By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
There is a lot of community
concern with recreation but Juab School District has always
been one of the leaders in providing help in that
area.
"We are the biggest support of
community recreation of any public agency in the county,"
said Kirk Wright, superintendent of schools.
The criticism of the district has
been that they are not involved enough but that is not true,
he said.
Darin Clark, district
clerk/treasurer, had been assigned to present an overview of
the district's involvement with recreation.
"In the Financial Year 2005, Juab
School District provided the following support to recreation
outside of the K-12 educational program," said Clark.
"Coaches, advisors, etc., $137,000; transportation for
activities, $126,000; fitness equipment, $84,000; and
athletic and arts equipment of $30,000 for a total of
$377,000."
Clark said, in addition, the
district provides support of community recreation and other
programs.
"The district provides use of
facilities for community-sponsored recreation programs at
the cost of supervision only&emdash;no incremental charges
for utilities, insurance or etc.," he said.
The district provides the use of
district-owned property where the city baseball complex
sits.
They also provide the use of
facilities for fine arts programs, pageants, and etc. either
free or for a minimal charge.
"The district has also up-graded
facilities (including purchase of a $2,500 clock for little
league football), batting cages, the football field and
track.
It allows use of the physical
fitness facilities at minimal cost during non-instructional
hours and allows use of facilities for Midnight Express
Wrestling, 7th and 8th Grade basketball, club volleyball and
other activities.
"These are all outside the school
programs," said Clark.
People do underestimate the cost
of building maintenance," said Delanie Hathaway, board vice
president.
The other thing that citizen's do
not consider is the district liability which exists when
buildings are used for community events. For example, there
was a case where a student dropped a bench on another
student's toe and the insurance bill for the resulting
injury was $20,000.
"Patrons think that they are
already paying taxes and should not have to pay again," said
Stacy Brooks, board member.
The question is, said Clark, who
should be paying for community recreation?
"Should educational dollars be
going to recreation?" he asked. "Should those dollars be
used for education?"
He suggested that a discussion
needed to take place between community leaders and the
district.
For example, he said, the city
uses the district facilities, flips a light switch, the
electricity goes on and then the city bills the district for
the cost of the power used.
"Another problem, said Wright,
was the gas bills which resulted from such activities. All
the buildings in the district are heated with gas. The gas
utilities are now up 50 percent over last year.
"Maybe the city, the district and
the county need to sit down together and come up with a plan
that will benefit all," said Wright.
The district receives money from
the state on a weighted basis for each pupil who attends
school in the district. That money goes for maintenance and
operation.
Maintenance and Operations
(M&O). This is the primary funding mechanism for
districts from which they must allocate, internally, moneys
for technology.
Maintenance and Operations
(M&O) funds may be used for instruction expense which
includes salaries and benefits of teachers, substitutes, and
aides; teaching supplies, textbooks and materials; and other
instruction- related expenses. This category is influenced
mostly by class size and teacher compensation
They are also used for student
support services which include salaries, benefits, expenses
for guidance personnel, health and social workers,
psychologists and secretarial
staff, for instructions staff support which includes
expenditures for salaries and benefits of media (library)
personnel and clerical help for teachers. It also includes
costs of library books and audio-visual material
The money is used for plant
operation and maintenance which includes expenses of
custodial and maintenance services and related materials
and supplies and for student
transportation which includes expenses related to busing
students to and from school.
The money is also used for
district administration and costs which includes the
salaries of district personnel and for school
principals.
"I think district facilities
should be available for community programs," said Wright.
"But who should be responsible for some of the costs
associated with such programs?"
Matt Bowles, Nephi Recreation
Superintendent, was a big help because he supervised the use
of buildings for such things as the Junior Jazz program.
That did save money the district had been paying.
However, some programs, such as
wrestling tournaments, represented a huge cost to the
district for maintenance and custodial costs and even for
the cost of paper products such as toilet paper and paper
towels.
"Sometimes the money which could
go into textbooks and materials is going into the recreation
program," said Clark.
Few people supported recreation
more than did Hathaway, she said, but it still bothered her
to know that she was spending money that could go into books
for recreation.
"I dislike using the K-12 money
for that," she said.
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