Sports facing funding crisis

It's getting difficult for Outlaws sports programs to raise the funds they need to keep players on the field and on the court.

Superintendent Jim Golden and Sisters High School Principal Bob Macauley cautioned school board members Wednesday that both fundraisers and sports program donors are experiencing "donor fatigue" as a result of frequent requests for support from coaches, parents and students representing many diverse sports groups in the district.

Macauley estimates that current fundraising efforts will fall $40,000 short of the $60,000 target developed during the chaotic April-May budgeting session this year. He also pointed out that this $60,000 goal was on top of the $140,000 already raised by the coaches for equipment, officials, etc.

Golden and district business manager Sandy Tartaglia were quick to point out that the $40,000 could be offset with the unanticipated budget windfall realized by the revenue generated by the current enrollment which remains 35 students above the budgeted number.

The larger issue is how the district plans to fund athletics in the face of further reductions expected in the budgeting cycle that begins in April, and the impact of making too many trips to the fundraising well.

Traditionally supportive local business people in Sisters have given Macauley some tough feedback.

"One of the things that came through from a couple of the businessmen when we touched on the subject of fundraising - and these are the positive people - the word 'parasite' came up. . ." said Macauley.

Earlier in the meeting, board member Cheryl Stewart and board chair Chris Jones had expressed concern that the district guidelines for fundraising for coaches, staff, parents and students were vague and not very helpful. Jones requested that Stewart form an ad hoc committee with Golden and another board member to bring recommendations for fundraising guidelines to the February board meeting.

The current athletic fundraising approach was developed by interim Superintendent Dennis Dempsey in response to the call for a more equitable, more systematic and more transparent method of raising money for the struggling sports programs.

During that same time period the budget committee was facing a further reduction of $670,000 after already taking significant cuts in the previous two years.

The strain on programs and fundraisers has broad ramifications. Both Golden and Macauley noted those involved in economic development in Sisters are quick to point out the quality of the schools as one of the key questions asked by businesses considering a move to the Sisters area. Many of the cherished co-curricular programs that stand out when people talk of the "excellence" of Sisters schools are under threat as state funding continues to tighten and an economically stressed community ponders its ability to keep providing dollars.

In other news: Julie Miller, executive vice president and Central Oregon Regional Manager for Bank of the Cascades, presented the board a check for $2,000 to provide scholarships for those students having difficulty raising the $100 "pay for play" athletic fees.

"Bank of the Cascades has been a supporter of Sisters schools for many years," said Miller. "After a couple of challenging years we found some investors at the end of last year, and due to conservative budgeting we found ourselves with a small surplus. We wanted to be able to provide that to the community and we chose Sisters School District."

Superintendent Jim Golden reported that enrollment remains 35 students above the number of students budgeted at the close of the last school year, but this is down from the 75 additional students that began the school year in September.

In recognition of School Board Appreciation Month in January, the Sisters High School Student Council presented the board with Outlaw T-shirts and cookies.