Imagine this point of view instead: The average public school superintendent makes $225,000 - $275,000. The average high school football team has 53 players on the roster. If the pay-to-play fee is $500, that's $26,500. If the schools REALLY cared about the sports and the kids, I think they could find places to pull it from. But hey, why make concessions and spend your budget wisely when you can just guilt the public into passing levies and continue making your fat salary? What happened to the days of the football team, band, choir, etc doing fundraisers to pay for their program? We sold wreaths around Christmas, mulch in the spring, and did car washes in the summer. The community willingly gave these programs money. I don't know how it is in most places, but I haven't seem this in years.