There
are several donation opportunities that affect
athletics at Cupertino HS. The first is the Athletic Donation
request. Relative
to some other schools, it is a modest $100. Some schools ask over $250
and
it was a mandatory fee. The highest that I have heard about
is $275 per athlete per sport plus a $90 uniform deposit.
The next opportunity is the Athletic Boosters,
which provides funds for equipment, special fees, etc. that are outside
the
normal Athletic Department budget. The Boosters raise money primarily
through
food and clothing sales at events around school. There are also the dreaded
fund raisers. And,
of course, there is the direct donation to a sport.
The concept of an Athletic Donation is symptomatic of the times we live in. There
never seems to be enough money to do the things that are necessary or needed.
The schools are in a period of delayed gratification. That is, often we have
to wait well after a need arises, before we can spend money to fix it. The
Athletic Donation was born out of a need to continue the athletic programs, as the
district's revenue has not keep up with the spending need and sources of
funds for CHS athletics were diverted or eliminated . Some districts and/or
schools have cut sports, sometimes entirely, but most often they try to do
with less. The Athletic Donation is an effort to keep the funding for our programs
at a reasonable level. The donation helps to keep all of the sports at Cupertino
High School intact. Many people believe that only the football program
benefits, but that is simply not true. This belief leads many parents to only
support the sport(s) that their child participates in. On the one hand you
should support the sport(s) that you are interested in, however, the big
picture is that we must also support the other sports. Every program
contributes to the good of the other programs, and thus to the overall good
of the school. Your $100 donation means that one half of it, $50, will go back to
the sport for which it has been given. The athletic department supports all
of the sports with the rest of the money, from buying uniforms to various
equipment needs, and paying for officials. So in the end more than one third
of your donation will go back to the sport. The Boosters support all of the sports
at Cupertino. The Cross Country and Track an Field teams have received great
support from them when I have made requests for equipment. I do not like to
do fund raisers because everyone is doing them and it puts a drain on our
time and energy for a small payback. No team can be self-supporting in the
long term, so supporting all athletics at Cupertino is a reasonable way to
go.
I believe that one of my many jobs, as a head coach, is to manage the
resources (time, money, equipment, manpower, and good will) that I have
access to effectively. I use the funds we receive to pay for our fees at
invitational meets primarily. If there is any left over, it is used to pay
for equipment. It is part of my budgetary process. It is in the team’s
interest that we have a high percentage of donations paid. I have not yet cut my
invitational entries due to fund constraints. If we do not get enough money,
then that will happen. If we have a high donation rate, then we can cover our
invitational fees, buy some equipment, and have a little left for the
following season.
My very strong
recommendation is that you pay the suggested donation to the Athletic Department
first. You can give more than the requested $100. Join the Athletic Boosters
and contribute your time and money to their efforts. You may also give
directly to the Cross Country team, but that should be after you have made
the Athletic donation and joined the Boosters.
Let me be very clear, the Athletic Donation and Athletic Boosters
membership are entirely separate. We receive no funds directly
through the Athletic Boosters.
Checks payable
to:
Cupertino High School - athletic donation
CHS
Athletic Boosters - boosters
Cupertino High
School Cross Country - directly to
team
Paul
Armstrong
Head Cross Country
and Track & Field Coach