Committee approves 2025–26 addendum matrix; combines cheer and dance into single team for fall and winter

The Beloit School District Policy & Human Resources Committee approved the proposed 2025–26 addendum matrix and voted to treat cheer and dance as a single team in each of two seasons (fall and winter).

The committee carried the overall addendum matrix and, after extended discussion about roster accuracy, fee collection, uniform costs and relative per‑student stipend amounts, approved a motion to "combine cheer and dance as 1 team for fall and cheer and dance as 1 team for winter." The motion passed 3–1.

The discussion focused on whether cheer and dance are distinct activities that should receive separate addendum payments or whether they should be combined. Board Member Juan Romero questioned whether the district had documentation to show the groups operated as two separate activities and said, "I'm not convinced we have 2 separate sports here." District staff described how rosters are captured from Skyward codes and acknowledged discrepancies in historical records; they said the district is working to clean codes and improve tracking.

Financial particulars discussed on the record included uniform costs and stipend comparisons. District staff said uniforms cost $300 for new athletes and $60 for returning athletes when applicable. Committee members compared multiyear totals for similar positions: one example discussed was a three‑year total of roughly $120,859 for cheer/dance coaching versus $96,630 for football and $73,290 for basketball during the same interval (figures presented by a committee member; district staff did not dispute the numbers during discussion). The committee also reviewed stipend-rate permutations: the lead coach rate discussed was $4,967 and the assistant $3,311 per season; treating cheer/dance as a sport with two seasons produced a notional total of $16,556 for two coaches, while treating them as a year‑round activity using higher band‑level rates would total $16,564 (an $8 difference as calculated during discussion).

Several board members raised fiscal concerns given district budget constraints and urged parity across activities. District administrators said fees and uniform charges are common practice when budgets cannot fully cover equipment and uniforms, and that fee waivers exist for families meeting income limits. District staff also noted safety staffing levels that drive minimum coach counts when roster sizes approach 18–24 participants.

The committee made a formal motion to recommend approval of the 2025–26 addendum matrix with the consolidation of dance and cheer into one team per season for fall and winter; the motion passed on a 3–1 voice vote and the matrix (including that consolidation) will be forwarded to the full board for final approval.