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Board hears athletic costs outpace activity fees; travel and postseason trips drive increases
Summary
Board members reviewed a sport-by-sport expense breakdown and heard that activity fees do not cover current costs; examples included cheer and wrestling with per‑kid costs above several hundred dollars due to travel and overnight stays.
The Whitehall School District board reviewed a detailed sport-by-sport expense report and heard that the district's activity fees are not covering current athletics costs.
A staff presenter said the district uses a 'cost per kid' marker for travel, supplies and officials and pointed to large per‑student costs for teams that travel and stay overnight. Examples cited included high-school volleyball at $100.14 per student, high-school football at $166.83, cross country at $170.50, high-school basketball at $247.46, wrestling at $514.04, and fall cheer at $661.95 (the fall cheer figure included new uniforms). The presenter identified increased fuel prices and unanticipated postseason travel as major drivers of the higher costs.
"We aren't even able to cover our costs even with those activity fees," the presenter said, noting that activity-fee increases to date have still left the programs short. Board members discussed supplementing activity accounts with other district funds and noted they will provide another update once spring sports conclude.
