Coaching stipends paid by the Danville Board of Education out of its general fund is just the first specific area being looked at by the board as it begins forming a draft budget for the 2020-21 school year.

“We have to have a draft budget to the state department in January. So as we have been working on budgeting for the 2020-2021 year, we’ve looked into a lot of areas — athletics, academic stipends for academic clubs, transportation, maintenance, facilities,” said Superintendent Tammy McDonald. “Literally we’ve been digging down to the penny in our budget across every area as we plan for the ’20-’21 school year.” 

Monday night’s athletic stipend comparison to what surrounding school districts pay was the first of several presentations the board will hear over the next few weeks, McDonald said. 

“I know we got folks a little nervous about this,” said board Chair Steve Becker. “This is something that the board really wanted to see. It’s not trying to eliminate or decrease, but we needed a true understanding of what our school district spends on athletics.”

McDonald said the figures that Teresa Osbourn, director of finance & human resources, had researched show that Danville Schools pay $214,600 in stipends for 53 athletic positions at Danville High School; and $51,000 for 30 positions at John W. Bate Middle School.

In comparison, the Boyle County school board pays a total of $193,059 for 62 positions at the high school; and $39,370 for 27 positions at the middle school stipends.

Board member Glen Ball pointed out that the biggest discrepancy that he saw between the two high schools was for cheerleading. Danville pays $10,100 for three positions, while Boyle pays $3,600 for three positions.

The seven football coaches at Danville share a $46,700 stipend, while nine Boyle County coaches share a $47,500 athletic stipend.

The girls and boys soccer teams have three positions each, which share $15,600 in stipends; while the four Boyle positions share $12,530 in stipends.

The board also reviewed how much other surrounding districts spend on their coaches:

• Pulaski County spends $159,900 on 54 positions;
• Jessamine spends $148,494 on 38 positions;
• Lincoln spends $132,004 on 43 positions; and
• Garrard spends $107,750 on 41 positions.

Osbourn also figured out what Danville and Boyle schools pay per athlete:

Football — Danville, $1,167; Boyle, $505

Basketball — Danville boys, $516; Boyle boys, $560

Basketball — Danville girls, $571; Boyle girls, $560

Softball — Danville, $80; Boyle, $296

Baseball — Danville, $509; Boyle, $243

Wrestling — Danville, $262; Boyle, $300

Soccer — Danville boys, $650; Boyle boys,$329

Soccer — Danville girls, $624; Boyle girls, $329

Cheerleading — Danville, $631; Boyle, $112

Track — Danville, $248; Boyle, $193

Cross country — Danville, $263; Boyle, $193

Swimming — Danville, $264; Boyle, $88

Volleyball — Danville, $171; Boyle, $166

Golf — Danville boys, not listed; Boyle boys, $111

Golf — Danville girls, $500; Boyle girls, $200

Tennis — Danville boys, $142; Boyle boys, $163

Tennis — Danville girls, $153; Boyle girls, $138

Bass fishing — Danville, $181; Boyle, $88

eSports — Danville, $114; Boyle, $125

Board member Paul Smiley said he was “very biased in this area. I think that the money is very, very well spent for the student athletes.”

Smiley said that coaches have lots of extra duties, on top of coaching during the season, like weight training and taking students to athletic camps. “They dedicate their lives … it’s good people and they work hard.”

McDonald stated that the figures were “informational only.”

Becker said the board wants to see exactly how its money is spent and suggested that maybe they were even paying for programs that don’t exist anymore.

“This isn’t something that Dr. McDonald just came up with. This is something we as a board really had wanted to know.”

Becker said, “It is a tremendous commitment that our district makes to our athletic program, and I’m proud of our athletic program. But I do think this is often not looked at on a regular basis.”