Klarinet Archive - Posting 001387.txt from 1998/04

From: "Jason Hsien" <jasonavhs@-----.com>
Subj: Re: budget cutbacks
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 00:54:11 -0400

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>

|At the college level, it is my understanding that only the University of
|Notre Dame actually MAKES money with its football program (not including
|alumni contributions which may arise indirectly from it). Unless Jason's
|school has a heck of a deal with those local TV stations, I'll bet they
|don't either! By the way, Notre Dame uses the money to fund all the other
|money-losing sports and the intramural athletic program.

Well, then I am just wondering where the heck all that money in ticket sales
and concession sales goes after all those high school football games.
Someone mentioned a general school fund, and that's the school isn't it?

|
|But all this is neither here nor there. If profit is the motive for school
|curricula, I'd like to know how much the history department made? Or the
|English department? Or mathematics?

Around here, different departments fundraise whenever they need money. We
usually sell with those mini-catalogs and stuff, but the one thing that
seperates the English department from athletics and music, especially here
in California, is that athletics and music are extracurricular. They don't,
and aren't (at least where I live) given any of the school budget money
except to pay for teachers and sports directors. All other costs, including
coaches and instructors are paid by parent boosters. For some, athletics and
band don't get any school credit and is totally on a volunteer basis. In
others, music is consdiered a part of the Visual Arts, and given credit that
way (with photography, painting, drama, choir, etc...) and athletics is part
of Physical Education credit.

I just think that, in regards to school being a small business vs.
institution of education, it's both. Schools have to continue to meet state
standards of education, and I am lucky to go to a school with fine music and
athletics, but with the recent depression just starting to shake off and the
economy now recovering, the department of education still continues cost
cutting and asking that schools tighten their budgets every year, and
therefore, making money becomes a bigger issue for schools, especially
public schools who wish to maintain a high level of education quality on a
nearly shoestring budget. (Remember the good old days when the supply closet
was always full and if you left your pencil at home, you were free to get
one from the back? Now it's if you borrow it, you return it as soon as
you're done. If it's new and you ruin it, you pay for it.)

And as money becomes a bigger issue, music and athletics and all other
extracurricular activities become secondary.

I'd enjoy hearing some responses, but I am fearing that this topic was kind
of getting off that of a clarinet discussion group, and maybe we should take
this to private mail with all interested.

-jason