MONROE - The Monroe Area Rebel Soccer program is asking the Monroe school district to fund high school soccer next school year.
The Rebel board of directors sent a letter to school administrators Feb. 20 requesting the program be funded like every other sport at the high school for 2012-13.
The Monroe High School soccer program started in 2002 with the intent that it would be a self-funded sport. The district hasn't budgeted any money for the program the last decade; instead, the Rebel soccer program has relied on fundraising to pay for the high school boys and girls soccer teams.
The Monroe School Board discussed the letter March 12, but because it was just an informational item on the agenda, did not take any action.
The Rebel board pointed to the popularity of the sport: According to 2010-11 participation numbers, soccer ranks fourth for most participation among girls sports and fifth among boy sports.
"I don't think the timing is ever going to be right to ask for more money for a sport or co-curricular activity," Monroe Rebel Soccer Board President Scott O'Brien said Friday. "We are at the 10-year point and we need to start talking about this. I think it (soccer) is in the mainstream now."
And, according to the soccer club's letter, expenses for sports at MHS increased more than $21,400 from 2010-11 to this year.
"This budgeted increase to currently funded programs would cover 90 percent of the cost of girls and boys soccer," Rebel soccer directors said in the letter.
But Monroe Business Manager Ron Olson said those numbers are inaccurate - soccer leaders were looking at the actual amount spent in 2010-11 and compared it to what was budgeted for this year.
Last year, Olson said, the district cut this school year's total co-curricular budget 5 percent, which amounted to $24,500 in reductions.
In the letter, the soccer board also maintains soccer is less expensive per student than other sports.
Based on 2010-11, the average cost per athlete across all sports in middle school and high school is $526 per athlete. The soccer cost per athlete is $389 in 2010-11. According to the report, the least cost efficient are wrestling ($1,265 per athlete) and girls basketball ($922 per athlete). The most cost efficient programs are boys cross country ($205 per athlete) and girls tennis ($279 per athlete).
"Does a male wrestler get six times more life benefit from his experience versus a male cross country runner?" Rebel soccer directors questioned. "Obviously not, but he does get six times more dollars per athlete allocated. This illustrates the inequity in how district dollars are allocated among sports while generating a similar experience to the student."
Olson said the cost per athlete numbers are a little inflated because they were pulled from a yearbook that combined middle school and high costs.
Monroe School Board Vice President Bob Erb said he wants to have athletic expenses for each sport reviewed to see how the money was allocated over the last several years.
"To permanently say that because they were the last ones in the door and you won't get $0, I don't know if that makes sense," Erb said.
The district is facing a projected $1.45 million deficit for 2012-13 and made $233,500 in cuts earlier this month. Combined with those cuts, the district plans to run a $1 million deficit next year. The district will try to bring in its expenses less than budgeted and it can use part of the $7.45 million in fund balance to offset the deficit.
Monroe School Board President Pam Wyss questioned the timing of the soccer program's request.
"With $233,000 in cuts and $1 million in the red, it might not be the best time to look at this," Wyss said.
Board member Larry Eakins understands that more sports could be in jeopardy if the state maintains its current school funding formula.
"I see a day when all high school sports will be self-funded," Eakins said. "Education is what we do here. We don't train professional athletes."
The Rebel board of directors sent a letter to school administrators Feb. 20 requesting the program be funded like every other sport at the high school for 2012-13.
The Monroe High School soccer program started in 2002 with the intent that it would be a self-funded sport. The district hasn't budgeted any money for the program the last decade; instead, the Rebel soccer program has relied on fundraising to pay for the high school boys and girls soccer teams.
The Monroe School Board discussed the letter March 12, but because it was just an informational item on the agenda, did not take any action.
The Rebel board pointed to the popularity of the sport: According to 2010-11 participation numbers, soccer ranks fourth for most participation among girls sports and fifth among boy sports.
"I don't think the timing is ever going to be right to ask for more money for a sport or co-curricular activity," Monroe Rebel Soccer Board President Scott O'Brien said Friday. "We are at the 10-year point and we need to start talking about this. I think it (soccer) is in the mainstream now."
And, according to the soccer club's letter, expenses for sports at MHS increased more than $21,400 from 2010-11 to this year.
"This budgeted increase to currently funded programs would cover 90 percent of the cost of girls and boys soccer," Rebel soccer directors said in the letter.
But Monroe Business Manager Ron Olson said those numbers are inaccurate - soccer leaders were looking at the actual amount spent in 2010-11 and compared it to what was budgeted for this year.
Last year, Olson said, the district cut this school year's total co-curricular budget 5 percent, which amounted to $24,500 in reductions.
In the letter, the soccer board also maintains soccer is less expensive per student than other sports.
Based on 2010-11, the average cost per athlete across all sports in middle school and high school is $526 per athlete. The soccer cost per athlete is $389 in 2010-11. According to the report, the least cost efficient are wrestling ($1,265 per athlete) and girls basketball ($922 per athlete). The most cost efficient programs are boys cross country ($205 per athlete) and girls tennis ($279 per athlete).
"Does a male wrestler get six times more life benefit from his experience versus a male cross country runner?" Rebel soccer directors questioned. "Obviously not, but he does get six times more dollars per athlete allocated. This illustrates the inequity in how district dollars are allocated among sports while generating a similar experience to the student."
Olson said the cost per athlete numbers are a little inflated because they were pulled from a yearbook that combined middle school and high costs.
Monroe School Board Vice President Bob Erb said he wants to have athletic expenses for each sport reviewed to see how the money was allocated over the last several years.
"To permanently say that because they were the last ones in the door and you won't get $0, I don't know if that makes sense," Erb said.
The district is facing a projected $1.45 million deficit for 2012-13 and made $233,500 in cuts earlier this month. Combined with those cuts, the district plans to run a $1 million deficit next year. The district will try to bring in its expenses less than budgeted and it can use part of the $7.45 million in fund balance to offset the deficit.
Monroe School Board President Pam Wyss questioned the timing of the soccer program's request.
"With $233,000 in cuts and $1 million in the red, it might not be the best time to look at this," Wyss said.
Board member Larry Eakins understands that more sports could be in jeopardy if the state maintains its current school funding formula.
"I see a day when all high school sports will be self-funded," Eakins said. "Education is what we do here. We don't train professional athletes."