Athletics and clubs might account for just a small portion of the Niskayuna Central School District’s budget, but some community members feel their importance is much greater than dollars and cents.
District officials held a fourth community budget forum on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that focused on athletics, clubs and facilities use and charges. A large crowd filled Van Antwerp Middle School’s auditorium as Superintendent Susan Salvaggio outlined the costs associated within the specific areas in the 2010-11 school year.
The current 2011-12 figures weren’t used since the school year isn’t completed yet and all costs aren’t know, said Salvaggio. She said a lot has been done in the current year to curb costs across the board.
“We are trying to close an incredible gap at the state level and that is having an impact on every aspect of our community,” Salvaggio said. “I bet if I asked you how many are here tonight to advocate for an organization or a particular team sport … many of you would raise your hands.”
The cost for interscholastic athletic teams in the 2010-11 school year totaled around $531,000, or 0.6 percent of the district’s total budget. There were a total of 16 girls programs and 17 boys programs, with skiing offered as a co-ed program.
There were 46 girls teams and 49 boys teams, with two co-ed teams, and 87 coaches for all the teams. This resulted in an average cost per student athlete of nearly $330 and the average cost per team coming in just over $6,550.
Salvaggio said the district is often asked if it can charge for sports, but it can’t have a “pay to play” system.
“We can not charge a participation fee for sports, it is against the law,” she said. “There are all kinds of things that parents absolutely can do and do support, but the school district cannot charge a participation fee for athletics.
The questions facing the district on sports, Salvaggio said, include if the district should eliminate the seven freshman level teams, resulting in a modified program combining grades; if the district should rely more heavily on booster club and parent organizations for self-funded teams to preserve opportunities; and if the district should maintain all athletic offerings at the same level.
Extracurricular clubs faced many similar questions, such as if all clubs should be maintained, if there should be a threshold of participation for a club to be offered and if the amount of clubs should be reduced.
There are a total of 45 clubs at the high school, totaling around $57,000 worth of costs in the 2010-11 school year. At both middle schools there are only 15 clubs, which amounted to a cost of $23,000 during 2010-11. The costs associated with the clubs results from stipends paid to the clubs, which amount to 0.01 percent of the budget. Like sports, fees cannot be charged for club participation.
Joe Skumurski, a parent of a 7th and 4th grader, said sports and clubs help students learn 21st century skills and the value of extracurricular activities is vital. He said the district would not “save anything by cutting anything” from such programming.
“The most successful people aren’t always the most academically gifted,” Skumurski said. “A child who might be academically gifted gets on a team, all of a sudden you are not the star anymore, and vice-versa.”
John Lindsay, president of the junior class, also stressed the importance of extracurricular activities.
“There is nothing more important than our extracurriculars,” Lindsay said. “I already know what I want to study in college and had I never had the opportunity to be the president of my club in my high school I would not have the opportunity to know what it is I want to do with my life.”
The next community budget forum will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Van Antwerp Middle School auditorium at 6:30 p.m. and it will focus on outsourcing and shared services. For information on the upcoming forum and budget visit the district’s website at www.NiskySchools.org.