By Tim Herbst
California high schools are facing budget cuts as officials try to get the state's debt under control. As a result, athletic programs may be on the chopping block.
The state of California’s budget shortfall has reached $16 billion. This is bad news for the state, as many Californians will soon be affected by necessary budget cuts. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has suggested cuts that would greatly affect the education system: a $4 billion rollback that will result in larger class sizes, fewer teachers, and less athletic offerings.
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High school and middle school athletic programs may take the biggest hit, as sports programs are often cut before other educational expenses. Some may be cut back or done away with all together. Tough decisions will need to be made by school district officials, and important questions will need to be answered. How many sports to cut? Which ones will go? Everything from equipment and field space to coaches and game travel will be analyzed carefully to see where the most effective price reductions can be made.
Perhaps Charlene Whitlinger, Deputy Superintendent of the Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD), told The Desert Sun,
"No one feels good about what we’re going to do with the budget. These are not fun times.”
Whitlinger is in a tough position as no superintendent, principal, or athletic director is going to want to be tell his or her student-athletes they will no longer be able to represent their school in baseball, tennis, swimming, or any other sport. DSUSD has proposed suspending all of its middle school sports and reducing its high school sports offering by 10 percent, which would save the district over $200,000.
District officials in Alameda are considering cutting the district's high school sports altogether, a move that would save it about $345,000 annually. Alameda High School Athletic Director Brad Thomas told The Mercury News should the recommendation be approved, it will have widespread effects.
“I believe it’s absolutely vital to have an athletic program at any high school,” he said. “It’s part of the culture at the school. And if the overall culture takes a hit, then it will have an effect on academics.”
California’s situation may force schools to look at new and different ways to raise money, since they cannot continue to be dependent solely on state funds. The San Juan Unified School District has taken various steps to provide extra funds for their sports programs in the past. El Camino High School Athletic director Bill Baxter explained to The Sacramento Bee how his schools hope to continue to earn money in an attempt to avert the budget crisis.
Weekly bingo games, other fundraisers and gate receipts keep the Eagles' 21-sport program afloat … Baxter said El Camino does 104 nights of bingo annually, raising nearly $80,000. "That figure varies from year to year, and while it's not as lucrative as it used to be, it's still a lot of money," Baxter said.
Tim Herbst is a senior Sport Management & Media major currently enrolled in a Sport Publications class at Ithaca College.
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