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Board committee weighs $75,000 athletics reductions, transportation options
Summary
Athletics staff and a committee including two board members are considering $75,000 in cuts for 2025–26, exploring transportation changes, higher fees, use of ASB funds, and staffing reductions as options.
District staff told the board May 8 that the district directed a $75,000 reduction target for athletics in the 2025–26 budget and formed a committee to propose specific cuts.
Athletics staff member Chris Perk said the committee — which includes board members Mitch Engel and Lisa Birney, parents, coaches and building staff — is evaluating options: increasing participation fees, using vans instead of buses for some trips, purchasing equipment with Associated Student Body (ASB) funds, asking coaches to accept a 30% pay cut, and eliminating two assistant-coach positions. Kathy McKee told the board that OSPI will only fund transportation to and from home and school, leaving extracurricular travel to levy dollars; Perk suggested reducing driver time by paying drivers for one-way trips and having parents provide return transportation where feasible.
Board members asked about cutting sports; Perk said that cutting a sport would not be done solely for budget reasons but could result from persistently low participation. The athletic committee will continue work to identify which combination of measures meets the $75,000 target while trying to preserve programs where possible.
