Lancaster County school districts weigh sports, costs - Sports - LancasterOnline.com

Lancaster County school districts weigh sports, costs - Sports - LancasterOnline.com
7/26/2011

The balancing act between money and extracurricular activities at Lancaster County schools has become more challenging than ever.

School districts were dealt a near-knockout blow when Gov. Tom Corbett dropped a guillotine on the public education budget. School boards were left scrambling to cut their own budgets while trying to limit tax increases.

Before many school districts made tough decisions about furloughing staff or eliminating positions, extracurricular activities were among the departments that had to slash their budgets.

"Here, we're basically on par, maybe a little more, with other departments," Columbia athletic director Jim Rhoads said of his budget cuts. "The primary focus for school is education, even though the other things are important.

"The classes and education part of school will continue regardless of how many sports we offer."

Said Donegal athletic director Ron Kennedy, "Some schools have eliminated teaching positions or have had teachers take a raise freeze and athletics has felt a little of the cutbacks. I think every department is sharing in the financial burden."

Extracurricular activities — which include, among other things, athletics, drama and music — are not state-mandated,and districts are not required to fund them.

Yet as Manheim Central athletic director George Derbyshire opined, taking away extracurricular activities will do more harm than good.

"Some of our most successful people have extracurricular backgrounds," he said. "Statistics show that our top students are involved in other things — sports, band, chorus, honor society, student council.

"Do (critics) want everybody to be bookworms and dodos?"

Athletics — usually accounting for 50 to 75 percent of a student activities budget, according to area athletic directors — was asked to make concessions with the rest of the departments. Most athletic directors said their budgets were trimmed by about 25 percent, forcing some to fill the gap by cutting coaching salaries, cutting back game-day help or invoking an "activity fee."

Some school boards have considered cutting some athletics programs, while others have had to do more than that. Octorara, which straddles Lancaster and Chester counties, cut all funding for middle school athletics, while the Juniata County School District had no money for athletics and implemented an activity fee of as much $350 to play one sport.

"All school districts are facing difficult financial decisions," Penn Manor athletic director Jeff Roth said. "Athletics is only one of many programs that are being evaluated and may be changing to fit the need of the school district and student-athletes."

While most school districts recognize the relatively low financial impact such programs have on a district budget and the importance of athletics as a whole, some taxpayers question keeping sports at all.

Letters to the editor on the subject seem to range from support of athletics to their all-out elimination.

One writer asked, "What is the total budget cost for athletics, including facilities (must have football stadium lights and artificial turf plus a weight room, etc.), buses, drivers, lawyers, athletic director, doctors, trainers, coaches, pools, uniforms, referees, fees, maintenance, administrative bragging rights, nurse, supplies, utilities and what have you? The cost would be staggering."

A look at the budgets of the 16 Lancaster County public schools that are members of the Lancaster-Lebanon League showed that student activities are from 1.0 percent to 2.3 percent of a school's total budget, making athletics between 0.8 and 1.5 percent of a total budget.

"I think there are some people that really think we operate on a college athletic budget," Elizabethtown athletic director Shane Piper said. "That's not the case. At some schools, athletics are less than one percent of a school's budget and others are just a little bit more."

An athletics budget typically includes, in order of most expensive to least expensive: coaching salaries, officials and event staff, equipment and supplies, transportation and entry fees, meals, hotels and awards.

And all of that is accounted for before factoring in any revenue sports may generate.

Of the 18 county schools surveyed, including Lancaster Catholic and Lancaster Mennonite, Manheim Central was the only district that provided a full financial breakdown for its athletics program. Its financial records showed that gate receipts and reserved seating for football last season brought in $78,000. That was about 23 percent of the school's athletics budget.

While not all schools generate the income that Manheim Central does, every athletic department at every school earns some money.

"It helps that athletics generate money," Manheim Township athletic director Kevin Raquet said. "It can be tough, though, because they want you to budget that in. So you may have a good year with revenue but then the next year it could be bad. It's a double-edged sword."

So what would taxpayers save without extracurricular activities in their districts?

Let's break it down.

The average home in Lancaster County is assessed at $144,000, with the average school millage around 18.0 and the average taxes at $2,592, according to information from county school districts.

To eliminate the student activity funds at schools, which average 1.7 percent of the total budget, would drop the millage to 17.7 and the taxes to $2,548. The savings: $44.

To eliminate the entire athletic budget, which typically averages 1.2 percent, would drop the millage to 17.8 and make taxes $2,563. The savings: $29.

mblymier@lnpnews.com
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