I am not a school board member nor am I a district treasurer, but School Boards give each sport "X" amount of money (sometimes "X" amount is budgeted to the Athletic Department then the AD budgets the amount to each team). ?This amount is based on what is requested prior to establishing that year's school budget (so at least one year out, sometimes longer). ?Sometimes you get the requested amount, sometimes not. ?If new uniforms were not requested or were deleted from the budget, then the team must find an alternate source for new uniforms. ?Sometimes this is through the Athletic boosters, sometimes through fundraisers, and sometimes through parents.
For softball, I am probably pretty close with the priority for funding at:
1. Umpires
2. Field maintenance materials/services
3. Sports equipment
4. Uniforms.
5. The pizza parties after Friday night games (Just kidding, I was seeing if you are paying attention) ;D
Seriously though, Even schools with no pay-to-participate programs are on tight budgets. ?If they spend money on uniforms, then some other program (academic or athletic) is going to do without. ?
I know that Athletic Booster programs do their best to try to help ALL of the school's athletic programs, but their money is also budgeted at the beginning of the year (or earlier). ?It could be that the old coach did not request new uniforms from any source and now it is too late in the ballgame to get funding.
It is only right that if the families have to pay for new shirts, that they should get to keep them.
If you have had 4 coaches in 4 years, it is quite apparent that no one has really taken an interest in the softball team's budget for quite some time. ?This might be a topic to bring up with your AD.
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