Can high school sports survive and at what cost?
With pension funding becoming a greater factor as schools struggle to balance budgets, activities funding is likely to be reduced further. That means athletic programs will need even more help to keep going in the future.Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Jul 29, 2011 00:01 Without even more help from booster clubs and from families of the athletes themselves, empty playing fields are likely to become a more common sight in the years to come.
By MATT BLYMIER and ED GRUVER
Staff
The previous three stories in this series shed light on financial shortcomings faced by Lancaster County school districts, the measures athletic directors have taken to generate revenue and the importance of scholastic athletics to students and the community.
This, the final story, will attempt to answer the following question:
Can high school sports survive and at what cost?
A loaded question, for sure.
"We're all hoping (school budget cuts are) a stopgap," Columbia athletic director Jim Rhoads said. "We hope the state will fund education the way it should, but I don't see that happening."
The easy answer is yes, sports will survive, but not in the way Americans have been accustomed to.
Athletics likely would be partly or fully privatized.
Here's why.
Even when the economy recovers and state funding for schools returns prior levels, there is one big financial issue.
Pensions will be an albatross around the necks of the state government and school districts for years to come.
After the economy tanked following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the state legislature reduced the amount districts had to pay into the pension system. Meanwhile, school employees continued to pay much higher rates. The legislature also increased benefits for school employees, increasing liabilities.
When the stock market crashed in 2007, earnings plummeted. Now, state and district employers must make up for that non-funded liability. Even though the legislature approved a law reducing benefits for new employees and capping yearly rate increases, contribution rates for employers will soar.
The pension rate, which dropped below 2 percent a decade ago, rose to 8.65 percent in 2011-12. In 2013-14, it's projected to increase to 16.69; by 2017-18, it will likely exceed 25 percent. Those numbers represent the percentage of each employee's salary that employers pay into the Public School Employees' Retirement System.
That's millions of dollars per year for one item, over which school districts have little control.
Since the 2006 Taxpayer Relief Act caps the amount by which a public school can raise taxes each year, the increased revenue may not be enough to cover the expense.
Do the math.
Expenses, including inflation, gas prices and pensions will increase drastically.
Revenue, from the state to schools and from schools to their programs, will remain flat or decrease.
Something has to give.
And that appears to be extracurricular activities in general and athletics in particular.
Two likely scenarios may arise due to these future financial issues. Both can sustain athletics, but at great cost for the public.
Public school districts will duplicate the funding methods of many private Division III colleges.
The school will pay a percentage of the cost of athletics (between 20-50 percent) and the department will raise the rest of the funds itself. At the college level, alumni fill a majority of the funding gaps. At the high school level, funds would be raised by activity fees and booster clubs. This would allow an objective district administrator (athletic director) to still oversee the athletic department.
Conestoga Valley is one local school that already has the pieces in place should this scenario occur.
Most sports teams at CV have their own booster clubs that do their own fund-raising. All of the separate booster clubs contribute to one booster club, Buckskins Boosters, which is a consortium of coaches, administrators and other booster club presidents. That group spends money on various extracurricular activities projects in the district. In six years, the club has raised more than $100,000 for facility improvements.
That appears the most likely and best case for the the future of high school athletics.
The worst-case scenario is the "European model."
In most European countries there are no high school facilities and no high school sports teams. Instead, there are independent club teams that the entire community can participate in. People pay around $70 to help pay for equipment and uniforms, and the state funds the facilities.
"I think we're a long way from the European model," Donegal athletic director Ron Kennedy opined. "Athletics are too embedded in our culture."
The benefit from both scenarios is short and simple: Athletics will continue.
The negatives are long and complicated, as is nearly anything when money is involved.
Both scenarios cost money, meaning parents would basically be taxed twice for something they used to be taxed once for. This could create issues with parents who would expect their child to play since they're paying.
Gone would be low-income students unable to pay, multisport athletes unable to afford more than one sport and the non-star athlete unwilling to pay to ride the bench.
"Kids will cut themselves (from the team)," Lancaster Catholic athletic director Terry Klugh said. "They'll think, 'Why should I pay if I'm sitting on the bench?' "
Said Rhoads, "A lot of kids who aren't stars on the team are going to be lost, and they're usually the ones who benefit from athletics the most."
Gone could be the student that gets in trouble and has poor grades in middle school before reaching high school and participating in sports. Finding the structure, discipline, life skills and camaraderie that sports offers makes this student a better person.
And, eventually, a better member of society. Better for us all.
Athletics are already a privilege and shouldn't be reserved for the privileged.
The future may demand something different.
Something more.
mblymier@lnpnews.com
egruver@lnpnews.com
Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/429628_Can-high-school-sports-survive-and-at-what-cost-.html#ixzz1TpOIugdj
Showing posts with label School Athletic Budgets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School Athletic Budgets. Show all posts
Monday, August 1, 2011
Are high school sports still relevant? LancasterOnline 07/28/2011
Are high school sports still relevant?
In light of cultural changes and rising costs, proponents and opponents debate the importance of extracurricular activities on the scholastic levelIntelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Updated Jul 28, 2011 00:01
By ED GRUVER and MATT BLYMIER
Staff
Participation fees have been ruled unlawful in several U.S. states by those whose belief it is that extracurricular activities — be it sports, marching band or student council — must be considered an integral part of public education.
Pennsylvania lawmakers have a different opinion. The Commonwealth does not regard extracurricular activities as part of the guaranteed basic public education.
Lancaster County athletic directors disagree.
"Our superintendent (Dr. Bruce Sensenig) feels athletics is part of the whole education process and should be included in it," said Cocalico A.D. Audrey Stoner.
Said Manheim Central A.D. George Derbyshire, "Students need (extracurricular activities) as much as they need everything else (connected with high school).
Not everyone agrees.
Those on the other side of the debate state on web sites and blogs that cultural changes over the past three decades have lessened the impact of scholastic sports to the point where high school teams are no longer the "Hoosiers"-like focal point of their communities.
"From what I've seen, that argument can be used in some school districts," Pequea Valley athletic director Greg Fantazzi said. "But I think high school sports still have validity. We've seen communities rally around their teams.
"Look at Manheim Central. Their fans show up at three o'clock for (7 p.m.) football games. Fans get riled up; they get together and bond."
The debate on the validity of extracurricular activities encompasses a variety of issues.
Proponents offer that since many families can't afford college tuition, extracurricular activities offer an avenue to continue their education via full or partial scholarships.
Opponents counter that since their tax dollars already go to feed other parent's children via free school breakfasts and lunches, is it their job to fund a college education as well?
To them, extracurricular activities are just that — "extra" — and should not be the burden of taxpayers. As a blogger in Cleveland wrote, "What, you think everyone else should pay for your kid to be a football player?"
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) disagrees. They prefer the term "co-curricular," stating "believing that activities support the academic mission of schools and are inherently educational" in their study titled "The Case for High School Activities."
Some blame the financial difficulties on the school districts themselves. Labeled on one web site as "overzealous," school districts are being accused of overspending and slapping taxpayers with a hike and students with participation fees.
Eliminate extracurricular activities from the school budget, and what happens to the life lessons that are such a big part of high school?
"(Extracurricular activities) adds so much to the (high school) process and athletics is a big part of it," said Stoner. "For a lot of people, when they think back on their high school years, they think about athletics."
Said Fantazzi, "Students involved in athletics find that it helps them in later years when they're setting goals.
"Studies show there's a correlation to students involved in (extracurricular activities) and higher G.P.A.'s. Take that away and you might see kids struggling academically. Emotionally and psychologically, (extracurricular activities) give kids a chance to mature."
Penn Manor athletic director Jeff Roth agreed.
"It is clear through study that students participating in athletics have a higher success rate in school, better attendance and higher levels of achievement and aspirations to attend higher levels of education," he said.
"Those students participating in extracurricular school activities build learning skills, self-confidence, leadership and teamwork skills. Students involved in athletics achieve higher overall academic performance and are more likely to find a positive place in school and the educational process.
"Those 'at risk' students that participate in athletics are less likely to drop out of school. All school districts must find ways to keep successful programs, such as athletics, that support student success on so many levels."
The NFHS study showed that students who participate in co-curricular activities are less likely to use drugs and have discipline referrals and more likely to graduate and have better GPA's than student who do not participate.
And there are many student-athletes at Lancaster County schools. A survey of 16 athletic directors, of county schools that are members of the L-L League, showed that an average of 44 percent of students (of the total student body, grades 7-12) participate in athletics.
The fallout from cutting back on sports at the scholastic level is that the people most likely to suffer are the "at risk" students Roth spoke of. The truth is, of the thousands of student-athletes on the rosters of Lancaster County high schools, there are far more role players than stars.
A 2005 College Board Research Report titled "Everyone Gains: Extracurriculars in High School and Higher SAT Scores concluded "students' levels of participation in ECAs in high school are related to meaningful gains in SAT scores."
The study also showed that "ECAs benefits minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students as much as, or more than, advantaged white students" and "supplementary education programs benefit minorities and disadvantaged high school students who are often ill-served by traditional academic curricula."
Cut back on sports or reduce them to an elite activity through pay to play and educators believe there will be consequences.
"A lot of kids that aren't stars are going to be lost," Columbia athletic director Jim Rhoads said, "and they're usually the ones that benefit from athletics the most."
And the benefits, in the opinion of Manheim Township athletic director Kevin Raquet, are many.
"Character, hard work and passion are exemplified in sports," he said. "All of that you'll need in the real world, and athletics instills those values more than anything."
egruver@lnpnews.com
mblymier@lnpnews.com
Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/428919_Are-high-school-sports-still-relevant-.html#ixzz1TpMYW5I2
In light of cultural changes and rising costs, proponents and opponents debate the importance of extracurricular activities on the scholastic levelIntelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Updated Jul 28, 2011 00:01
By ED GRUVER and MATT BLYMIER
Staff
Participation fees have been ruled unlawful in several U.S. states by those whose belief it is that extracurricular activities — be it sports, marching band or student council — must be considered an integral part of public education.
Pennsylvania lawmakers have a different opinion. The Commonwealth does not regard extracurricular activities as part of the guaranteed basic public education.
Lancaster County athletic directors disagree.
"Our superintendent (Dr. Bruce Sensenig) feels athletics is part of the whole education process and should be included in it," said Cocalico A.D. Audrey Stoner.
Said Manheim Central A.D. George Derbyshire, "Students need (extracurricular activities) as much as they need everything else (connected with high school).
Not everyone agrees.
Those on the other side of the debate state on web sites and blogs that cultural changes over the past three decades have lessened the impact of scholastic sports to the point where high school teams are no longer the "Hoosiers"-like focal point of their communities.
"From what I've seen, that argument can be used in some school districts," Pequea Valley athletic director Greg Fantazzi said. "But I think high school sports still have validity. We've seen communities rally around their teams.
"Look at Manheim Central. Their fans show up at three o'clock for (7 p.m.) football games. Fans get riled up; they get together and bond."
The debate on the validity of extracurricular activities encompasses a variety of issues.
Proponents offer that since many families can't afford college tuition, extracurricular activities offer an avenue to continue their education via full or partial scholarships.
Opponents counter that since their tax dollars already go to feed other parent's children via free school breakfasts and lunches, is it their job to fund a college education as well?
To them, extracurricular activities are just that — "extra" — and should not be the burden of taxpayers. As a blogger in Cleveland wrote, "What, you think everyone else should pay for your kid to be a football player?"
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) disagrees. They prefer the term "co-curricular," stating "believing that activities support the academic mission of schools and are inherently educational" in their study titled "The Case for High School Activities."
Some blame the financial difficulties on the school districts themselves. Labeled on one web site as "overzealous," school districts are being accused of overspending and slapping taxpayers with a hike and students with participation fees.
Eliminate extracurricular activities from the school budget, and what happens to the life lessons that are such a big part of high school?
"(Extracurricular activities) adds so much to the (high school) process and athletics is a big part of it," said Stoner. "For a lot of people, when they think back on their high school years, they think about athletics."
Said Fantazzi, "Students involved in athletics find that it helps them in later years when they're setting goals.
"Studies show there's a correlation to students involved in (extracurricular activities) and higher G.P.A.'s. Take that away and you might see kids struggling academically. Emotionally and psychologically, (extracurricular activities) give kids a chance to mature."
Penn Manor athletic director Jeff Roth agreed.
"It is clear through study that students participating in athletics have a higher success rate in school, better attendance and higher levels of achievement and aspirations to attend higher levels of education," he said.
"Those students participating in extracurricular school activities build learning skills, self-confidence, leadership and teamwork skills. Students involved in athletics achieve higher overall academic performance and are more likely to find a positive place in school and the educational process.
"Those 'at risk' students that participate in athletics are less likely to drop out of school. All school districts must find ways to keep successful programs, such as athletics, that support student success on so many levels."
The NFHS study showed that students who participate in co-curricular activities are less likely to use drugs and have discipline referrals and more likely to graduate and have better GPA's than student who do not participate.
And there are many student-athletes at Lancaster County schools. A survey of 16 athletic directors, of county schools that are members of the L-L League, showed that an average of 44 percent of students (of the total student body, grades 7-12) participate in athletics.
The fallout from cutting back on sports at the scholastic level is that the people most likely to suffer are the "at risk" students Roth spoke of. The truth is, of the thousands of student-athletes on the rosters of Lancaster County high schools, there are far more role players than stars.
A 2005 College Board Research Report titled "Everyone Gains: Extracurriculars in High School and Higher SAT Scores concluded "students' levels of participation in ECAs in high school are related to meaningful gains in SAT scores."
The study also showed that "ECAs benefits minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students as much as, or more than, advantaged white students" and "supplementary education programs benefit minorities and disadvantaged high school students who are often ill-served by traditional academic curricula."
Cut back on sports or reduce them to an elite activity through pay to play and educators believe there will be consequences.
"A lot of kids that aren't stars are going to be lost," Columbia athletic director Jim Rhoads said, "and they're usually the ones that benefit from athletics the most."
And the benefits, in the opinion of Manheim Township athletic director Kevin Raquet, are many.
"Character, hard work and passion are exemplified in sports," he said. "All of that you'll need in the real world, and athletics instills those values more than anything."
egruver@lnpnews.com
mblymier@lnpnews.com
Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/428919_Are-high-school-sports-still-relevant-.html#ixzz1TpMYW5I2
Pay-to-play gaining momentum Lancasteronline 7/27/2011
Pay-to-play gaining momentum Lancasteronline 7/27/2011
The headlines, torn from this nation's newspapers and TV stations over the past two years, tell the story.
USA Today: With Budgets Tight, Pay-to-Play Fees Gain Currency As Ways To Avoid Cuts;
WCVB-TV5 News (Boston): School Cuts All Sports To Close Budget Gap;
Orlando 2 News (Florida): Orange Co. Schools Discuss Cutting Sports.
The long-sputtering U.S. economy continues to impact every aspect of life, and as noted in the initial installment of this series, high school sports are not exempt, nor should they be.
Still, there was a time when the price you paid to participate in extracurricular activities was measured in sweat and hard work. Now, the price is also measured in dollars.
Section 511 of Pennsylvania's Public School Code empowers local school boards to adopt rules and regulations governing athletics and all extracurricular activities, including how said activities are financed.
In recent years, only two of the 18 Lancaster County schools had participation fees. That number has risen to seven and there is reason to believe that, given the economy, it will spike again.
"It's worked well for us," said Elizabethtown athletic director Shane Piper, whose school has had a fee for six years. "It helps fill the gaps and we haven't had any issues with players or parents about playing time because the ($25) fee is minimal."
Lancaster Mennonite also has pay to play — a one-time $78 fee per school year.
"For private schools there is always a financial unknown," Mennonite athletic director Mike Yoder said. "There is no tax base to rely on. We rely on the generosity of donors to help meet our budgetary needs. Our budget mentality is for what we need, not what we want."
One of those schools that has enacted participation fees for the first time is Lancaster Catholic, which is charging its students a flat fee of $200 per school year, whether said student participates in one sport or three.
"We had discussed it the past five years but I don't think it was ever seriously considered," Lancaster Catholic athletic director Terry Klugh said. "It didn't have legs until this year."
Manheim Central athletic director George Derbyshire isn't a fan of participation fees, but he knows what the alternative is for some schools.
"Better to do that than drop (a sport)," said Derbyshire, whose school has not had to institute pay-to-play.
Stealth versions of cost-cutting are being employed by high schools across the country. These costs are often cloaked as equipment fees, donations, fund-raisers, etc.
Still, schools dealing with lean budgets have been forced to make difficult decisions.
Coaches' salaries, and in some cases their jobs, have been cut. Lancaster Catholic has eliminated eight coaching positions over the past three years. Manheim Township cut coaches' salaries in half. Columbia's coaches did their part to save money by agreeing to either take no pay or half pay which is expected to save the school $20,000.
Some athletic directors have extended uniform replacement cycles, solicited advertising for athletic facilities and have asked booster clubs to help fill the gaps from budget cuts.
The Lancaster-Lebanon League, seeking additional cost-saving measures for schools, has reduced the number of contests for junior high sports, grouped schools geographically rather than by school size, is relying on regional scheduling and has frozen officials' pay. The league has also eliminated medals for team titles and reduced medals for individual championships.
"The thing we always talk about is what will have the least effect on the kids," said Ron Kennedy, the president of the L-L League Athletic Directors Association. "We feel the steps that we've taken so far have done that."
Said Solanco athletic director Dan Baughman, "As a league we have made several cost-cutting moves and will continue to look at options to help save programs. We are trying to be proactive rather than reactive."
But it's pay-to-play that remains the hot-button issue in high school sports.
The topic surfaced nationally some 20 years ago, and based on the most recent information available, a 2009 survey published in the National Federation of State High School Associations showed that 33 states have pay-to-play.
Meaning that what Lancaster County schools are dealing with now is nothing new to many school districts across the country.
As early as 2002, The Christian Science Monitor reported that students in Strongsville, Ohio, were paying $120 per sport. In 2010, Time magazine noted that at Novi High in suburban Detroit, every athlete is charged a yearly fee of $350, even if they play only one sport.
Prior to the 2010-2011 school year, 6.5 percent of 770 respondents representing 48 states indicated they would be instituting activities fees for the first time. Additionally, 33.5 percent of those respondents who already had pay to play indicated they would be raising their participation fees.
The question is, what happens if a student-athlete can't meet the financial cost?
"We have a poverty rate of 85 percent (among the student body)," McCaskey athletic director Jon Mitchell said. "What would we do to our athletic program (with pay-to-play)?"
To many, "pay-to-play" is a disingenuous term. As athletic directors and coaches note, paying doesn't mean you're playing.
A fact that raises additional concern.
"People will get salty," Mitchell said, "if they're paying and their kids aren't playing."
Gray areas abound.
"When you talk about (pay-to-play) from a financial standpoint, you can come to one conclusion," Klugh said. "When you talk about it philosophically, you can come to another conclusion."
For now, the only conclusion we can draw is this: Sports are already a privilege. Participation fees make them even more so.
And if that's the case, then where is the level playing field?
egruver@lnpnews.com
mblymier@lnpnews.com
The headlines, torn from this nation's newspapers and TV stations over the past two years, tell the story.
USA Today: With Budgets Tight, Pay-to-Play Fees Gain Currency As Ways To Avoid Cuts;
WCVB-TV5 News (Boston): School Cuts All Sports To Close Budget Gap;
Orlando 2 News (Florida): Orange Co. Schools Discuss Cutting Sports.
The long-sputtering U.S. economy continues to impact every aspect of life, and as noted in the initial installment of this series, high school sports are not exempt, nor should they be.
Still, there was a time when the price you paid to participate in extracurricular activities was measured in sweat and hard work. Now, the price is also measured in dollars.
Section 511 of Pennsylvania's Public School Code empowers local school boards to adopt rules and regulations governing athletics and all extracurricular activities, including how said activities are financed.
In recent years, only two of the 18 Lancaster County schools had participation fees. That number has risen to seven and there is reason to believe that, given the economy, it will spike again.
"It's worked well for us," said Elizabethtown athletic director Shane Piper, whose school has had a fee for six years. "It helps fill the gaps and we haven't had any issues with players or parents about playing time because the ($25) fee is minimal."
Lancaster Mennonite also has pay to play — a one-time $78 fee per school year.
"For private schools there is always a financial unknown," Mennonite athletic director Mike Yoder said. "There is no tax base to rely on. We rely on the generosity of donors to help meet our budgetary needs. Our budget mentality is for what we need, not what we want."
One of those schools that has enacted participation fees for the first time is Lancaster Catholic, which is charging its students a flat fee of $200 per school year, whether said student participates in one sport or three.
"We had discussed it the past five years but I don't think it was ever seriously considered," Lancaster Catholic athletic director Terry Klugh said. "It didn't have legs until this year."
Manheim Central athletic director George Derbyshire isn't a fan of participation fees, but he knows what the alternative is for some schools.
"Better to do that than drop (a sport)," said Derbyshire, whose school has not had to institute pay-to-play.
Stealth versions of cost-cutting are being employed by high schools across the country. These costs are often cloaked as equipment fees, donations, fund-raisers, etc.
Still, schools dealing with lean budgets have been forced to make difficult decisions.
Coaches' salaries, and in some cases their jobs, have been cut. Lancaster Catholic has eliminated eight coaching positions over the past three years. Manheim Township cut coaches' salaries in half. Columbia's coaches did their part to save money by agreeing to either take no pay or half pay which is expected to save the school $20,000.
Some athletic directors have extended uniform replacement cycles, solicited advertising for athletic facilities and have asked booster clubs to help fill the gaps from budget cuts.
The Lancaster-Lebanon League, seeking additional cost-saving measures for schools, has reduced the number of contests for junior high sports, grouped schools geographically rather than by school size, is relying on regional scheduling and has frozen officials' pay. The league has also eliminated medals for team titles and reduced medals for individual championships.
"The thing we always talk about is what will have the least effect on the kids," said Ron Kennedy, the president of the L-L League Athletic Directors Association. "We feel the steps that we've taken so far have done that."
Said Solanco athletic director Dan Baughman, "As a league we have made several cost-cutting moves and will continue to look at options to help save programs. We are trying to be proactive rather than reactive."
But it's pay-to-play that remains the hot-button issue in high school sports.
The topic surfaced nationally some 20 years ago, and based on the most recent information available, a 2009 survey published in the National Federation of State High School Associations showed that 33 states have pay-to-play.
Meaning that what Lancaster County schools are dealing with now is nothing new to many school districts across the country.
As early as 2002, The Christian Science Monitor reported that students in Strongsville, Ohio, were paying $120 per sport. In 2010, Time magazine noted that at Novi High in suburban Detroit, every athlete is charged a yearly fee of $350, even if they play only one sport.
Prior to the 2010-2011 school year, 6.5 percent of 770 respondents representing 48 states indicated they would be instituting activities fees for the first time. Additionally, 33.5 percent of those respondents who already had pay to play indicated they would be raising their participation fees.
The question is, what happens if a student-athlete can't meet the financial cost?
"We have a poverty rate of 85 percent (among the student body)," McCaskey athletic director Jon Mitchell said. "What would we do to our athletic program (with pay-to-play)?"
To many, "pay-to-play" is a disingenuous term. As athletic directors and coaches note, paying doesn't mean you're playing.
A fact that raises additional concern.
"People will get salty," Mitchell said, "if they're paying and their kids aren't playing."
Gray areas abound.
"When you talk about (pay-to-play) from a financial standpoint, you can come to one conclusion," Klugh said. "When you talk about it philosophically, you can come to another conclusion."
For now, the only conclusion we can draw is this: Sports are already a privilege. Participation fees make them even more so.
And if that's the case, then where is the level playing field?
egruver@lnpnews.com
mblymier@lnpnews.com
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
egruver@lnpnews.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
egruver@lnpnews.com
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