High School Programs Across Bay Area Reeling From Cuts

By Ben Enos

July 4, 2009 Bay Area News Group. As California's Legislature struggles to come to a consensus on how to fix the state's ailing economy, school districts throughout Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and San Mateo counties are preparing for the worst when it comes to funding extracurricular activities.

Sitting directly in the cross hairs are athletic programs. Most people can't imagine a high school without sports, which sometimes are taken for granted as an indispensable part of high school culture.

That perception is about to change.

To make ends meet, many districts have decided to slash their athletic budgets for the 2009-10 school year. Whether it comes in the form of eliminating coaching stipends or merely asking teams to carpool rather than rent a bus, the impact will be felt across the Bay Area.

Nowhere is the problem more evident than in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, which covers Concord, Pleasant Hill, Clayton and part of Walnut Creek. On June 16, the district's board of trustees voted to slash its entire contribution to its six high school athletic programs for the 2009-10 school year, a cut of $721,400.

The move left high school sports essentially unfunded and forced the district to introduce a new program — one where athletes are asked to donate money to play — to fund its programs.

The plan relies heavily on parent/athlete contributions to fund individual programs. For instance, an individual football player will be asked to donate $300 to play. That's in addition to a one-time $100 district transportation fee that each athlete has to pay.

"To think people have to pay for it, in addition to everything else they have to pay for, shouldn't be acceptable in the United States," said state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, who represents California's 7th district, where the MDUSD sits.

Athletes in smaller sports will pay less (sport donations range from $300 for football to $50 for club sports such as water polo and golf), but there is no discount for multisport athletes other than a $600 per family ceiling.

The "pay to play" scenario is something every district has tried to stay away from, but it has now become a reality that has left many parents and athletes wondering about the future.

"I think it's worth it (to pay) to play football and not have to move," said Concord High football player Ricky Lloyd. "If we didn't have sports, I think I'd have to move to another district to play. I don't really care about the money as long as I get to play."

The story is similar throughout the Bay Area. The San Mateo Union High School District is planning to cut $50,000 from its athletic budget for the upcoming year, leaving athletic directors hopeful that boosters and other donors will step up to fill in the gaps.

Aragon athletic director Steve Sell even told staff writer Glenn Reeves that any teams taking part in tournaments will have to go to parents and the booster club to pay for their expenses.

As tough as things are now, consider the history of the West Contra Costa Unified School District for some perspective. Thanks to the passage of a $10 million parcel tax in 2008, the district will keep its sports fully funded this season.

That wasn't always the case. In 2004, the WCCUSD found itself in the same place many districts do now. Facing unprecedented budget cuts, the district elected to cut sports, music programs and library services.

"It was kind of trying because schools were going to give up sports," El Cerrito athletic director George Austin said. "It looked pretty bleak prior to getting the taxpayers to vote for a levy to save us."

Faced with the loss of all athletic programs, voters passed an $8 million parcel tax that restored funding to the affected programs. Since then, the WCCUSD has sought taxpayer help twice more, both times with positive results.

That money could run out after the 2009-10 season though, which means the district could find itself in the same dire straits as 2004. Rumors of another parcel tax on the ballot for the 2010 election are already swirling.

"Every time you go back to the well, it becomes a harder and harder thing to get done," Austin said. "We are lucky this year, but this will be the last year that we're living on borrowed time."

One district that may provide the exception to the trend is Oakland Unified. Thanks to an already-frugal approach, sport-specific fundraising and help from both the A's and Raiders, Oakland Athletic League commissioner Michael Moore said he does not expect any cuts to athletic programs. Athletes have not had to pay participation fees, and Moore said he does not expect that to change.

When it comes to high school athletics, the budget crunch isn't necessarily just an urban problem.

The Pleasanton Unified School District voted recently to eliminate $289,000 allocated for coaching stipends next season, instead asking boosters and parents to make up the difference. Livermore Unified is cutting its total athletic budget from $100,000 for two schools to just $50,000. Castro Valley Unified is implementing a donation system of its own, asking for athletes to pay $150 for a single sport, $100 for a second sport, and $50 per additional sport.

In almost every district, costs are being passed to the parents. "I think it would be great if the state and the districts had the money to fund these programs, but I think if the only way to have these programs is to charge these participants, we have to do that," said Granada athletic director Clark Conover. "I just can't imagine a high school without sports."