At the many school districts across the nation that made budget cuts this spring, few athletic programs emerged unscathed. From travel to equipment, line items were slashed left and right. For some schools, the cuts went to the bone: coaching stipends.

That was the predicament at Foothill High School, which is part of the Pleasanton (Calif.) Unified School District. "When the budget picture got dramatically worse this year, the school board had no choice," says Athletic Director John Mannion. "I know they didn't want to eliminate the stipends, but one of their objectives is to keep the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, so coaching salaries were one of the things placed on the cut list."

Mannion, who is also the school's Head Football Coach, wasn't willing to tell his coaches they wouldn't be paid any longer and risk losing them. So he came up with another solution: implement participation fees, which had never been used before. The money received from the new fees will also go toward Foothill's transportation budget.

"I believe that because our coaches represent our school, they should be paid by our school, so having parents essentially pay their salaries is not anyone's first choice," Mannion says. "But the small amount coaches are paid is something they deserve and this is a way we can continue to do that."

Foothill's coaches will still be required to sign a contract and code of conduct with the school district, and be fingerprinted as usual. The coaches' responsibilities and expectations will also remain the same. Still, Mannion is concerned that parents may now have different expectations.

"I know the 14th player on our basketball team who rarely gets into a game may have a great experience simply by being a part of the team every day," Mannion says. "But now that his parents are paying for him to participate, that coach is in a tough spot. Does he keep the kid on the team knowing that in all likelihood he may never get in a game?

"Another concern is that some parents might feel a sense of ownership over the team," he continues. "Our parents are generally very supportive of our coaches, and they value the importance of athletics, but there is no doubt the dynamics are changing. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out."

Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif., has had participation fees since 1991, when the San Ramon Valley Unified School District cut all athletic funding for its high schools except two coaching stipends at each school. This spring, the district decided to do away with that stipend funding. Like at Foothill, Monte Vista is turning to participation fees as a solution.

"Fortunately, we already have a parent contribution model that works," says Craig Bergman, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Monte Vista. "Unfortunately, that amount has to go up.

"My advice to others is to really communicate to your parents that without their contributions, certain programs may have to be cut altogether," he continues. "You hate to see it, but it's definitely come to that point."

At New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) High School, the athletic department was asked to reduce--although not eliminate--its coaching stipends. That left Jose Fernandez, Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach, along with his principal, to make a tough choice: Which stipends get cut?

"We ended up eliminating an assistant coaching position from each team," Fernandez says. "Is it difficult to have a smaller staff? Yes, it's more responsibility, more effort, and more time for the remaining coaches. But at least we didn't have to eliminate any sports."

Fernandez suggests that athletic directors be open with their coaches if this type of situation arises. "When it's bad news, athletic directors often don't want to divulge any details," he says. "But you know what? The coaches may have some solutions or a point of view you didn't think of."