Tiered Athletic Fees Discussed at Lincoln-Sudbury Committee Meeting

The Committee convened on Monday with about 25 parents to discuss athletic fees, where to cut spending in light of upcoming budget tightening, and how to make up funding for some of the cuts.

The meeting began with a presentation by Superintendent-Principal Scott Carpenter and Athletic Director Nancy O'Neil that summarized how much funding was being cut, the cost of L-S athletics, and the proposed plans for athletic fees. 

The greatest costs to the athletic department currently are the coaches' salaries, athletic supplies and football equipment.

Fifty-two percent of the budget is provided by parent support and 48 percent is tax supported.

It appeared that all in the Committee and the parents present were in agreement that cutting programs is not a good option. 

O'Neil pointed out that a cut in programs could also mean a cut in athletic fees ($300 per team member), which could affect the entire budget more than needed. Freshmen sports, for example, do not cost very much compared to others and are largely covered by the athletic fees that families pay. 

For FY12, a $258,000 budget has been calculated. In order to prevent cutting programs, fives areas of savings have been chosen: the equipment laundry stipend for the trainer, reducing the number of  JV tennis coaches from 3 to 1, reducing the cost of football supplies, and stopping paid scrimmages. 

The cuts from five categories leave $44,606 to be raised by athletic fees. The exact kind of fee was up for debate, but all parents of athletes can expect some kind of raise next year.

Up for discussion was the system of applying more fees. The presentation offered a flat-rate fee raise of $65 across the board. Other options presented were a two-tier and a three-tier system. For example, the "most expensive" sports, deemed as hockey and swimming, paid the highest fees, while the "lowest cost" sports paid the smallest. The range was from $25 extra to $200 extra. 

With higher fees, parents would make up 60 percent of the athletic budget. 

The presentation ended with a list of the numerous titles — league, state and sportsmanship — that L-S teams have won.

"L-S is tops in Division I," O'Neil said.

O'Neil also mentioned that the support of parents is not quantifiable and makes a huge difference.

"Parents are helping more and more," she said. "We thank you for that."

O'Neil also said that the "Boosters provide support in a huge way." The Boosters provide coaching education, as well as critical pieces of equipment, such as transportation vans. 

Several parents expressed their opinions. Mothers and fathers of players in swimming, golf, and ice hockey pointed out that they pay high costs, such as all of their own equipment and uniforms.

Wendy Casey of the L-S All Sports Boosters asked how can the Boosters help more? She also offered that there should be caps on the pieces of extra paraphernalia kids special order, such as sweatshirts, T-shirts and warm-up suits.

One parent introduced the idea of corporate sponsorship. This seemed to require more discussion, as to which teams a sponsorship would support, if for one or if for all. 

Rugby Club Team coach Tom Edwards suggested that all kids would benefit from understanding the need for funds and organizing some fundraising of their own. He also suggested that a detailed breakdown of the costs of each sport, such as a spreadsheet, be posted for the public to see. 

It was noted a few times that the football team, with high costs for safety requirements and supplies, does not do any fundraising and will have to start. 

Some parents supported exploring a more detailed account of costs in order to ensure accuracy in categorizing teams, while others simply wanted to move on and apply a flat-rate fee increase to all. They argued that teasing out every single cost was not possible and could cause division in the community.

Tonight, the second meeting of the week will take place and include further discussion and a vote on fees will take place at 7:30 p.m. in L-S Conference Room B.