Pay-to-play sports fees altered, students could attend games for free

by Laura Bednar

May 26 board of education meeting

Families of Independence student athletes will see a change in pay-to-participate fees for sports in the 2026-27 school year.

Independence Board of Education members approved the following fees for high school athletes: $125 per individual sport and an individual cap of $250, meaning a student only has to pay fees for up to two sports; if they play more than two, those sports will be free.

In grades 7 and 8, the individual cost per sport is $100 with a $200 individual cap. Students in grades 7-12 will all pay a $25 transportation fee per sport played.

Superintendent Kelli Cogan said, after speaking with the athletic director, it was decided to eliminate family caps, as it was a “logistical nightmare.” There was mention of potentially making a limit of $500 for families with three or more children. “Which is still a lot less than our neighboring districts,” she said.

There were 42 families across grades 7-12 that met the previous family cap, and of those only three had three or more children, according to Cogan.

Also discussed was the cost to attend Independence home sporting events. Pending June 30 board approval, students in grades K-12 can attend home games in all sports for free. Individual passes for adults are $60 per sports season, or $220 for the entire year for two parents. The family pass, which was $160 for fall and winter seasons, will been eliminated since children can now attend free.

Cogan said the changes result in an approximate $5,000 loss in fees to the district but said, “We want kids to attend more [games].”

Calendar

The 2026-27 school calendar was amended to include more teacher professional development days. Superintendent Kelli Cogan explained that staff must work 185 days a year per their contracts.

The added professional development days are: Aug. 19-21, Sept. 25, Nov. 3, Jan. 15, Feb. 12 and June 4. Students will have the day off on these professional development days. The first day of school is Aug. 24, 2026 and the last day of school is June 3, 2027. Thanksgiving break is Nov. 25-27; winter break Dec. 21-Jan. 1; and spring break from March 26-April 2.

Land Lab

Students that participate in the high school Biology Society presented to the board their experiences in the group, including hands-on activities at the Independence Land Lab. Members said they went on hikes, learned bird calls and took care of animals inside the Land Lab’s indoor education center. Some College Credit Plus classes, including environmental science, are taught at the Land Lab.

Independence High alumnus Michael Kundmueller, class of 2019, spoke about how his experience with the Biology Society prepared him for his job as a forestry technician with the U.S. Forest Service.

Purchases

Board members approved a three-year contract with CityWide Solutions for security system purchase and monitoring for the high school, high school locker room, bus garage, board of education office, middle school and primary school. System installation costs are $36,355 and the monthly monitoring service cost $555.

The board also approved a Schools of Ohio Risk Sharing Authority insurance contract from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, costing $133,376. Treasurer Jennifer Knapp said there was only a 2% increase in premiums, which was lower than expected. This insurance contract covers property, casualties and fleet.