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Board weighs hiring full‑time athletic trainers for every high school and options to offset cost
Summary
Staff proposed hiring 13 full‑time certified athletic trainers at a net FY27 cost of roughly $1.26 million (total $1.82M replacing contracted coverage); the board discussed fee‑for‑service options (estimated ~$250 per athlete), recruitment challenges and phased hiring alternatives.
Howard County Public Schools staff proposed adding full‑time certified athletic trainers for each comprehensive high school as part of Priority 2 investments in student belonging and well‑being.
Jen Robinson, the district's chief schools officer, described the current contracted model (8 contracted trainers covering 13 high schools) and said employing trainers directly would provide more consistent coverage. "Employing athletic trainers directly within the school system offers the best opportunity to close the gap in athletic trainer services under the current model," Robinson said.
Staff presented budget estimates: bringing trainers in‑house for 13 schools is estimated at $1,820,000 in total cost; after accounting for the $556,900 currently budgeted for contracted services the net proposed FY27 increase is about $1,260,000. Adam Eldridge, director of athletics and activities, told the board the district serves about 10,679 athlete slots (which counts students per sport and therefore would double‑count multi‑sport students), making per‑student fee calculations complicated. Eldridge said converting the cost to a fee would require charging on the order of $250 per athlete to cover the net increase if the district were to seek a revenue‑neutral model.
Dr. Chen suggested fees could make the plan budget neutral for the BOE request. Board members raised equity concerns and asked staff to model waivers for low‑income families; staff acknowledged waivers or reduced charges for siblings would reduce revenue and complicate the break‑even calculation. Members also asked about recruitment: staffing trainers as employees, rather than relying on contractors, could improve competitiveness with larger neighboring systems that already offer full‑time trainer roles with benefits.
Board members asked staff to return with phased and budget‑neutral options: converting currently contracted slots into district positions gradually or pilot hiring at a subset of schools using existing contracted dollars were among the approaches discussed. Staff committed to modeling a phased approach and to return with fiscal and equity analyses ahead of fee and budget decisions scheduled for February.
Next procedural steps: the board will hear public testimony at scheduled public hearings and staff will present refined cost, recruitment and waiver modeling in the Feb. 5 work session.
