Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, communities across the nation have experienced a distinct shift from cash to digital payment methods.

This shift, especially in our public schools, has meant the complete adoption of systems like GoFan for athletic ticketing and payments. In addition to athletics, other departments are slowly bringing their own payment collection systems online. Each new third-party system, brings with it new service fees above and beyond the basic cost of a ticket, a student's lunch or basic program dues.  This service fee varies by system and can range from 2.5% to 20%, depending on the item or service being provided. These extra service fees, across the multiple platforms, can add up to hundreds of dollars per year for students and their families… and we don’t have a choice  

We urge all public school administrators to consider the financial implications of current digital payment processing systems, especially those that incur extra service fees, and reintroduce cash as a payment option for ALL school-related events and services.

BACKGROUND: GoFan specifically, was introduced as a method to "safely" purchase athletic event tickets, but has now come to include high school theater tickets, event parking, Homecoming/Prom dance tickets, concessions purchases and more.  When coupled with additional digital payment systems for other events and services, this creates an unreasonable financial burden for families who are are already paying heftily for their students to participate in school activities.

Unlike large-scale concerts and sporting events where online ticketing can be seen as a convenience, repetitive costs for lunches, monthly program dues and weekly high school athletic events should not come with added and forced financial burdens. 

Publicly funded entities, such as our high schools, have a duty to ensure that all students can participate without unnecessary financial strain. Excluding cash payments, or severely limiting cash sales to a few hours at the beginning of a week, not only hinders inclusivity but also potentially excludes those without easy access to digital payment methods.  Cash is still a legal tender and should be accepted wherever services are paid for, especially in publicly funded entities.

Please lend your voice and support (if even anonymously) to bring back cash payment options for all goods and services in our public schools.