Pinellas schools to begin charging sports fee, expand programs
Tampa Bay Times | Jeffrey S. Solochek | February 17, 2026
Pinellas County school district leaders consider sports participation a key to keeping students engaged and active in school.
But the cost to maintain the athletic program, which officials want to expand, far exceeds the revenue it generates. To offset the expenses, the district will start charging a participation fee in the fall.
The plan, reviewed by the school board on Tuesday, calls for students to pay $50 per sport, with a maximum for families of $200. Hillsborough students by comparison pay a $30 insurance fee per sport with no cap, and Pasco students have a $130 individual limit or $200 per family.
“When we look regionally, we see that participation fees are common practice,” Marc Allison, the Pinellas district’s athletic director, told the school board.
He said the money collected would help the district expand its offerings to include middle school soccer and volleyball, and high school boys volleyball and girls competitive cheer along with ninth-grade volleyball.
Adding the opportunities fits superintendent Kevin Hendrick’s objective of making school a place that students want to be. He has prioritized giving children more outlets such as field trips and competitions.
He pointed to the district’s most recent climate survey as proof that the initiative is working. It showed larger percentages of secondary students saying they like school and are willing to try new activities than in the past three years.
“Kids really are liking school more,” Hendrick said. The goal now is “how we get them more engaged.”
Board members expressed enthusiasm for adding more sports opportunities. They noted that they’ve heard from many parents and students excited about the plan to have boys volleyball and competitive cheer.
“When you participate in those sports it just engenders you to the school,” said board member Laura Hine, who has coached middle school volleyball.
At the same time, she and others raised concerns that the new fee might create a barrier to participation. Vice chairperson Dawn Peters asked pointedly about how students who have played without paying for years might react.
Hendrick noted that families already pay much larger amounts for things like cleats, with those who are members of outside club teams facing expensive fees. Those parents have signaled they would not complain about a small charge to keep school sports active, he said.
At the same time, he continued, the schools will work to ensure that the fees won’t prevent children who can’t afford them from playing.
“We will not turn one child away,” said Donnika Jones, the district’s chief academic officer.
