
Treasurer's Office
Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools
6638 Mill Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141
☏ 440-740-4020
✉ yaniglosc@bbhcsd.org
📄 Source Documents & Calculations (Click to Expand)
Every figure on this page comes from official district documentation. Nothing is estimated. Fees are set each spring for the following school year and are approved by the Board of Education.
- 2026-27 High School Athletics Pay to Participate calculation
- 2026-27 High School Clubs and Activities Pay to Participate calculation
- 2026-27 Middle School Pay to Participate calculation
- Board-approved supplemental salary schedule (source for coach and advisor pay)
- Community Finance Alliance, Pay to Participate Subgroup review, November 13, 2025 (source for the cap rules and FY2024-FY2025 collections)
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