Pay-to-play and field use fees likely to rise

  • Tony Dondero<br>Enterprise writer
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 11:31am

SHORELINE — To do its part to help the Shoreline School District out of a budget crisis, the district’s athletic department and a coaches’ group have proposed to raise fees to boost revenue rather than cut programs.

The Shoreline School District faces a $3 million shortfall in its 2006-2007 budget for reasons that are still under investigation. After departments submitted an initial round of proposed cuts to the Shoreline School Board in March, public input and discussion within the district produced a second draft proposal of cuts at the May 1 Board meeting.

The initial list of cutbacks for sports totaled $62,718 and included eliminating C teams and reducing the cross country, golf, gymnastics, swimming and wrestling teams at Shorewood and Shorecrest high schools.

In lieu of cuts, the second draft supported by the School Board proposes raising participation fees and increasing community use fees for district athletic fields.

“The Board is very aware of the benefits of the athletic program of the district,” Board President Mike Jacobs said. “We didn’t want to deny any of the students the opportunity to participate.”

How much participation fees will be raised is still yet to be determined, although a boost from $50 to $60 per sport has been suggested at the high school level. At the middle schools, instead of a flat participation fee for the school year, each student could be charged a fee per sport, district athletic director Don Dalziel said.

Schools can dip into scholarship funds for students who can’t afford the fees, said Shorewood track coach Howie Wood, a member of the Coaches Advisory Committee that helped come up with the proposal.

Still, some students believe that higher participant fees could deter some athletes from turning out to play a sport.

“It will affect some kids because their families aren’t all that wealthy,” said Shorewood freshman Jake Sisley, who plays football.

Shoreline’s sports fees are already “at the upper end of the middle (range) of schools that do charge” for participation, Wood said, but added more schools in the Western Conference are considering them or have them. Snohomish, for example, charges $75 per sport, he said.

Meanwhile, community programs for Shoreline District students, such as soccer and football clubs, would see an increase in their participant fees to use school fields and Shoreline Stadium. Right now those fees are $8 per participant and could go up to $10. Rates for other groups that use the fields and stadium could go up 15 percent.

Dalziel said he expects revenues generated from fee increases will equal the initial amount of the cuts. The Shoreline School District’s annual athletic budget is $1.2 million.

However, to generate long-term revenue for the future, Dalziel said a district committee is exploring how corporate sponsorships could benefit the district. Current Board policy does not allow partnerships with corporations. If that was changed, the district could offer up for bid naming rights to Shoreline Stadium, for example.

The Sumner School District, for example, secured $500,000 from a car dealership to name its stadium, the site of the state soccer championships, Sunset Chev Stadium.

“We’re exploring this because it’s been done in other districts and the School Board thinks it’s something we should consider,” Dalziel said.

Some students support the concept as well.

“I think corporate sponsors are a good idea,” said Danniel Linn, a sophomore class senator at Shorewood.

All departments, including athletics, will report to the Board at its May 15 meeting with additional comments and suggestions as to how to address the budget shortfall.

A preliminary budget for 2006-2007 will be submitted to the School Board at its June 19 meeting. The Board is expected to adopt the final budget Aug. 21.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.