Season Structure, Student Fees and Travel Donations
In 2022, KnightKrawler changed our fee structure. Additionally, due to team growth (75 students registered in fall 2025), changes have been made to the robotics season. KnightKrawler, which has long been a year round program, is now a multi-season activity.
- Fall Season free for all students (2025 change)
- Winter/Spring student activity fees waived for families on financial assistance
- All travel fees for all families changed to optional donations
Fall Season
- No activity fee, no travel costs
- All interested students may participate
- 3-4 off season competitions
- Focus on training
- Team builds 2 new basic robots with a focus on new student participation
- Students required to submit all forms and complete all training by deadlines to maintain participation
- 2 meetings per week
Winter/Spring Season
- Restricted to approximately 50 students
- Must participate in fall season
- Refundable student activity fee paid prior to winter season start (Oct/Nov)
- Build 1 competition robot, plus (possibly) 1 kit bot
- 2 Regional Competitions
- World and State Championships, if qualified
- 4 meetings per week, several optional meetings Jan - Mar
Summer Season
- 1 optional meeting per week
- Focus on training, experimental systems, leadership transition
- Parades, community outreach
Student Activity Fee
Prior to the fee structure change, KnightKrawler charged a student activity fee of $200, which is consistent with fees that are charged for other activities such as football and softball. Given our annual program costs of $70,000 - $90,000, the fee is on par with other sports with high equipment needs. This fee is subject to change year to year.
Since robotics at our high school is not funded through the activities office, fees are paid directly to the non-profit. Previously, there was a scholarship fund in our budget. Students could avoid activity fees and travel fees through applying for scholarship assistance.
In 2022, upon reflection by the mentor and student leadership, we found the need to apply for assistance was a barrier. We found that even student leaders would opt not to attend champs because they did not want to ask for assistance.
In our current system, we submit our student roster to the activities office and in return receive a list of students who are on financial assistance with the district (previously called “Free and Reduced Lunch”). This information is only shared with the student advisor (district employee) and the non-profit treasurer. The students on this list are not required to pay the annual activity fee. An application for fee waiver is no longer needed.
Travel Donations
Additionally in 2022, travel fees were changed. All travel fees are optional for all families, no application process for scholarship, no questions asked. We very clearly communicate with all families the cost to travel per student for Regional 1 (our only travel regional) and the cost per student for champs travel (if we qualify). Travel costs, including team meals, typically is about $250/student for Regional 1, and $1000/student for champs. We ask families who can afford to do so, to make a $250 donation for each competition. Any amount is accepted, including $0.
Since making this change, we have had a 60-70% participation rate of families contributing to travel, which mirrors the percentage of families on assistance both on our team and within our school district. It is a great sense of pride that our program now reflects the fiscal demographics of the families in our school district, which dispels the perception that robotics is for affluent families. By changing the travel fees to 100% optional travel donations, money contributed by families for travel is now tax deductible.
For budgetary purposes, travel donations received are estimated to be 65% of estimated costs for Regional 1, and 20% of estimated costs for Champs. As a result the team must use fundraising and sponsorship to make up roughly $4,000 in travel costs for Regional 1, and $28,000 in costs for Champs travel, if the whole team travels to champs. If the team sends a minimal crew of students to champs (10 students on flights instead of 40 on a bus), the cost is over $1500 per student with an estimated funding gap of $15,000.