KHSD board backs off JV sports cut
Last Updated Thursday, Jul 02 2009 05:45 PM
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JV sports live — for now.
The Kern High School District board voted unanimously Thursday to save its junior varsity program for the coming year.
It did approve another $3.3 million in budget cuts for 2009-2010.
The board backed down from the proposal to ax JV sports, which would have saved $430,000, because it would be highly “disruptive” to parents and students at this late date in the summer, said board member Ken Mettler.
It will figure out how to close the gap in future years. And JV is still on the hook — slated to be cut in 2010-2011 unless the community figures out how to fund it, said board President Joel Heinrichs.
“Frankly, there were a lot of good arguments made by the coaches and parents about more time being needed to figure out alternative funding to preserve the program,” he said.
JV sports supporters aren’t looking for a free ride from the district, said Centennial volleyball coach Brooke Roberts.
“We just want to find a way to raise the money ourselves through community help. We don't want to take away from any other discipline or anything,” Roberts said.
Mettler suggested preserving JV sports through “top-to-bottom” pay cuts.
But cutting pay or the number of teachers to support a program is the wrong approach, said Kern High Teachers Association President Mitch Olson.
“If you're asking people to essentially give back a piece of their livelihood, that’s going to make morale implode,” said Olson, who represents 1,700 teachers.
Last year 1,962 student athletes participated in JV football, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball, according to the district. Participation in 18 district sports for each of three levels — freshman/sophomore, junior varsity and varsity — was 11,426.
Several district employees, supported by a large contingent from the California School Employees Association, addressed the board about cutting pay.
Manuel Rodriguez, a 30-year custodian with the district, asked the board to “remember the little people who do a herculean job to maintain schools.”
Penny Johnson, a campus security staffer at Bakersfield High, asked the administration to “step up and take one for the team.”
“We have already sustained substantial cuts to the bone,” Johnson said.
District food services department employee Lori Baxter asked the board not to push a 5 percent pay cut on people who earn less than $30,000 per year.
In addition to pulling the JV sports cut off the table, Mettler strongly advocated for reducing summer school cuts in 2010-11 from $3.5 million to $1 million.
“We need 9th grade intervention,” said Mettler, who has pushed to eliminate so-called “social promotion” and require students to pass classes in summer school before they move to the next level.
The proposal to adjust the summer school budget will come before the board for a vote at a later date.
Under Mettler’s plan, the budget hole created by cutting less from summer school and JV sports would be made through employee pay cuts.
But with the exception of the superintendent’s office, the board doesn’t control pay cuts.
So the question of where the $430,000 reduction will be made — one small piece of a much larger set of cuts to come — is on hold at least until a final budget arrives from the state.
— Staff writer Zach Ewing contributed to this report.
HOW MANY WOULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTED?
Participation in KHSD junior varsity sports, 2008-09
Football: 558
Volleyball: 216
Basketball (boys): 480
Basketball (girls): 201
Baseball: 260
Softball: 247
Total participation in 18 district sports programs: 11,426
Total athletic budget: $6.1 million
THE CUTS MADE
The KHSD board voted to cut an additional $3.3 million from next year’s budget:
2009-10 categorical funds (using flexibility
provided by the state): $1 million
Maintenance and operations: $65,000
Business, financial and facilities services: $90,000
Information systems and technology support: $160,000
District office personnel: $165,000
School site energy savings incentive: $427,500
(75 percent of the program)
Campus supervision (15 positions): $700,000
