Mark Maher stopped tracking the money he spends on high school athletics a long time ago.

The father of two current Huron High School student-athletes considers the checks he writes investments in his sons' education.

Like many parents with students in Ann Arbor Public Schools, Maher and his wife, Katie Keeley, are discovering that paying for their children to participate in sports is more difficult in the current economy.

That’s on top of a proposed pay-to-play system goes into effect that would tack an additional $150 onto each student’s annual athletic tab.

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Such a system, which will be formally recommended to the Ann Arbor school board in March, could leave local families deciding how - or if - they’ll foot the bill.

For the Mahers, who already pay $800 a year in team fees for sons Keeley and Charlie to swim and play water polo, the matter isn't up for discussion: Athletics are worth it.

"For us, it is a priority, because it's been a really important part of the kids' education," Mark Maher said.

In Ann Arbor, the district's $3.6 million overall athletic expenditures cover only coach salaries, team transportation, game officials and league entry fees.

Remaining expenses are handled by individual athletic programs that charge anywhere from $50 to $300 in fees to pay for things like uniforms and equipment.

Fund-raising and booster clubs help defray those costs, but do not eliminate them. The Mahers pay $195 in team fees per sport.

Maher's son, Keeley, takes part in soda can drives, car washes and selling bottled water at Michigan football games to raise funds. That participation now goes with the territory.

"They don't make it mandatory, but I feel like people should help out by doing stuff like that to help out," said Keeley Maher, who has been a two-sport athlete each of his four years at Huron.

Booster clubs offer scholarships for families who cannot afford team fees. Families whose students are included in free and reduced lunch programs are exempt, a stipulation that would continue next year under the district’s pay-to-play proposal.

Some student-athletes are concerned with the burden now, but believe that whatever the short-term cost, it’s a small price to pay for the perceived long-term reward.

Skyline High School sophomore Ian Perrin participates on the school’s rowing team, which, as a club sport, draws no financial support from out of Skyline's athletic budget.

His parents agreed to pay cover to $1,200 per year to support his rowing. The cost varies on how many seasons he rows during the school year.

Despite the costs, his involvement with his school's club crew team taught him lessons in teamwork and dedication.

His commitment to follow through with the sport for at least a season was a condition for his parents paying the fees. But in addition to training sessions and regattas, Perrin knew because of the program's need to complete self-fund itself, he would have to do his part.

But he also saw long-term benefits.

"I found that it was something I could do every day and love," Perrin said. "I've found that I'm already significantly more diligent because of crew - it takes a lot more time management.

"You have to think about where you're allocating what you're going to be doing on the weekends, where you're going to be, who you're going to be with and I think (sports) is something good for everybody to participate in at least once."

When he learned the district had a $20 million shortfall, he worried some high school sports may face elimination, like crew, which, like the majority at Pioneer and Huron, is a varsity sport. Rowing remains a club sport at Skyline.

"You get scared that they're just going to cut you off the entire face of the earth," Perrin said. "Just like, boom. You're on your own."

The district's three athletic directors don't foresee cuts on a sport-by-sport basis.

But they agree that keeping high school sports viable will get tougher. For parents paying to fund high school athletic programs, that means adapting and accepting a new reality.

"(Paying for sports) is a reality of the economic situation, but at the same time, we have to make sure we're living within our means," Maher said.

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at jeffarnold@annarbor.com or 734-623-2554. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.