MONROE - In the wake of increasing pressure on school budgets, area school athletics officials say the future of high school sports across the state may include more self-funded programs, higher athletic fees and finding more ways to generate revenue to combat losses in state aid.
In 10 area high schools surveyed in Green, Lafayette and Rock counties, the athletic fee ranges from $20 to $60 per sport. The only district of the 10 that doesn't charge an athletic fee is Darlington.
Monroe High School charges a $60 athletic fee per sport with no family limit. Monroe is in the middle of the pack of Badger Conference schools for athletic fees - for example, Madison Edgewood, a private school in Madison, charges $195 a sport.
Assessing the athletic fee can raise concerns of excluding students from less affluent families.
"I would hope that we don't price kids out of sports," Monroe Athletic Director Dave Hirsbrunner said. "There are so many problems out there with money. Hopefully, we can find a happy medium. We don't want sports to be just for the financially secure."
According to district officials, the Monroe High School athletic budget for 2011-12 is $276,235, which is a little less than 1 percent of the $28.5 million school operating budget. The transportation budget for athletics is $40,000 this year.
Monroe, which faces a projected $1.45 million deficit for 2012-13, budgets for 15 of the 17 sports it offers. The boys and girls soccer programs are self-funded, which means the programs have to raise all the money to maintain the sport, with no financial assistance from the district.
Monroe Area Rebel Soccer board president Scott O'Brien said in September that the cost of the soccer programs has ranged from $15,000 to $25,000 per year.
Hockey has the potential to become the district's third self-funded program. The Monroe School Board in December approved a high school boys hockey cooperative team to begin in the 2012-13 school year, contingent upon an acceptable co-op agreement with other schools being approved.
The Forum Monroe Youth Hockey Association, Inc. has pledged to pay $10,000 the first year to fund the program and hockey leaders have said there will be a $992 participation fee.
Hirsbrunner contends being self-funded is a sign of tight budget times in public education.
"I would say if we want to add that sport (hockey), that is our only option," he said.
But it's not ideal, he said.
"We don't want to penalize the existing programs to add something new. When soccer was added, this is the exact argument we didn't want to have. I think it would be terrible if all sports had to be self-funded because the kids wouldn't go out."
The Darlington School District has had reservations about assessing an athletic fee. Principal Doug McArthur said the high school doesn't charge an athletic or user fee to participate in extracurricular activities.
"Our position is we don't want to eliminate anyone's opportunity for educational growth," McArthur said.
But, McArthur said, the idea of establishing an athletic fee is reviewed every year and it could change.
Black Hawk Principal and Athletic Director Jerry Mortimer said he understands there are differing views on athletic fees - sentiments he heard at a recent meeting on the district's decision to close Black Hawk Middle School in Gratiot to help plug a budget hole of nearly $436,000. The closure, which includes staff cuts, is projected to save the district $333,638.
"There are some people out there who believe it should be pay-to-play," Mortimer said. "I believe all sports and co-curriculars are an extension of the classroom. There is a lot to learn from them."
But increasing fees is not a cure-all, according to Jim Matthys, Brodhead's athletic director and football coach.
"It's not advantageous to increase athletic fees," Matthys said. "If we increase our athletic fees too much that can be counted as revenue and we could lose state aid."
The Brodhead School District sells signage as advertisements for football games at Larsen Field and hosts an athletic department golf outing as a fundraiser every year.
Brodhead Superintendent Charles J. Deery said the high school generates about $3,000 a year from the signs at Larsen Field. The money raised goes into a trust fund, Deery said, adding the district has not spent any of the money in the trust fund yet.
"Our original hope was to build up that trust fund and only spend the interest earnings," Deery said. "One of our goals was to preserve programs. When we have to look at cutting programs, we could use the trust fund."
Albany has been grappling with dwindling participation numbers in some sports. To stay afloat, Albany has developed three cooperative programs, including football, which had a co-op with Belleville and renewed one with Evansville for next season, and wrestling with Evansville. Albany will be in its first year of a softball co-op with Juda this spring.
Albany athletic director Derik Doescher said the football co-op with Evansville if approved by the WIAA, will cut the football transportation costs in half.
"I think in Albany, if we are in a budget crunch, we need to find other areas to make the money up," Doescher said.
In 10 area high schools surveyed in Green, Lafayette and Rock counties, the athletic fee ranges from $20 to $60 per sport. The only district of the 10 that doesn't charge an athletic fee is Darlington.
Monroe High School charges a $60 athletic fee per sport with no family limit. Monroe is in the middle of the pack of Badger Conference schools for athletic fees - for example, Madison Edgewood, a private school in Madison, charges $195 a sport.
Assessing the athletic fee can raise concerns of excluding students from less affluent families.
"I would hope that we don't price kids out of sports," Monroe Athletic Director Dave Hirsbrunner said. "There are so many problems out there with money. Hopefully, we can find a happy medium. We don't want sports to be just for the financially secure."
According to district officials, the Monroe High School athletic budget for 2011-12 is $276,235, which is a little less than 1 percent of the $28.5 million school operating budget. The transportation budget for athletics is $40,000 this year.
Monroe, which faces a projected $1.45 million deficit for 2012-13, budgets for 15 of the 17 sports it offers. The boys and girls soccer programs are self-funded, which means the programs have to raise all the money to maintain the sport, with no financial assistance from the district.
Monroe Area Rebel Soccer board president Scott O'Brien said in September that the cost of the soccer programs has ranged from $15,000 to $25,000 per year.
Hockey has the potential to become the district's third self-funded program. The Monroe School Board in December approved a high school boys hockey cooperative team to begin in the 2012-13 school year, contingent upon an acceptable co-op agreement with other schools being approved.
The Forum Monroe Youth Hockey Association, Inc. has pledged to pay $10,000 the first year to fund the program and hockey leaders have said there will be a $992 participation fee.
Hirsbrunner contends being self-funded is a sign of tight budget times in public education.
"I would say if we want to add that sport (hockey), that is our only option," he said.
But it's not ideal, he said.
"We don't want to penalize the existing programs to add something new. When soccer was added, this is the exact argument we didn't want to have. I think it would be terrible if all sports had to be self-funded because the kids wouldn't go out."
The Darlington School District has had reservations about assessing an athletic fee. Principal Doug McArthur said the high school doesn't charge an athletic or user fee to participate in extracurricular activities.
"Our position is we don't want to eliminate anyone's opportunity for educational growth," McArthur said.
But, McArthur said, the idea of establishing an athletic fee is reviewed every year and it could change.
Black Hawk Principal and Athletic Director Jerry Mortimer said he understands there are differing views on athletic fees - sentiments he heard at a recent meeting on the district's decision to close Black Hawk Middle School in Gratiot to help plug a budget hole of nearly $436,000. The closure, which includes staff cuts, is projected to save the district $333,638.
"There are some people out there who believe it should be pay-to-play," Mortimer said. "I believe all sports and co-curriculars are an extension of the classroom. There is a lot to learn from them."
But increasing fees is not a cure-all, according to Jim Matthys, Brodhead's athletic director and football coach.
"It's not advantageous to increase athletic fees," Matthys said. "If we increase our athletic fees too much that can be counted as revenue and we could lose state aid."
The Brodhead School District sells signage as advertisements for football games at Larsen Field and hosts an athletic department golf outing as a fundraiser every year.
Brodhead Superintendent Charles J. Deery said the high school generates about $3,000 a year from the signs at Larsen Field. The money raised goes into a trust fund, Deery said, adding the district has not spent any of the money in the trust fund yet.
"Our original hope was to build up that trust fund and only spend the interest earnings," Deery said. "One of our goals was to preserve programs. When we have to look at cutting programs, we could use the trust fund."
Albany has been grappling with dwindling participation numbers in some sports. To stay afloat, Albany has developed three cooperative programs, including football, which had a co-op with Belleville and renewed one with Evansville for next season, and wrestling with Evansville. Albany will be in its first year of a softball co-op with Juda this spring.
Albany athletic director Derik Doescher said the football co-op with Evansville if approved by the WIAA, will cut the football transportation costs in half.
"I think in Albany, if we are in a budget crunch, we need to find other areas to make the money up," Doescher said.