The school district is looking at how to cover the bills for sports team travel to state competition last year, this year and in future years, and will hear from the community at a work session Oct. 16.
The state travel budget is about $39,000 in the hole from last year’s spending, with no money in the account to cover any travel this school year, Kristy Andrew, district business manager said.
The district does not intend to block any student athletes from traveling to state competition this year but does need to find a way to cover the expenses, she explained in an interview Sept. 27.
The district maintains separate accounts for student activities and student travel within the general fund operating budget approved each year by the school board, Andrew said. Any travel to state competition is not included in the general operating budget and, in the past, was covered with fundraising by a booster club that dissolved years ago.
Efforts are underway in the community to establish a new booster club, but it’s still in the early organizational stage.
The school board has scheduled a work session for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in Room 101 at Evergreen Elementary School to discuss options to backfill last year’s overspending and cover future travel.
School sports team coaches said they were made aware of the funding problem for the first time when the district notified them last month of “pending state travel charges” that could be deducted from their “class and club” accounts to cover last year’s travel to state competition.
The teams raise money throughout the year to pay for equipment, uniforms and other expenses not covered by the school district, and the coaches were surprised to learn that the district might reach into those accounts to cover the overdraw on the state travel account.
The district cannot carry an account with a negative balance, Andrew explained.
For example, the high school boys basketball team was notified that $5,243 could be withdrawn from its account to cover last year’s state travel. The account had $11,862 at the start of this school year.
The high school wrestling team started the school year with a balance of $8,523 but was notified that the district needs to cover $14,512 in state travel spending.
Andrew sent the account balances and potential withdrawals to team coaches and student activity advisers on Sept. 22, advising them “none of the pending adjustments have been made in individual class and club accounts.” Rather, she said, the information “is related to the upcoming discussion” at the Oct. 16 board meeting.
The high school girls volleyball team and high school cross-country team also attended state meets last year, not knowing that the state travel account at the district was in the negative.
Rather than taking all or some of the money from the team accounts, the school board could decide to withdraw money from the district’s reserve fund. However, that is more likely a one-time option than a permanent solution because the district depends on the reserve fund to maintain academic programs in years of inadequate state funding.
Separate from travel costs to compete at state championship events, the district is budgeted this year to spend $173,145 on student activities at all three schools, which includes wages for coaches and activity advisers, and $70,000 for student travel (sports and other activities) unrelated to state competition, Andrew said.
The district’s operating budget for this school year totals about $5.1 million.
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