Do spring sports have a future in Santa Rosa's schools?
Members of the Montgomery High School track team go through their paces Thursday.
JOHN BURGESS/THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
BY ERIC BRANCH THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 8:26 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 8:26 p.m.
A day after the Santa Rosa School Board voted to eliminate spring sports at the city's middle and high schools in 2011, board president Bill Carle said steps will be taken to keep those sports operating next year.
“I'm very confident that when it comes around to spring of 2011, swimming and golf and the rest of the sports will be operating,” Carle said.
The district will save $250,000 by cutting spring sports, part of an effort to trim $5.6 million off next year's budget. But board members agreed to revisit those cuts in late April or early May and already are looking at ways to recapture the funding.
Carle said an energy conservation plan has the potential to save $190,000 this fiscal year and a food service program could also generate significant revenue.
Carle said those two programs alone could provide the $250,000. If not, he said he's ready to meet with athletic directors to find ways to cut costs, including scaling back travel, rather than dropping entire sports programs.
In the 2007-08 school year, more than 1,000 students participated in spring sports at Santa Rosa's five middle schools and five high schools. And for some, it's made all the difference.
“Julie's had the opportunity to excel in a way none of us could have imagined, and it came about through school sports,” said Stephanie Nacouzi, mother of Montgomery junior Julie Nacouzi, one of the state's top distance runners. “It's much more than just staying fit. It's been a journey of surprises and rewards that we couldn't have imagined if school sports were not available,” she said.
Spring sports include baseball, softball, track and field, swimming, boys tennis, boys golf and badminton.
By early Thursday afternoon, Montgomery athletic director Dean Haskins said his phone had been ringing constantly and a steady procession of students had approached him with questions regarding the vote.
Haskins' response to those concerns was direct: Montgomery High will keep spring sports. Haskins noted that the majority of the athletic money schools receive from the district — over 80 percent — goes to pay for coach's stipends. Haskins said that, if necessary, Montgomery would find a way to cover the costs if district money was eliminated.
“There will always be spring sports at Montgomery High School,” Haskins said. “.
.
. I think the best way to get people's attention is to talk about closing schools or cutting athletics. And if their goal was to get people's attention, they certainly did that. I think people are really going to start looking at other solutions besides cutting spring sports.”
Carle insisted the the vote was not made to send a message, or serve as a wake-up call. Rather, it was necessary to present the county with a balanced budget that was “fiscally sound.”
“I don't believe in sending a message by votes,” Carle said. “I believe in transparency.”
Carle said he has been approached by coaches who have offered to have their stipends cut in half. And Elsie Allen athletic director Alan Petty said he believes coaches would waive their stipends completely if necessary.
“I think most coaches would actually coach for free, many of them already do,” Petty said. “You look at a varsity football program and it will have three guys who earn a stipend, but they have eight coaches. A lot of them are coaching for a T-shirt.”
School board member Tad Wakefield said the vote was taken well in advance of the spring of 2011, in part, to give the community enough time to consider possible solutions. Wakefield stressed that the school board is strongly opposed to cutting athletics, but the economic situation provides few alternatives.
“I think it's going to have to be the broad community that responds,” Wakefield said. “Of course, the swim team parents are going to be upset and try to do whatever it takes. But it's everyone else that has to ask ‘What can I do if I value this and want to keep it?' It's going to take that kind of community response. Not just the golf parents.”
<p>A day after the Santa Rosa School Board voted to eliminate spring sports at the city's middle and high schools in 2011, board president Bill Carle said steps will be taken to keep those sports operating next year.</p><p>“I'm very confident that when it comes around to spring of 2011, swimming and golf and the rest of the sports will be operating,” Carle said.</p><p>The district will save $250,000 by cutting spring sports, part of an effort to trim $5.6 million off next year's budget. But board members agreed to revisit those cuts in late April or early May and already are looking at ways to recapture the funding.</p><p>Carle said an energy conservation plan has the potential to save $190,000 this fiscal year and a food service program could also generate significant revenue.</p><p>Carle said those two programs alone could provide the $250,000. If not, he said he's ready to meet with athletic directors to find ways to cut costs, including scaling back travel, rather than dropping entire sports programs.</p><p>In the 2007-08 school year, more than 1,000 students participated in spring sports at Santa Rosa's five middle schools and five high schools. And for some, it's made all the difference.</p><p>“Julie's had the opportunity to excel in a way none of us could have imagined, and it came about through school sports,” said Stephanie Nacouzi, mother of Montgomery junior Julie Nacouzi, one of the state's top distance runners. “It's much more than just staying fit. It's been a journey of surprises and rewards that we couldn't have imagined if school sports were not available,” she said.</p><p>Spring sports include baseball, softball, track and field, swimming, boys tennis, boys golf and badminton.</p><p>By early Thursday afternoon, Montgomery athletic director Dean Haskins said his phone had been ringing constantly and a steady procession of students had approached him with questions regarding the vote.</p><p>Haskins' response to those concerns was direct: Montgomery High will keep spring sports. Haskins noted that the majority of the athletic money schools receive from the district — over 80 percent — goes to pay for coach's stipends. Haskins said that, if necessary, Montgomery would find a way to cover the costs if district money was eliminated.</p><p>“There will always be spring sports at Montgomery High School,” Haskins said. “.<TH>.<TH>. I think the best way to get people's attention is to talk about closing schools or cutting athletics. And if their goal was to get people's attention, they certainly did that. I think people are really going to start looking at other solutions besides cutting spring sports.”</p><p>Carle insisted the the vote was not made to send a message, or serve as a wake-up call. Rather, it was necessary to present the county with a balanced budget that was “fiscally sound.”</p><p>“I don't believe in sending a message by votes,” Carle said. “I believe in transparency.”</p><p>Carle said he has been approached by coaches who have offered to have their stipends cut in half. And Elsie Allen athletic director Alan Petty said he believes coaches would waive their stipends completely if necessary.</p><p>“I think most coaches would actually coach for free, many of them already do,” Petty said. “You look at a varsity football program and it will have three guys who earn a stipend, but they have eight coaches. A lot of them are coaching for a T-shirt.”</p><p>School board member Tad Wakefield said the vote was taken well in advance of the spring of 2011, in part, to give the community enough time to consider possible solutions. Wakefield stressed that the school board is strongly opposed to cutting athletics, but the economic situation provides few alternatives.</p><p>“I think it's going to have to be the broad community that responds,” Wakefield said. “Of course, the swim team parents are going to be upset and try to do whatever it takes. But it's everyone else that has to ask ‘What can I do if I value this and want to keep it?' It's going to take that kind of community response. Not just the golf parents.”</p>