ThunderRidge High School is proud of booster parents who can raise nearly a third of a million dollars for the sports and activities budget.
But don’t call ThunderRidge rich unless you want an argument from athletic director Bob Nelson. He is proud of what he calls the frugality of sports budgets, at his school and in the Douglas County school system.
Look at his baseball team, he says. “I run four levels of baseball on one baseball diamond. I’ve got a scheduling genius for a head baseball coach.”
Douglas County contributes $46,621 for athletics and activities. That amount is supplemented by students, spectators and those eager parents.
Nelson gets to keep all the participation fees paid at ThunderRidge, to the tune of about $79,000 this year.
He also gets to keep all ticket revenue on site, and ThunderRidge’s popular football and basketball programs helped generate more than $31,000 this year.
Some parents always ask whether the high-profile football program “gets everything,” Nelson said. He replies that football’s high participation and gate receipts let him spread money around to lesser-known sports, or the drama program.
Examine the budgets, Nelson urges.
“You’d see that athletics is such a pittance of what the district spends,” he says. “Our benefit ratio to the cost is tremendous. We have huge impact on kids’ lives, I really do believe that.” Michael Booth
Total budget: $8.7 million.
Athletics and activities: $226,621 from district, for coaches and other costs, plus transportation. Sports also generate $79,000 in participation fees, $31,150 in gate receipts and $300,000 in fundraising, all kept at the school.
Enrollment: 1,680.
Participation: Estimated 50 percent play at least one sport.
Intangible: Parent boosters provide extras, but central office is frugal with spending for major facilities.
