School athletic programs are usually the first to take a hit when there is a budget crisis. Santa Cruz is tackling the problem by allowing coaches to turn down the stipend they usually receive for coaching their teams. While the stipend does not come to much per coach—depending on the sport, certified coaches who work full time at their schools can increase their salaries by $1,639-$3,125—the impact throughout school district could be significant, saving the school board as much as $300,000.
School athletic programs are usually the first to take a hit when there is a budget crisis. Santa Cruz is tackling the problem by allowing coaches to turn down the stipend they usually receive for coaching their teams. While the stipend does not come to much per coach—depending on the sport, certified coaches who work full time at their schools can increase their salaries by $1,639-$3,125—the impact throughout school district could be significant, saving the school board as much as $300,000.
What would motivate them to turn down the stipend? Loyalty to their teams, for one thing. The school district has already decided to cut stipends from 40 percent to 20 percent, and in Santa Cruz’s three high schools all of that money will be spent on classroom activities. That means that the only source for the stipends would come from the students themselves, who would need to expand their fundraising activities to cover the entire stipend.
While the stipend is largely symbolic, at least one coach is upset that the stipend has been cut. Pat Jones, who coaches girls basketball in Santa Cruz, admits that no one makes a living off of the stipends, but they do help to cover personal expenses, including transportation and childcare: “It’s nice to break even and not have to pay to coach.” Read More at the Mercury News. Read More at The Mercury News.
