Marquette Area Public Schools committee weighs cutting family participation cap, reducing activity fees and subsidizing student camps

Marquette Area Public Schools' Committee of the Whole discussed a proposal to reduce the district's family participation cap from $800 to $500 and to cut per-activity participation fees evenly by 20%–25% for the 2024–25 school year, but took no final vote and asked staff to provide more detailed revenue-impact figures.

Committee member Jason Zdunik presented preliminary numbers showing that eliminating the family cap would raise roughly $42,650 in revenue, that maintaining the $800 cap brings in about $38,900, and that lowering the cap to $500 would reduce expected revenue to about $28,500. Zdunik proposed applying a 20%–25% reduction across listed participation fees as an equitable approach and recommended bringing a motion at the next regular meeting for board consideration. "If we were to reduce down to 500 from 800, we'd bring that number down to 28,500," Zdunik said, summarizing the district estimate.

Staff member Lampman provided a spreadsheet-based estimate for the 2022–23 fiscal year showing that a 25% reduction in dues and fees would lower those revenues by roughly $30,287, while a 20% cut would reduce them by about $24,230. Board members asked staff to produce a clear bottom-line comparison: current revenue from participation and admissions, and projected revenue under the proposed cap and percentage reductions.

Board members repeatedly framed the discussion around access and equity. Committee member Jennifer Cliff said lowering fees could improve participation and noted research linking extracurricular involvement with student well-being and community connection. Several members also expressed concern about sustainability if districts absorb revenue losses over time and emphasized the need to keep scholarship and support pathways for economically vulnerable families.

The committee also reviewed the effect of waiving admissions for students and staff. Staff reported the district has absorbed approximately $4,400 in lost gate revenue since waiving admissions at events; that practice was described as a separate, district-absorbed cost that already benefits families.

On next steps, the board agreed to resume the discussion and consider a motion at the regular board meeting scheduled for April 22. No formal policy change or vote occurred at the Committee of the Whole meeting.