Trenton Sports Plan Fundraisers To Offset Budget Cuts

As athletic programs across the state of Michigan anxiously await the state's final school budget plan, leaders are trying to take a proactive approach with fundraising.

Gov. Rick Snyder proposed cutting $100,000 from school athletics funding, per school in the 2011-2012 school year. That means Trenton may have to reduce its athletic budget from $406,000 to $306,000 to run all of the district's sports teams, a cut that Trenton High School Athletic Director Bret Woodley said is unprecedented.

"This is the first time they have really come with such a wide brush," said Woodley.

Woodley said coaches could lose their "discretionary budgets"—meaning the programs will not receive district funding and have to cover the difference via fundraisers or increased athletic fees.

In the 2010-2011 school year, parents had to pay $115 per sport for their child to participate in a high school sport and $65 in junior high. Next year, if the cuts go through as expected, that could triple to $345 and $195 per sport, respectively. Woodley said that is unrealistic for parents.

Taking Action

Woodely hopes a pair of fundraisers for the athletic programs will help soften the blow. The first fundraiser was a at Lake Erie Metropark Golf Course on May 7 that Woodley, marketing teacher Chris Crews, and Crews' marketing students helped promote. The golf outing raised approximately $5,000.

The second fundraiser is an online ticket raffle where supporters can purchase $20 raffle tickets online and the athletic program will receive 50 percent of proceeds. Woodley is estimating 4,000 raffle tickets will be sold, giving the sports budget an additional $40,000.

"I think all of us (athletic directors) are concerned," Woodley said. "Especially for some of the other Downriver communities that are in worse shape than us. They're losing opportunities for their kids. My philosophy in all this was I don't want to give up a single opportunity. I don't want to cut a single program. And I didn't want to lose any coaches."

Students First

Woodely expects no changes in coaching positions and salaries, and the number of sports offered is expected to remain the same next year. The school board needs to finalize the district's budget on June 30, and the state must also finalize its budget first. Woodley thinks there's a chance Snyder might back off the full $100,000 proposal.

"The important thing to remember is we want them to take care of the student part of this first," Woodley said. "If a lot of teachers start getting cut, then athletics is an afterthought."