The Hollister School District may be on the way to restoring stipends for coaches and athletic directors of after-school sports programs next school year – if trustees vote to restore funding for the programs at the next school board meeting.
In December 2010, the district school board approved a deficit reduction plan that included cutting or eliminating several school district programs, including cutting stipends for after-school sports in response to a severe financial crisis in the 2010-2011 school year.
“We’ve done a lot of restoration,” said Superintendent Gary McIntire as he spoke to trustees at the regularly scheduled school board meeting Tuesday. “One thing lingering out there is our sports programs.”
With the improving state budget, and consequentially improved district funding, HSD is considering whether to offer district-supported sports again. At the time the programs were cut, the cost of the stipends was about $61,000 a year.
When the funding for district-sponsored after-school sports went away – programs were led mostly by teachers and credentialed staff with coaching certificates – the YMCA of San Benito County stepped in. The nonprofit group provided programs to help students stay in shape and asked participants to pay the fees of keeping the after-school sports going.
Last year, Rochelle Callis, then regional vice president of the YMCA of San Benito County, said the YMCA could continue to offer fee-based after-school sports programs to HSD students for this school year, but asked the district not to reinstitute district-sponsored sports programs that would be free to the students while the YMCA was asking the same population of students to help pay for the costs of keeping sports programs running.
“We really have to appreciate the Y for stepping up and giving this opportunity to kids that would normally be hanging out on the street corners,” said school board Trustee Patricia Moore as the board members responded to the superintendent’s presentation.
McIntire imagines district sports programs would include flag football, basketball, volleyball and maybe even wrestling, since the district already owns wrestling mats. The exact sports offered would depend on the skills of credentialed staff in the district, he said.
In addition to contributing to student fitness, sports can help improve academic performance, explained McIntire.
“You know the sense of team play, fairness and just human being skills are really important, and that’s one thing that’s provided there,” he said.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 27 at the district office, 2690 Cienega Road in Hollister.
