Each day our newspapers and televisions flash stories of fraud in academic settings. These cases may involve discrepancies in academics or character. Often times a mistake is made by school officials trying to better their school by raising more funds for the athletic program. A great deal of funding is needed to support an athletic program. Monies must be allocated to purchase equipment, pay coaches supplements and provide proper transportation. Also, a school district must take into account accidental insurance and regular upkeep of facilities into their athletic budget. It takes a consistent influx of money to keep an athletic program afloat and much more to have it flourish in today's economy. This paper identifies the various problems school districts run into when attempting to fund an entire athletic program, the tactics that are used build a school's athletic fund and the future of high school athletic funding. .
Research Questions.
Many questions arise when one attempts to study the dynamics of athletic funding. One question is where or who will the funding come from? Recently, budget cuts in various South Carolina school districts have reduced the amount of money given towards athletic funding. Most schools spend less than one percent of the total budget toward the athletic department. Some may feel that athletics are a superfluous extracurricular activity that can be reduced, or even eliminated from the high school scene. These detractors do not see the benefits of sports in high sports.
Scope of the Paper.
The paper focuses on the tactics used to support various high school athletics, the tactics that are used build a school's athletic fund and the future of high school athletic funding. It is based on the methods used by Lexington High School and other high schools to support its athletic teams this past fiscal year. This scope may be limited to the focus put specifically on high school athletics.