Middle school sports in financial trouble

The middle school sports program run by SOAR (Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation) is in financial trouble.

The five-members of the Sisters School Board were jolted at their November 13 meeting by a report from middle school principal Lora Nordquist.

"The participation of students in our sports programs, and their options, are a success this year," she said. "However, the program is losing money and could finish the school year running a deficit anywhere from $8,000 to $13,000."

The looming deficit puts next year's sports program in doubt.

"The program isn't in jeopardy for this year," Nordquist assured the board. "But next year..."

Last year the school district, in a belt-tightening move forced by a biennial budget shortfall of over $320,000, contracted with SOAR to manage its middle school athletics. The one-year contract pays SOAR $15,000. The district also decided to charge participating students $50 per sport.

Several days after the board meeting, SOAR Executive Director Tom Coffield confirmed that the program "...is running close to $8,000 in the red."

According to Coffield, the cost of administering the program is actually closer to $125 per student, per sport.

"The school subsidized the sports program in the past, and some donations have helped this year -- but not enough to make up the deficit," he said.

Coffield said that charging the full rate for each sport is not an option.

"That would mean we'd only have a few kids participating. I mean, we have lots of kids who play several sports a semester. That adds up to over $1,000 a year -- and what about the parents who have a couple of kids in school?"

Last year, Coffield said, the district budgeted $47,000 for the program.

"This year, besides the $15,000 from the district contract, we've collected $12,000 in fees from students playing the fall sports -- football, volleyball, and cross-country."

Coffield said, "we've been able to reduce costs, compared to last year, because of savings in administration and bus transportation -- but nowhere near enough."

Coffield is hoping that fundraising efforts, donations, and grants will enable the program to become solvent.

"But for the time being, we're going to have to beg," he said.

Coffield doesn't expect the funding difficulties, if they continue, to jeopardize SOAR's management of the program.

"However," he said, "we'd have to reduce the offerings next year.

"We (SOAR) can't borrow from other programs' budgets; we only have a total of $440,000 to run all of them and every dollar is allocated," he said.

As a possible solution, Coffield mused that the middle school could begin a booster club "like the one at the high school."

Even considering the crisis, Coffield pledged that the sports of basketball, wrestling, and track and field would be offered this winter.