“You have let us down,” one parent wrote on a white board before leaving the meeting following comments on the matter. Next to it were two posters hung by students reading “save our sports” and “We need JH sports 4 success.”
Lakota West Booster President Ron Johnson presented a recommendation from a community task force that examined the athletic budget at the request of administrators. It recommended allocating an additional $400,000 more to lower junior high sports fees and preserve the program that had 1,461 participants last year, compared to 1,707 high school participants.
“We obviously were not asked to rubber-stamp a proposal,” he said.
But, had they been directed, or could still be directed, they would look at other cost-cut solutions, such as reducing freshman sports. Parents, he said, would rather pay a higher fee to Lakota than for a club sport, even if it means less participation.
“I realize that the budget situation is real,” parent and coach William Roth said. “The message that parents want to hear is thinking outside the box. How can we opt to do this with minimal to no funding? There are ways to do this. Give us a chance to make it work.”
Board member Ben Dibble suggested cutting high school sports with less participation or higher costs. He said a sport like cross country does not inspire as much school spirit and involvement as basketball, and if the board is making academic choices based on impact to the most students, the same methodology should apply to sports. “We’re looking for bang for the buck,” he said. “It’s time to look at things differently.
Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock warned that the GMC athletic league is waiting just two more weeks before finalizing a schedule without Lakota junior students, and he is sticking by his recommendation, on which the board will vote at its next meeting.
“From a personal basis there’s really no one in this room that values athletics more than I do,” Spurlock said. But, he said, during levy discussions, voters said they didn’t want to see more money go to athletics when cuts are being made in the classroom. He said the recommendations came from athletic directors, who said increased fees would mean rosters would not be filled.
Board President Joan Powell criticized the process for cutting the budget, which has left little time for changes to be made in light of public input.
Board member Ray Murray defended Spurlock and said the board should have spoken up sooner if it wanted a different result and shouldn’t hang the interim superintendent out to dry.
In the future, Powell said, the board must operate differently, especially as more cuts are made.
“We need to get out in front of it,” she said. “We need to have really good conversations about what things you’re going to recommend (to cut), so the community isn’t weighing in at the last moment.”
Spurlock said he has heard from countless parents, advocating for their children in all areas from transportation, arts, academics and sports. But, the board must approve cuts for $12.2 million at the next meeting, he said.
“We’re in trouble financially,” he said. “We have to make tough decisions. I don’t like being the bad guy, but that’s what it gets down to.”
About the Author