3/24/2009

To DHS and the Community of Dixon:

This is the second in a series of letters designed to keep all people informed about the progress of reinstating sports at DHS and CA Jacobs next school year.  During the past month a coalition of parents, guardians, coaches and community members have joined forces to create the Dixon Schools Athletic Boosters Club {DSAB}.  The DSAB are currently in the process of approving their bylaws, electing officers, establishing their non-profit status, establishing their Web site and having their bylaws and status approved by the Dixon Unified School District (hopefully on 4/2/09).  The purpose of this boosters club is to generate revenue and support for all sports in both schools.  Once the Web site is up and running you are encouraged to visit the site and get actively involved.  Football coach Steve Drewnowski is working hard trying to get the Web site up and running by 4/1/09.   The new Web site address will be www.DixonBoosterClub.org.  Congratulations to the DSAB, as their first fund raiser – “boot drop” brought in some $7,900.00.  Thank you to all in Dixon who donated to our sporting programs.

Ron DuPratt Ford is really stepping up to the plate with two seasonal fund raisers that can generate up to $12,000.00 in revenue annually for DHS athletics.  The fund raised funds will go directly into the Associated Student Body Athletic Funds which go toward CIF & CVC dues, athletic block “D” awards, officiating expenses for all sports and other athletic expenses.  The first fund raiser will be April 24, 2009 {Friday} and the second will be in the fall.  The fund raiser will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m.  The location will be in the parking lot on the north side of the home bleachers of our football/soccer stadium. The fund raiser involves test driving a brand new Ford vehicle (about a 5 min. drive).  Greg DuPratt will have some 10 – 12 vehicles on site to accommodate the large crowds we anticipate.  DHS will earn $20.00 per test drive up to $6,000.00 in fund raised funds (300 test drivers).  All test drivers must be 21 years of age or older.  The driver will fill out a simple form and be allowed to test drive a new Ford and be accompanied by a Greg DuPratt representative.  There is no hard sell, just an opportunity for you to test drive a new vehicle and help DHS fund raise some much needed monies for our athletic programs.  Norma Holtmeyer will spearhead this enterprise out of the A.D.’s office.  We will be calling upon the DSAB and other entities to assist us with pulling this venture off.  We plan on having a very festive atmosphere, a snack bar in operation, using Leadership students to assist with sign-ups, etc…. as all of us take in a very exciting baseball game against West Campus High School.  Look for a considerable amount of advertising on this Web site, the football Web site (www.dixonrams.com), the new DSAB Web site when it is up and running and from Ron DuPratt Ford in the very near future.

Things are truly looking very positive on the financial front.  The DUSD has built its reserve funds back up near the old state mandate of 3%.  In addition, the DUSD has the ability to flex nearly $1 million dollars of our “restricted” (categorical) monies.  This opens the door to hopefully avoid moving Maine Prairie High School to the new DHS site, hopefully avoid closing our 2^nd elementary school in two years and hopefully reinstating sports at both DHS and CAJ.  Also there should be additional monies to reinstate other programs that have been cut or reduced.  The next DUSD Board meeting (3/26/09) will be a workshop specifically addressing the cuts and reductions that were passed on 2/5/09.

Below are the figures that this office submitted to Superintendent Roger Halberg.  These figures represent the “bare bones” minimum in stipends and salaries it would take to operate the athletic departments at DHS and CA Jacobs next school year.  The salaries and stipends listed below are those critical personnel in charge of each sporting program or overseeing all sporting programs.  These people need to be in place for accountability of all sporting programs.

The stipends {coaches, A.D. accountant and A.D.’s} listed above reflect the base stipend + all statutory expenses (miscellaneous).  The DHS A.D. prep period represents 20%  of the current athletic director’s salary + all statutory and benefit expenses.  The 16 stipends at DHS and the 8 stipends at CA Jacobs represent only the varsity head coaches at DHS and the 8^th grade head coaches at CA Jacobs.  The A.D. Assistant works 4 hours per day.  The figure above represents the hourly rate + all misc. costs to the district.  All other stipends have been eliminated for the next school year (i.e. Assistant Positions, JV and Frosh Head Coaches). 

Why It Is Not Cost Effective To Eliminate Sports At Dixon High School

What is really important in the grand scheme of things with this budget crisis is that high school athletics plays an integral role in both the school and community.  Numerous school events are affiliated with athletics:  Basketball Tournaments, Homecoming, the Sweet Heart Pageant, school dances and rallies.  The community supports our sporting programs with the purchase of ads in our programs, attendance at our contests and via fund raisers for our programs.  Literally a portion of the culture of a school and community thrives on high school sports.  Keen examples of the role high school sports play in a community could be seen this past fall when DHS football hosted the first two rounds of the SJ Section playoffs in football and our home stands were packed with fans young and old.  Just this past weekend Rocklin High School in Sacramento played in the CIF State Championship Division II basketball finals at ARCO Arena.  Rocklin High School pre-sold over 2000 tickets on their campus prior to the game and had over 5000 fans in attendance at ARCO Arena.  Grant High School was recognized by numerous civic organizations and the California State Legislature after winning the CIF Open Division Championship in football this past year.  High school sports has a tremendous affect on school and community culture.

This is not to say that funding junior high and high school sports is more important than any other aspect of public school education.  We are saying that dollar for dollar, sports make sense (cents) with regard to their impact on youth.  Sports are an important deterrent to crime and poor use of time by youth.  Coaches often serve as surrogate parents, counselors, and psychologists guiding our youth in making wise and practical decisions.  Our coaches are “intervention coordinators” for the community of Dixon.

Combined, DHS (451) and CAJ (180) had 630 individual athletes participate in sports this year.  Many of these same athletes participated in one or more sports.  The expense the District will incur is $175.00 per student-athlete.  The personal guidance, self-esteem building, the sense of community and team, sportsmanship, etc… are well worth the expense. 

Think about the financial loss if sports didn’t exist at DHS or CAJ.  The District receives $6,100 annually per student for average daily attendance (A.D.A.).  Divide $110,000 by $6,100 (A.D.A.) and when one reaches student #19 walking out the door because there are no athletic programs, the District starts to lose $6,100 per student per year.  In addition, the DUSD allows students grades 10 and 11 to earn P.E. credits through sports.  One sport equals 5 units of P.E. credit.  With the elimination of sports, this will drastically impact the P.E. program at DHS forcing the District to hire more personnel to teach the extra P.E. class load.  An average salary plus benefits will cost the District around $65,000 annually.

In closing, the recent survey conducted with in the DUSD and community supports the importance that the community at large places on the value of sports as a key educational component in one’s education.  I firmly believe that ALL Board members feel the same.  Watching their expressions and actions following the elimination of sports and other programs on February 5, 2009 said a lot.  A little over a month ago, if someone were to ask me if the DUSD had hit bottom yet, I would have said NO!  Today, I feel we have hit bottom and we are starting to rebound.  I look forward to the day the Superintendent and Board reinstate many of the cuts that were made the night of February 5, 2009. 

Potential Fund Raiser

Coaches – if you are interested – contact Diane Wold – head of food services at DHS and talk with her about lunch time helpers.  It is possible to earn upwards of $1000.00  per month by working in the lunch room and running the lunch room snack bar.  A coach could rotate team workers through the lunch room snack bar for one month and make some much needed funds for their program.

Go Rams!  Go Cougars!  Go DUSD!

Tom Crumpacker; A.D. at Dixon High School