Asb Account Will Pay For Team Travel, Lodging

Student activities didn’t get kid-glove treatment in Mead School District’s budget boxing ring.

Administrators are cutting off support for the Associated Student Body account, leaving the Math Club to compete with sports teams for funding.

The school district had paid $45,000 to cover referee and some coaching costs. The ASB account will also now be responsible for travel and lodging for sports teams in the post-season.

ASB advisor Randy Mickelson said the cut wasn’t a surprise. He’s been warning student councils for several years to save, in anticipation of the opening of Mount Spokane High. The savings account now contains about $140,000, said Mickelson.

Still, picking up more sports costs could mean less for clubs.

“We don’t want to, of course,” said Mickelson. “But it is a student responsibility.”

He added: “I don’t think any clubs will be tightening their belt.”

The Mead ASB budget is $65,000 yearly and supports elementary, middle and high school student activities. The lion’s share is spent at the high school, where there are more than two dozen clubs, from choir to photography to the drill team.

The ASB support was cut as part of a district-wide budget shaving plan. Administrators looked for areas that could be “off set” by other funding sources.

“It’s not a matter of academics versus athletics,” said Superintendent Bill Mester.

Money comes from a handful of regular sources, including $17,000 from sales of ASB cards, $18,000 from the student store, and at least $20,000 from gate receipts for Greater Spokane League events.

It’s unclear how much the ASB budget will have to take up, because the district’s contribution depends on how many teams make it to state tournaments.

Mickelson thinks it might be small, at least initially. “As we open a new school, I don’t think we will be sending as many teams as we have (to state tournaments), at least until the new school is up and running,” said Mickelson.

, DataTimes