The upcoming years will certainly bring big changes. The Bulldogs will be back in the Central District in a shiny new school, the WASL math requirement will cease to exist, and, in two years, the potential end of free athletics and the Kingco league for Garfield High School.

On Friday, May 11, Seattle School District principals met to discuss two major athletic concerns: a move back to the Metro league from Kingco and the addition of pay-to-play athletics. These changes would affect the class of 2009 and beyond.

Garfield, Franklin, Roosevelt, and Ballard all were part of the Metro league until 1997, when the Bulldogs, Quakers, and Roughriders made the switch to Kingco. The Beavers joined Kingco in 2002.

For students at Garfield, the change back to the Metro league would mean more inner-city rivalries, making for more intense competition on the playing field. As the leagues are now arranged, more precedence is placed on size of school rather than location, resulting in strictly 3A or 4A divisions with schools from all over western Washington competing against each other during the regular season. The proposed Metro league would be a combination of 3A and 4A schools all from inside Seattle city limits.

“The move back to the Metro league would be a good thing for Garfield,” said Principal Ted Howard II. “Neighborhood rivalries would become a greater part of league play, which is a lot of fun for both athletes and fans.”

The switch would allow for closer away games, cutting down on transportation costs in a money-starved school district. According to Howard, Garfield alone spends around $65,000 on combined transportation costs for all of its teams. In past years, large expenses like this were covered by revenue from junk food and soda products sold in school vending machines. Recently, to promote a healthier student population, the Seattle School District banned these sales, losing much needed revenue. In combination with a school district which is running a serious fiscal deficit, this loss of income has put athletic budgets in a bind.

Another way the Seattle School District is considering to address the monetary issues of high school athletics is through the introduction of pay-to-pay sports in schools. By charging student-athletes $50 for participating in one or two sports and $75 for playing three sports, the district is attempting to have athletes themselves cover some of their own costs.

“Right now, anyone who buys an ASB sticker is subsidizing school athletics,” said Howard. “With the introduction of pay-to-play athletics, student athletes will actually be picking up their own tab. It’s more equitable this way.”

While for some students, this plan is monetarily possible, for others, the cost would make playing sports in high school unfeasible. A half price reduction would be available for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, and full scholarships would be available for few athletes on a case by case basis. For some, though, the new policy would put athletics out of the question entirely.

“There’s a whole grey area of students who don’t quite qualify for the scholarships, but paying for athletics is out of the question,” said Athletic Director Peggy Jackson-Williams. “This really hurts some kids.”

According to Howard, there will be another meeting in the near future to resolve some of the unanswered questions regarding the changes. Because other school districts in western Washington are already utilizing the pay-to-play system, successful models exist, making the transition potentially smoother.