Newburyport School Committee Raises Athletic Fees, Approves Girls Varsity Golf Team

NEWBURYPORT — June 11, 2026 — Newburyport School Committee raises athletic fees, creates girls varsity golf program, and tables international field trip vote over tour-company concerns. The committee voted unanimously at its June 11 meeting to approve a revised FY27 athletic fee schedule projected to generate roughly $37,000 in additional annual revenue, including a new $50-per-sport fee for middle school athletics — reduced from a proposed $75 after an amendment by Vice Chair Julia Walker — and a $25 increase to high school Tier 2 and Tier 3 fees. A new girls varsity golf program, which grew from a club founded in 2022, was approved under policy JJIB at an estimated annual cost of $11,000, with home matches at Amesbury Golf Club and a 12-game spring schedule. The committee tabled initial approval of three proposed 2028 international overnight trips — to the Dominican Republic ($4,400), Japan ($5,500), and the Alps and Mediterranean ($5,000) — after Member John Ricky, a former student-travel industry executive, raised concerns about EF Tours' teacher-incentive payment structure and questioned whether student groups could be guaranteed private transportation. Director of Finance and Operations James McSweeney reported that competitive bids for the Nock/Mullen and high school roof replacements came in roughly $3.3 million below original construction estimates, with net city cost after a 43 percent state reimbursement landing at approximately $2.3 million; construction is set to begin the week of July 6.