Absolutely no snark intended here, I just don’t understand the basics. Based on the reponse from HPISD yesterday and a brief cover letter on the form letting parents know they needed to pay a $250 ACE fee, I assumed the funds collected for athletics (ACE) were put in a special account for, well, sports and stuff. But in this report it looks like the money ($400,000 last year) goes into one giant account. Can a super informed reader tell me how this works?
And a side question for someone with the scoop: It looks like this year HPISD plans to take in $80,000 less in ACE fees than they did last year. I wonder why?
UPDATE. Readers have asked for the cover letter mentioned above:
State school finance legislation continues to adversely impact Highland Park Independent School District’s ability to fund all academic and extracurricular programs, so we must fund our athletic program in unique and creative ways. Once again, we are asking for your financial support.
The Athletic Commitment to Excellence (ACE) fee is an annual fee for each student participant in extracurricular sports. A student may participate in more than one sport with no additional fee, but there is no discount for multiple students from the same family.
The ACE Fee was instituted in 1994-1995 and was $300 through the 1996 school year. For the 2010-2011 school year the ACE Fee will be $250.
After teams are selected, and prior to a student’s participation as a team member, ACE fees will be collected. Fees may be paid by check and collected by the coach, or, paid on-line by credit card. Children of HPISD district employees are exempt from the fee. Parents with special financial circumstances should discuss payment options with their coaches prior to the start of the 2010-2011 school year. Families can be assured of confidentiality regarding payment arrangements of the ACE Fee. All efforts will be made to ensure that all students who wish to participate are given the opportunity.
Our desire is to ensure the same standard of excellence for our athletic programs that exist for our academic programs. In our efforts to continue this excellence we must combine current resources with participation fees and private funding. We will work to maintain the quality of our existing programs, increase participation, and add new programs whenever appropriate. We will always be good stewards of financial resources and serve this community to the very best of our ability.
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