GRAY – A student activity fee policy was approved by the SAD 15 school board 10-1 on Wednesday and will go into effect immediately for all students in grades six through 12.

The activity fee is earmarked to support the cost of transportation for extracurricular and athletic activities.

Students in grades six through eight will pay $25 per year and students in grades nine through 12 will pay $50 annually, whether they participate or not. Families will not be charged more than $100 in any given school year. Scholarships may be paid by a third party in the name of a student or students. Full payment is expected by Sept. 30.

However, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch will have the fee prorated.

If families face hardship, a letter to the director of athletics will determine a plan related to the hardship and that decision is final.

Students delinquent in paying fees by March 30 of the student’s senior year, will not be allowed to march in the graduation ceremony.

And, those students who do not pay or arrange an alternative plan will not be allowed to try out for or participate in an extracurricular or athletic activity.

The policy states it is the intent of the school board to offer athletic and extracurricular activities for all students. The board agreed to review the new policy by December. Some board members say they believe the payment schedule may be problematic.

In other business, the board by a 7-to-4 vote approved razing a former Pineland building that was given to the school district by the state when Pineland Center was vacated in 1996.

In 2000 the Libra Foundation purchased the adjacent Pineland campus and additional land surrounding the school’s property. More than $50 million has been poured into renovating the campus and adjacent land to a facility of mixed use.

The K-9 building next to the Dunn Elementary School, a former Pineland hospital building, formerly housed the Maine State Police K-9 training program for police and fire dogs.

The building is in disrepair and the board agreed to raze the building and reclaim the land as a field.

The board agreed to dispose the building at the discretion of Superintendent Michael Wood.

Wood recommends the building be razed and the land be maintained by the district for future expansion for recreation, new construction or other needs that the district may have in the near and long term future.

The building is appraised at $55,000, but sale of the building will require giving up land, addressing issues such as well, septic and any minor repairs required of a seller, said Wood.

Gray board member Peter Pinkerton voted against razing the building. “This is not in the district’s best interest without seeing potential profit.” He suggested that the building and two acres be sold.

Board member Anne Gass of Gray said, “Raze the building. It’s kind of an eyesore in an area of New Gloucester that’s up and coming.”

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