Needham families could pay more to put their kids on school sports teams after district officials warned the athletics revolving fund will go negative by fiscal year 2029.

Athletics Director Ryan Madden and budget analyst Jake Sykes presented an Athletics Sustainability Review to the School Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Broadmeadow Elementary School. The review, a scheduled discussion item at 7:30 p.m., laid out years of red ink. Between fiscal years 2023 and 2025, the athletics program spent roughly $267,000 more than it brought in. Another $88,000 shortfall is projected for fiscal year 2026.

The gap has been growing quietly. User fees for families have risen just $15 since 2007, according to the presentation first reported by Needham Local. The current interscholastic fee sits at $300 per sport, with a $1,200 family cap covering high school and middle school, according to the Needham High School athletics registration page.

That base fee does not include venue surcharges, which vary by sport: $330 for swimming, hockey and skiing; $260 for basketball, volleyball, field hockey, softball, wrestling and baseball; $235 for cross country, outdoor track and several other sports; and $190 for sailing, squash and fencing.

Madden and Sykes outlined three potential solutions. Two were named publicly: raising user fees and increasing support from the district's operational budget. The third was not detailed.

The financial strain is not new. A similar sustainability review in 2019 flagged the same concerns. The gap was not resolved, Madden and Sykes said.

Needham offers the highest number of K-12 teams of any public school district in Massachusetts, according to the presentation. With dozens of sports offered across elementary, middle and high school levels, a fee increase would affect families districtwide.

The same Sept. 15 meeting also listed FY28 Budget Guidelines as an action item, according to the School Committee agenda. That places the athletics discussion alongside broader budget planning for the district.

The School Committee took no vote on the matter Sept. 15. The committee's next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Broadmeadow Performance Center. Whether a fee change or budget adjustment will appear on that agenda has not been announced.