After debating for five hours and considering more than a dozen amendments, the school board passed the FY 2013 budget of $2.4 billion and removed the athletic fee policy implemented two years ago.

“My concern with the athletic fees since I came on the board two years ago was that it would discourage students from participating in sports and would put too great a burden on many families,” Mason district school board member Sandy Evans said.

The current policy requires students to pay a $100 fee for each sport they play, with the fee capped at $200, an improvement for three-season athletes. Students that are part of the free or reduced lunch program receive a waiver for the fees.

“I’m happy about the change in the athletic fee policy because the thing about high school sports is that students can play because they don’t have to pay for anything like uniforms, equipment or travel,” junior Clare Lazar said. “When they changed the athletic fee policy, it seemed less like high school sports.”

This year, Evans offered an amendment to eliminate the fees, which was incorporated into the Advertised Budget the Board approved in February and sent to the Board of Supervisors. When the School Board approved the final budget, there were two attempts to retain the athletic fee by other Board members, but those opposed to the fee were able to defeat those attempts.

“I think [the new athletic policy] is great news for student-athletes and parents,” director of student activities Karl Kerns said. “It should open a door for more athletes to try out. Because I only started last year, I can’t say whether or not the policy caused less athletes to try out, but I can speculate that there were some families who had to make the difficult decision of whether or not to play the sport and pay the fee.”

Athletic fees were implemented during the recent recession at a cost of $1.7 million. According to at-large school board member Ryan McElveen, some have claimed that less than $1.7 million was gained from the fees due to administrative costs, which makes the elimination of the fees less costly than claimed by opponents to the policy change.

“I totally support the school board in one of the wisest decisions they have ever made,” field hockey and lacrosse coach Cindy Hook said. “I think that the fee was a burden for a lot of families, so it’s good that the school board was able to get rid of it.”

“We were lucky to have a budget this year that allowed us to eliminate the fees and move forward with many of our other priorities,” McElveen said. “Eliminating the fees will give student athletes who otherwise might have little reason to be invested in school the opportunity to achieve and feel engaged in their school communities. I made a campaign promise to eliminate the fees, and I’m proud to have done so.”