The St. Joseph School District Board of Education voted Monday night to approve pay-to-participate, with some changes.

Before passing, an amendment was made to the plan which kept the high school fees at $35 instead of raising it to the recommended $50. A fee for middle school pay-to-participate was set at $25.

St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Newhart said the middle school fee is expected to generate $12,000.

“It’s a drop in the bucket and we don’t want to nickel and dime this thing, that’s not our approach to it, but when you look at all the other cuts and all the other programs, academically, that we’ve made, to not have included activities in some shape or form would have been not diligent on our part,” Newhart said. “It’s not the amount, in this case, currently, I wasn’t as concerned about that. It’s the sustainability and getting the ownership from parents and students that there is a cost to this program. So if that is communicated, we’ll be better off in the long run.”

According to Board of Education Vice President Lori Prussman, the $25 middle school fee will help cover the Missouri State High School Activities Association fees.