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 $200. Some schools ask over $250
and
it feels like a "mandatory" fee. The highest that I have ever heard about
is $300 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 kept 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 $200 donation means that part of it, $125, 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
half
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
support from them when I have made requests for equipment early in my time here. However my
requests over the last twenty years have been rare. I have been able to
manage our funds without needing much support from the Boosters or the
Athletic Department because parent support. has been very good.
Early in my time here we did fund raisers, but with little impact. 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.
Donation structure change Fall
2021:
The
donation was changed three years, such that you may
select where you
want to spend your funds. It is strongly suggested that
you make your
donation online through the link below using a credit
card. This
is through the student store. It is felt that it would
be easier for
people to use a credit card and that family and friends
would be able
to donate also. The suggested amount this year is $200.
The
athletic department will get the first $75, with rest going to the
sport. You can also complete the donation form and write a check.
If your company does matching, please complete the paperwork to
make that happen if that appeals to you. Donations in the suggest amount are fine. You can always give more. The cost
for meets has increased about 50%, so that we may have very little
left going in to next season.
Paul
Armstrong
Head Cross Country
and Track & Field Coach