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Committee debate over athletic director pay, game supervision and grounds work splits the budget committee
Summary
Budget committee members debated raising the high-school athletic director stipend, a new supervision stipend for games, sports travel funding, and whether to hire part-time grounds staff or pay contractors; the AD stipend increase and one 3.75-hour custodial position were approved while other proposals failed.
The Colton School District 53 budget committee spent substantial time debating how to support athletics and grounds while staying within the proposed 2026'27 budget.
A committee member (S1) presented a market review and proposed raising the high-school athletic director (AD) stipend, saying comparisons across districts supported an increase. "I am suggesting that we... raise the wage another $4,000," the member said during the presentation. Committee members asked whether higher stipends reflected larger job duties; staff (S3) and members discussed that duties and payroll costs vary by district and that adding benefits or converting to a staff role would raise total employer cost.
The committee approved a motion to increase the AD stipend (total cost reported at about $4,360). Supporters framed the move as a retention and fairness measure; others urged a staged approach or clearer expectations tied to the stipend.
Members also debated a proposed extra-duty stipend to provide supervision at sporting events (recommended at $6,750) and a $5,000 travel allocation for teams. Those motions did not pass the committee. Arguments against included lack of a clear job description for supervision, parity concerns across sports and seasons, and the committee's preference to see an itemized request rather than a lump-sum allocation.
Groundskeeping and custodial staffing were a repeated point of concern. Staff (S3) presented lower-cost options including a 3.75-hour-per-day hire (no benefits) versus hiring full-time staff or contracting out work. Members discussed prior contractor experience, with one member noting contractor costs in a prior year ran much higher when the district sought full-field remediation. The committee approved adding one 3.75-hour custodial/grounds position and discussed reserving contractor funds (the committee debated but did not finalize whether to earmark $30,000 specifically for landscaping contractors).
The debate reflected tensions common to small-district budgeting: limited contingency and fund-balance flexibility, community pressure over field conditions, and the operational constraints of hiring part-time staff in the local labor market. Several members pressed staff to draft job descriptions and to coordinate with the union where required before any stipend or extra-duty posting.
The budget committee ultimately folded the approved changes into the amended budget, which it adopted and read into the record before adjourning.
