Budget cuts to impact Wake athletics

When the Wake County Board of Education met Wednesday to discuss how to make up a projected budget shortfall of as much as $34 million, board members did not spare athletics.

The state government has informed school systems that they may have to cut their budgets by an additional 5 percent.

One of the ways the board sees to achieve that goal is by cutting the extra duty pay given to teachers who also hold jobs outside the classroom, like those who make up the coaching staffs for high school sports.

Coaches could see that pay cut by 30 percent next year.

Extra-duty pay in Wake County is allotted on a scale that is rated by sport and years of experience. For example, a head coach for a high school football team with 5 to 8 years of experience earns an extra $3,876 per year. However, a head golf coach with the same number of years of experience earns an extra $1,450.

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“I thought about it a little bit and obviously I don’t coach just for the money," said Chris East. He coaches girls basketball and boys golf at Millbrook High.

"I don’t teach for the money, but at the same time I can see where some people in a different situation would not be able to coach," he said.

A 30 percent pay cut for a football coach with 5 to 8 years of experience would mean a reduction of $1,162.80.

Leesville Road football coach David Green said the cut won't keep him from coaching, but said he's already lost one coach because of the money.

"We’ve already got at least one coach at Leesville who is not going to coach next year because he’s got a family to take care of and he can make more money by doing things outside of school than he can coaching football," Green said.

"I’m sure with this kind of cut coming, it’s just going to cause that to happen more and more in Wake County."

Green said the end result of such cuts could be bad for athletics in Wake County.

"I’m afraid we’re going to lose some good, talented, young coaches to other areas because they just cannot afford to commit all that time for so little pay," he said.

Most coaches tend to agree that they're not coaching to make money, however the extra-duty jobs go beyond athletics. Other positions that will be impacted by the cut include testing coordinators, band directors, newspaper and yearbook advisers, student council advisers, and grade and department chairmen.

"You’re asking these people to sacrifice more than you’re asking anybody else to," said Green. "It’s kind of like you’re putting the brunt of the thing on the people who tend to spend the most time and do the most work, and it seems a little unfair to go about it that way."

Green suggested making smaller cuts for a larger number of people instead of making a big cut for a relatively small group of people.

“I don’t know any coach that does it on the pay to start with, but at the same time coaches have families to feed," said Green.

School system spokesman Michael Evans said Thursday that given the current financial situation of the school system, every idea is worth considering.

"But we need to do the due diligence to have the information for the (board members) so they can make an informed decision, and that's what we're doing right now," Evans said.

Another hiring freeze could mean vacant positions for some

Last school year WCPSS implemented a hiring freeze that limited candidates to fill positions and forced some long-time teachers and coaches out.

On April 12, a memo was distributed to principals in Wake County informing them that another hiring freeze is now in effect. The freeze prevents new hires and re-hires from being considered for employment during the 2010-2011 school year until all contractual obligations have been met.

There are about 800 employees with contracts ending June 30, officials said. In normal budget years, these people would be considered automatic re-hires.

It is not known if any of the 800 employees are coaches, but if they are, and they are not re-hired, it will leave athletic positions open.

Panther Creek High School is currently searching for a new boys basketball coach after the resignation of Travis Chapman last month, and athletic director Todd Schuler said the hiring freeze could become an issue.

“There is certainly the possibility that it would have some impact," Schuler said. "We’re kind of in a wait-and-see mode. We're seeking some more clarification on it right now."

Schuler had to hire a basketball coach last year during the hiring freeze. He said last year the school system allowed them to hire teachers from other schools within the county, but he was not sure if that was the case this year.

"Obviously that limits the candidates you can hire," said Schuler. "You can't really give serious consideration to candidates that are coming from outside Wake County."

Naming rights for stadiums?

School system officials said Wednesday that one potential solution they are considering involves selling the naming rights at high school stadiums to companies.

Keith Sutton, the chairman of the board of education finance committee said he believes stadium sponsorships could be a win-win for every party involved as many companies are scaling back advertising revenue.

"We can offer, perhaps, a better bang for their buck and give them more exposure for smaller dollars," he said.

Many high schools, however, are already selling sponsorships of their own, and some schools have already named their stadiums.

Leesville Road High School recently named it's stadium after the late Marshall Hamilton, the former athletic director at the school.

“We’re playing in Marshall Hamilton Stadium, and there’s no way any amount of money could change that," Green said.

The sponsorships schools sell to companies go a long way to keeping athletic teams viable. Schuler has concerns about were the money may go if naming rights are sold to stadiums.

"More and more these days we're having to become more self-efficient, especially in this part of North Carolina and here in Wake County," Schuler said. "If individual schools are asked to pick up more and more of the tab, I would want to be sure that at least some of that money would go back to the school."

"I don’t think I would be opposed to it, but I’d be curious about the approach that’s being taken, how the contracts are being written up, and who actually benefits from that."

WRAL-TV reporter Mike Charbonneau contributed to this report.