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Athletics could get hit hard by measures By Greg Stiles Friday night lights might be dimmed in parts of the state pending the outcome of several measures on the general election ballot. Measures 8, 91 and 93 would curtail the amount of money spent by the Legislature in coming bienniums. With education funding by far the biggest part of the state budget, school district budget committees will have to make some tough choices. For some schools, that could mean hefty cuts and could make athletic opponents hard to find. "There would have to be some real impacts," says Vic Backlund, a Republican state legislator, whose district encompasses Keizer and north Salem. "If no measure passes there is already going to be a shortfall of $370 million to $700 million just to keep the current service level." The former McNary High baseball coach and member of the Committee for Our Oregon, says inflation, salary steps and school growth drive up the cost of operating schools regardless off how much money the state has to spend The state gives local districts an estimate of how much it will provide for the following school year on the first Monday of March. The final numbers are supposed to follow in May, but have come in as late as the mid-summer. "We don�t have the foggiest idea what impact (passage of the measures) would have on the Medford School District," Superintendent Steve Wisely says. "Rest assured, it�s going to have a big impact." Salaries absorb roughly from 85 to 90 percent of school budgets, so there isn�t much wiggle room. Districts typically spend about 1 percent of their budget on athletics. "We�re not exempt from worrying what it would do to our athletic program," Wisely says Medford�s secondary athletic program is among the most comprehensive in the state. Coaching salaries are part of the collective bargaining package, but the district spends another $126,000 to cover the cost of uniforms, equipment, officials and transportation. Measure 8 would link the rate of growth in the state budget to no more than 15 percent of the state�s personal income. The total state spending in the next biennium would be cut by $700 million from current spending levels and would lop off an estimated $4.3 billion in new spending, according to projections by the Legislative Revenue Office. While Measure 8 covers all revenue, Measure 91 would impact only the general fund. The state�s K-12 schools currently receive 43 percent of the $10.1 billion general-fund budget. That covers 70 percent of school funding with the remaining 30 percent coming from property taxes. Measure 91 would cut $2.2 billion in revenues over the next 2� years, says Paul Warner of the Legislative Revenue Office. Grants Pass superintendent Kerm Bennett, a former Medford athletic director and Eagle Point football coach, says any time school funds are tight, athletics are vulnerable. "Athletics is one of the most important programs for the dollar," Bennett says. If athletic programs were hit by reduced funding, it would be a return to less savory days for some. Marshfield athletic director Tom Jenkins remembers how 12 years ago the district�s entire athletic program was wiped out by budget cuts. "We survived totally non-funded in 1988," Jenkins says. "I know how brutal that is. We were doing car washes to pay our coaches. That was pathetic; that�s not what athletics is about. "We dropped the band that year and I was feeling pretty upset when we played the Star-Spangled Banner on tape." Backlund also remembers the lean days following passage of a series of tax-cutting measures a decade ago. But creative thinking and community support have allowed the Keizer district to put a roof over its football grandstands and expand its concession stands. "You always hear candidates say they�re for stable and adequate funding of schools," Backlund says. "But what is that?" He points out that 45 other states have developed rainy-day funds to protect services when revenues decline. Backlund says if there are major budget cuts, there won�t be any easy answers. "If I could come up with a good answer for all this," Backlund says, "I�d be considered a genius." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.