tiative lets sponsors anonymously make donations to pay for a stu- dent’s user fee. Quatromoni be- lieves it’s more encouraging and rewarding for donors when they see their money helps to put a student in uniform as opposed to paying for apparel or equipment.
Pay-to-play is met with mixed reactions among athletic directors. While it helps alleviate the shortfall in the budget, it can be a detriment to participation. That’s partly why many schools offer waiver pro- grams for students whose families may not be able to afford the fee. Hull High School’s participation rate is at about 58 percent of its 341 students. It also has 35 to 40 per- cent on free and reduced lunch, so it’s expected there will be students who can’t pay the user fee. The school’s small size allows Quatromoni to personally visit with any student who plays sports one year but backs out the next. He rec- ognizes names omitted from the list and speaks with the student to make sure they’re not letting money stand in the way of their participation. “I’m going to ask the student
what’s going on,” he says. “What we don’t want is for a student to not play because of dollars.”
Between the gate fees and user fees, the athletic department typi- cally pulls in between $70,000 and $80,000 each year. Quatromoni then gets signifi cant contributions from the booster groups and other fund- raising events that have stepped up their efforts over the years. That’s where relationships and networking within the community really pay dividends. Quatromo- ni says he considers the booster president to be a co-worker, given the level of contributions outside groups have made over the years. Hull Youth Football over the last four years has donated about $20,000 while the community’s youth hockey organization has con- tributed $16,000.
“They understand we need to
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Priority Code: HC0313CADR March/April 2013 29
plugging one hole at a time, and it’s frustrating. We’re just trying to stay afl oat ...
“
keep the participation high be- cause the implications of not hav- ing it there are literally endless,” he says. “Not all of them are handing me checks with smiles, but to their credit they’re handing me checks.”
”
Planning For The Future
Quatromoni expects conditions to improve, and with the economy showing signs of recovery it’s pos- sible more funding could fi nd its way back into athletic budgets. Coach And Athletic Director’s survey shows budgets were more stable this school year than the last.
We’re just
That could be a sign funding is re- turning, but Mohney cautions that it could be a result of departments hit- ting rock bottom, leaving no more room for cuts.
Quatromoni says the school board already is discussing raising his budget from $40,000 to $80,000 next year. That would be a tremen- dous help to his department but still miles from where it was six years ago. He’s come to understand this new way of looking at budgets and fi nding alternative means for rev- enue may be the norm. That doesn’t mean there may not be sacrifi ces along the way—something he’s been able to avoid so far.
“This is not a sustainable model,” he says. “There’s going to come a time when I’m not going to be able to tell you we haven’t had to cut something and somebody is going to be outraged and upset that their team is no longer there.”
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