A two-year waiver on athletic fees put in place by the ConVal School Board has lapsed, and a discussion regarding whether or not to extend the freeze was picked up by the Education Committee Monday evening during its monthly meeting.

Two years ago, the School Board voted to wipe away all athletic fees as a way to gauge if fees hindered participation in the athletic activities.

“The goal of not having fees was to increase participation,” Superintendent Kimberly Saunders said. “We wanted to make sure there were no barriers to participation.”

Athletic participation has increased since the fee was waived, although marginally.

“Even as a percentage, they’ve gone up very little,” Rich Cahoon, an Antrim board member said.

The board had agreed to revisit the payment freeze before the start of the 2016-2017 school year, although that time has come and gone and the matter has not gone before the School Board.

Cahoon said he voted to freeze the fee waiver two years ago, but said he regrets the decision.

“I think we rushed the vote,” Cahoon said during the meeting.

As a result of that vote, the district now pays $45,000, a sum once covered by participants.

“If we have limited funding resources, which we do, we need to make sure we are targeting key areas,” Cahoon said.

Funding programs such as The Running Start Program, which allows students to earn high school and college credits by enrolling in higher education courses, should be prioritized, he said.

Saunders said a comprehensive list of all fees for extracurricular activities needs to be mapped out and re-assessed.

“If we are a public institution with public programs, why are we charging students to access those?” she said.

Cahoon said if the district can afford to be feeless, “let’s do that. But if we can’t, why are we prioritizing athletics?”

Athletic fees will remain suspended for the time being, with discussion regarding the matter slated to be revisited at a future School Board meeting.

The committee also discussed the pros and cons of a multi-age, multi-grade classroom structure and whether to implement the tactic only when grade size dips below a certain level or to use the system on a consistent basis.

Integrated classrooms, which combine two grade levels, may become necessary as student enrollment continues to drop in smaller schools across the district, Cahoon said.

“It’s almost getting to the point where if we have 45-student elementary schools, this is necessary,” he said.

Ann Allwarden, assistant superintendent, added the state is also moving to competency-based education, which is less bound by grades and more by clear learning progressions.

In that sense, she said, moving toward a more fluid grade-level system makes sense.

The district already has some integrated classrooms, which have been successful in some instances and not in others.

Saunders said if the district decides to implement the multi-age, multi-grade template on a wider scale, the key will be remaining consistent.

“It’s a very viable practice, but it becomes less viable when it is inconsistently applied,” Saunders said.

The committee will revisit the discussion at its November meeting.