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Parks board approves youth-sports scholarship limits, sets application deadline
Summary
The Parks and Recreation Board voted March 30 to allocate scholarships from an annual endowment on a per-sport basis (up to five per sport, adjustable based on funding), capped scholarships at one child per family per year and required applications three weeks before registration closes.
The Parks and Recreation Board voted March 30 to adopt a new policy for distributing youth-sports scholarships funded from an endowment.
Marla recommended dividing the annual endowment evenly across the department's sports programs and limiting scholarships to a fixed number per sport so funds could be stretched across the year. She proposed limiting scholarships to five per sport as a starting point but noted that number could be reduced "depending on funding," because the endowment payout varies year to year. She also proposed a cap of one scholarship per child (one per family) per year and a deadline requiring scholarship applications at least three weeks before registration closes so staff can present approvals to the board and enter recipients in the registration system.
The board discussed operational details, including whether to impose sport-specific deadlines and how to handle families who need assistance after registration opens. Marla explained the department receives an endowment distribution each January and budgets scholarships based on that year's available funds; she gave an example that five scholarships per sport could total roughly $1,400 but said the actual endowment payout varies and this year produced only about $600–$700 in the speaker's example.
After discussion a motion to approve the policy as described was moved and the board approved it by voice vote. Chair called for the motion as stated by Marla; the motion passed.
Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes from Feb. 13, 2026: voice vote carried. - Scholarship policy (endowment allocation, per-sport limits, one per family, 3-week application deadline): motion approved by voice vote. - Claims including payroll: motion approved by voice vote.
What this means: families seeking tuition assistance for sports should expect an annual allocation process tied to the department's endowment payout, a possible sport-by-sport cap tied to funding levels, and a firm application deadline three weeks before registration closes. The board also encouraged pursuing sponsorships to supplement the endowment and said additional sponsored scholarships could be added when donors provide funds.
Next steps: staff will finalize the scholarship protocol, set explicit per-sport numbers once the January endowment amount is known, and include the scholarship application deadline in upcoming registration materials.
