A grave situation; Clarkston School District, coaches still battling over proposed cuts

 Matt Baney

The specter of cutting coaches and teams entered the picture during the latest budget negotiation session between the Clarkston School District and the district's coaches union.

Because of a funding shortfall, district officials have mandated that $100,000 be trimmed from the athletic budget. The coaches formed a union to resist the cut.

On Monday night, the district unveiled its latest proposal. It involves bringing the coaches' salaries in line with the averages in the Greater Spokane League, of which Clarkston is a first-year member.

But more noticeably, the plan calls for the elimination of 15 assistant and sub-varsity coaching spots. This move would also kill three teams: girls' and boys' JV soccer and boys' C basketball. Also, two home wrestling tournaments would be axed, and travel would be slightly scaled back.

"They seemed pretty hard and fast about getting $100,000 out of athletics," said Dan Randles, Bantam wrestling coach and president of the union. "And I don't know how they're going to do it. I can't believe that the community won't be outraged when they hear they're cutting (C team) basketball and stopping tournaments."

Randles has even staged a protest -- in his own front yard. Two blocks from the high school, Randles has turned his yard into an "athletic graveyard," with a number of white crosses symbolizing coaches and players. Halloween is one of the reasons for the display, Randles said, but he also wants to get the word out.

"My big thing is I think parents need to know what's going on," he said. "If parents thing it's OK to do that, well so be it. It's their money. But if parents don't, I think the school board needs to know that, and I think the district office needs to know that."

Cuts have been felt not just in athletics, but around the district, said assistant superintendent Mike Grubbs. And while they've proposed cutting coaches and teams, the district still hopes to keep the athletic program intact.

"The last thing we want to do is cut programs for kids or cut staff," Grubbs said. "We'd much rather, if we have to, reduce salaries -- at least for one year."

Randles said that the community will be behind the coaches. In February, Clarkston residents approved a maintenance and operation (M&O) levy by a nearly 75-percent favorable vote. That levy stated that athletics would be one of the areas to benefit. Randles said the levy "passed on the shirttails of extra-curricular athletics."

While the levy does mandate certain spending, Grubbs said that the district still has control of much of the money raised by it. Community input, however, is also considered, he said.

Randles suggested another place cuts could be made: the district's administration. According to a report provided to the Tribune by Randles, the Clarkston administration's budget was, at the end of last year, 10 percent above the state mandate.

"And if you take that away," Randles said, "you've basically almost wiped out this $100,000 they're trying to find."

Answered Grubbs, "I think at this time in the district, everything is under consideration. We have to look at that, and we certainly are."

So what's the next step? It will come on Tuesday evening, when the sides next meet. With the winter sports looming, a deal must be reached soon.

"Hopefully, we'll meet until we have a settlement," Grubbs said. "Otherwise, the district will have no choice but to offer interim contracts based on that (GSL) average."

The current coaches would have first crack at those jobs. But if it comes to that, the union might consider a strike.

"We'd definitely talk about it," Randles said.