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But only $40,000 has been raised so far.
About $190,000 is brought in from user fees ($200 per student per sport) and $20,000 from gate fees (up from $3 to $5 for each event).
Most of the money raised thus far came from the “Swing for Sports” golf tournament back in September.
Gormley said some money has also been raised from the Copeland Field House banner sales.
But school officials are worried that fundraising may still fall short.
“We can’t go into spring assuming we’re going to collect that money,” said School Committee Chair Beirne Lovely. “Either we have that money in our hands or we’re not going to have spring sports.”
The teams faced a similar situation last year, Committee member Glenn Pavlicek said.
“(The Boosters) had to raise the same $140,000 or so and they did that,” he said. “But to expect them to pull that off every year is difficult. We’re already seeing that. It becomes unsustainable.”
Member Lynda Lee Sheridan said she worries about students who wait until spring to play sports like baseball, softball and lacrosse.
Kristan Bagley Jones pointed out that colleges look at students’ participation in sports when they apply.
“The value of athletics and activities is huge to the high school experience,” said Gormley.
Lovely said the School Committee needs to know by February or March if spring sports will be cut.
“We have to give people fair notice,” he said.
Activities programs at Milton High and Pierce may also be eliminated if student participation fees don’t cover the costs. The program budget depends on the fees for $124,000 of its $140,000 budget.
The fee for students is $100 at the high school and $75 at Pierce. Programs that could be cut include language clubs, student council at the high school and intramural sports at Pierce.