Sports program

What help if any would it be if the Schenectady Varsity team goes to state? Would that prompt donations or something?

if sports are at risk of being cut, will the schools look at cost per student first for planning? are there differences in insurance costs for the school for different sports? Can schedules be changed to have more events closer to Schenectady to reduce bussing costs?

A: Athletics are a big part of many students’ lives. As such the administration and the board will try to find ways to minimize the cuts in this area. However, under the present governor’s proposal, sports will be at risk. Donations, a pay to play scenario, limiting the number of “feeder system” teams and other options will certainly be discussed.

Will the parents be notified of proposed cuts of sports? Can we do fundraising by selling candy bars? What can I do as a parent? Basketball is my kids life. And sadly to say, my husband and I too.All of these sports programs keep the kids out of trouble and keep good grades. 1 of my sons have a hard time in school but he knows he can't play sports with bad grades, he buckles down and works harder.Actually it keeps all of them focused.I hate we have to worry about people getting fired,programs getting cut,and lunch prices rising.Maybe the 4 day shool week might be an idea.

I know that my kid's lif revolves around indoor track at the moment and I would also sell candy bars, etc to help keep the sports programming intact.

mybigfamilyof9 wrote:

Will the parents be notified of proposed cuts of sports? Can we do fundraising by selling candy bars? What can I do as a parent? Basketball is my kids life. And sadly to say, my husband and I too.All of these sports programs keep the kids out of trouble and keep good grades. 1 of my sons have a hard time in school but he knows he can't play sports with bad grades, he buckles down and works harder.Actually it keeps all of them focused.I hate we have to worry about people getting fired,programs getting cut,and lunch prices rising.Maybe the 4 day shool week might be an idea.

A: There will be much discussion that takes place at our future budget/board meetings before anything is officially cut from the school district budget. Alternative funding for particular programming is always a possibility, however I must tell you that transportation is the major cost for athletics. The coaching pay and cost of equipment is probably less a third of the overall cost.

I wonder if it could work out that the kids can carpool to a game.The coaches take some kids and they get milege reinbursment, than paying bus company.We can get some parent volunteers. Also would it be cheaper to purchase some used buses/vans to transport the teams?How much does transportation cost for buses?

mybigfamilyof9 wrote:

I wonder if it could work out that the kids can carpool to a game.The coaches take some kids and they get milege reinbursment, than paying bus company.We can get some parent volunteers. Also would it be cheaper to purchase some used buses/vans to transport the teams?How much does transportation cost for buses?

A: Unfortunately, there are some legal and insurance issues related to this option. The cost of buses can run up to several hundred dollars per trip depending on the time and distances involved. Over the course of the school year, athletic transportation costs add up to over a half million dollars. While it may seem less expensive to purchase and operate buses or vans but the employment and certification of drivers, the costs of the vehicles alone and the maintenance and storage of such a fleet would be cost prohibitive. It is a discussion we have had over the past several months.

I realize this idea would have huge barriers but what if the foundation or another nonprofit entity set up a bussing service for athletics with some vans/busses/etc. If it was a 501c3 organization, union issues could be avoided. It would be a bureaucratic nightmare to set up in the beginning. Maybe there could be a joint effort with some of the other districts in the area.

What about charging a fee for those students who want to play a sport/s and also by having them pay for their uniforms/equipment? I have played school sports when I was younger and there are times that I wish I was able to keep my uniform that I played in instead of handing it back to the coach at the end of a season. I have payed in the past for my son to take Tae-kwon-do each month and also had payed for him to play in little league and now his Babe Ruth years, and also payed for equipment and uniforms. Part of the costs that were collected went to cover the costs of paying for referees and other thing to meet operating costs. I am not referring to any gym class a student has during the school day, but towards any afterschool activity and having sports programs cost lots of money. I realize some sports cost more to play than others but just like the rest of life, if you want to play then you pay.

A: There are many options that may be considered if it becomes necessary to cut any part of the athletic program. However, I believe we have much larger issues to deal with in terms of potential cuts in areas such as elective courses, other extra curricular activities, accelerated programs etc. These could affect children in every classroom across the district every day.