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Board weighs reciprocal senior "golden pass" for athletic events, flags budget and tracking concerns
Summary
Trustees discussed a proposal to accept each other's district senior passes for regular-season athletics and to reciprocate with Richland 1. Staff cautioned about tracking, performing-arts revenue impacts, and potential costs to athletics budgets and will gather usage and fiscal data before any vote.
Trustees discussed whether to expand the district’s senior citizen "golden pass" after staff proposed exploring a reciprocal agreement with Richland School District 1 for regular-season athletic events.
Staff said the district currently allows seniors (65 and older) free admission to athletic events and adult education discounts, and that reciprocal acceptance with a neighboring district would require a local agreement. A staff presenter noted performing-arts events pose a separate licensing and revenue issue and would not be included in the athletic reciprocity proposal. "The challenge becomes performing arts, events because schools pay for the license to host those events," staff said, noting lost ticket revenue could affect event budgets.
Board members raised operational questions about how to track usage and fiscal impact. Staff recommended collecting attendance data at ticket gates (paper form or QR-code sign-in), noting the tracking would increase workload for ticket operations but is necessary to determine whether the pass creates a budget deficit for athletics. Trustee members cautioned that Richland 1 and Richland 2 have different funding mixes and capacity and urged staff to return with data on number of passes in circulation, projected revenue loss, and specific operational procedures before placing the item on a future agenda for a vote.
No formal action was taken. Staff will contact Richland 1 for data on their golden-pass usage and report back to the board with fiscal and operational implications before any vote.
