Coach Pay

[gatorman-uf]

I wish I could get paid to write drivel like this. How does this man get published in numerous newspapers for high school athletics, when there are better high school sports journalists (and advocates for high school sports). Don't get me wrong, I agree with the general premise (Football coaches should be paid more than other coaches and all coaches should be paid more), but he makes such sophomoric arguments. The idea that coaches would be paid administrator salaries is probably a line too far for me. 

https://www.gainesville.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2023/02/25/3-reasons-florida-high-school-football-coaches-should-get-paid-more/69941568007/

Anyway, I posted it because, I will always argue that coaches (of all sports) if they joined their local union, demanded the union prioritize coach pay, and showed up at school board meetings and demanded it as well. But if school board members don't hear from the coaches, then they won't care. Coaches also have the ability to tap into alumni, boosters, parents, and students. Finally, school districts should pay for a sport if they want it. Athletics should not have to raise a single dollar to play and practice.

• Umpires/Refs
• Uniforms
• Security
• Game Equipment
• Ticket Takers
• Reasonable Travel (say 1.5 to 2 hours in any direction from the school). 
• Medical Equipment

None of the above should have to fundraised for if the School District is going to sanction the sport. Now, the "extras" that make a program, that should be fundraised for. Things like HUDL, varsity jackets, awards, overnight stays, summer camps, weight room equipment, coaches outfits, random T-shirts with inspirational sayings, travel suits, and polos. 

In baseball and softball, a pitching machine is nice, but not a requirement.
In basketball, a shooting machine machine is nice, but not a requirement.
In football, a JUGs machine is nice, but not a requirement. 

[LakelandGator]

Santucci is different for sure, but think about this.

In many cases, not saying I agree completely, the football coach and his program is bigger AND more important than anything else on the campus. 

Some of the truly successful football programs have 100's on thousands of dollar in the football booster account alone. That large sum of money is not there because the dean of students or the principal are cool dudes.

I can think of a few programs in Polk that exceed 150k in the football account on a slow year.

[gatorman-uf]

And some of the most successful band programs can match them dollar for dollar.
Football has a larger budget because it costs more to outfit them any other sport. I mean even if we just did basics of uniform, helmet, pads, ball, and officials. It costs more, so of course they need to raise more money for it to exist. Santucci's argument sucks in that he says football pays for everything else.

Ok, so imagine if football didn't exist, what would JROTC do? Well, they still need to fundraise for whatever it is they need, so they still would. More car washes, more chocolate bars, more fundraising. Does football make that easier? Sure, but it's not like the money literally comes out of the football budget (in my experiences). Most football parents don't want to run a concession stand or sell programs or work the gate or park cars because they want to see their sons playing.

I know an AP teacher, who teaches 150 AP Microeconomics students in the fall and the same 150 in AP Macroeconomics kids in the spring. He brings in more money than the football program just from that. Is he a special case? Sure, but to act like teachers don't matter (which is what Santucci essentially says) is idiotic and shows he doesn't he really know the inner workings of a school budgetary process. 

Even saying all that, I agree football coaches should be paid a better stipend or paid based on success, but we have to stop acting like they are the only ones who do extra work around a school. Show me the head football coach who is also teaching Algebra II or Biology or US History or English II with 150-180 kids in the course load, and not just a glorified weightlifting class that doubles as film study for football and only 3-4 sections of it and we can talk.  

[gatorman-uf]

Brevard County - https://www.floridatoday.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2023/02/27/brevard-county-aims-to-have-states-highest-paid-coaches-by-june/69950685007/

By "highest pay" they mean the starting supplement will be 35th in the state (not counting their spring supplement, which they have not released yet). I have problems with some of the arguments in this article, but I am happy for all the coaches that will be receiving more money.

[Coach]

Any time coaches can get closer to other States, it's a positive move.

Supplements going up is good but it won't stop coaches from leaving Florida. A lot of other states pay coaches for 11 or even 12 month contracts IN ADDITION TO the larger supplements. Coaches will continue to leave, especially those that have had success, because Florida will never be able to keep up financially. 

That being said, I can't say enough good things about the Brevard County AD who has been working hard to make people pay attention to the coaching pay and actually getting something done in his county about it.

[gatorman-uf]

6 hours ago, Coach said:

Any time coaches can get closer to other States, it's a positive move.

Supplements going up is good but it won't stop coaches from leaving Florida. A lot of other states pay coaches for 11 or even 12 month contracts IN ADDITION TO the larger supplements. Coaches will continue to leave, especially those that have had success, because Florida will never be able to keep up financially. 

That being said, I can't say enough good things about the Brevard County AD who has been working hard to make people pay attention to the coaching pay and actually getting something done in his county about it.

Let's be honest, Florida is never catching these other states. Too much of a lead, communities that are too transient to support the schools. State legislatures that is focused on keeping taxes so low that nobody wants to be a public employee or using vouchers that continue to suck money away from the public schools with zero accountability for those dollars. 

But yes, having support from the county administration is great. I wish all counties were that supportive.

[LakelandGator]

17 hours ago, gatorman-uf said:

Let's be honest, Florida is never catching these other states. Too much of a lead, communities that are too transient to support the schools. State legislatures that is focused on keeping taxes so low that nobody wants to be a public employee or using vouchers that continue to suck money away from the public schools with zero accountability for those dollars. 

Facts, facts, facts.