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Jack Welch
School districts and universities need financial leaders to understand the makeup of the programs they oversee. Building a budget for athletic equipment is not the same as spending on band instruments. It is crucial to understand the makeup of these programs because per-pupil expenditures are relational to the needs of the programs. Some districts try to budget according to a per-pupil dollar amount when it should be budgeted according to cost of equipment, travel needs, supplies, and program requirements. There is no question the amount of budget available needs to be adequate, but it does not have to be more than the competition.
Some budgetary items are fluid, and some are concrete. The number of teams and number of participants may change. Also, last year’s budget for travel may not be the same as this year’s needs, especially in collegiate athletics. Consequently, budgets cannot necessarily stay the same each year because the demands are different.
All programs should be treated with equality, but this does not mean equal. Travel, equipment, supplies, and program requirements are related to individual sports. Each sport should receive adequate budgeting in each category.
Some colleges and school districts are flourishing, while others are not, yet their financial status is considered adequate. This last school year Iowa Wesleyan University shut down the entire college, and Ft. Scott Community College dropped their football program. There are others doing the same.
Ft. Scott Community College is the oldest community college in Kansas, founded in 1919. The football team won the 1970 NJCAA National Championship and was national runner up in 1971, 1972 and 2009. Yet, it abolished the 93-year-old football program in the middle of the 2021 season. According to the Topeka Journal Newspaper, school officials said the reason was because of finances.
Financial reasons? Can you imagine FSCC went from being ranked number 1 in 2009 and eventually losing in the national title game to quarterback Cam Newton's Blinn College to having the program dropped a little over a decade later. With approximately the same financial ranking as they have had for decades with other Kansas community colleges, it makes you wonder what happened.
Thought for the week: “It is not the amount of money spent that creates success, it is how the money is spent.” — Jack Welch Dr. Jack Welch is an educator and college football coach. His doctorate is in educational administration, and he has been an educator, administrator, and football coach, mentoring young minds, for over 40 years. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching. He can be reached at jackwelch1975@gmail.com.