Cupertino High School Cross Country 2024
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Donations

        Dear Cross Country Parents and Athletes:

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.  . 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 satisfy 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. 

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 suggested amount are fine.  You can always give more.   The cost for meets has increased about 50% since 2020, so that we may have very little left going in to next season.   

 Link to online donation page

or   the donation form

If you prefer to write a check, that is up to you. Either way cross country will get the funds.  
If you write a check, make it out to: Cupertino High School Cross Country."   Give me the check so I can turn it into the accounting office. I will only accept checks for cross country. 

Please try to make your donation no later than September 30th if you are able.  I can not spend money that is not in the account.  I do not want to remove meets from the schedule.  If you are unable to donate, please return the signed form to me.

Athletic Boosters:
Currently the Athletic Boosters is not active  Hopefully, that will change in the future
The Athletic Boosters charter was to provides funds for equipment, special fees, etc. that are outside the normal Athletic Department budget. The Boosters raised money primarily through food and clothing sales at events around school, mostly football games.  The Boosters supported all of the sports at Cupertino.  The Cross Country and Track and 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 plus 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.   

Paul Armstrong
Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach




This page was last updated: 9/15/24
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