Manatee County schools adds athletics to 1-mill property tax referendum

Football draws hundreds, if not thousands, of people every Friday in the fall to high school stadiums across Manatee County. 

At the same time, high school volleyball teams could be competing in their home gymnasiums or traveling to an away site to play.

The next day, cross country runners could be racing through G.T. Bray Park while swimmers are racing through area pools. 

That's just one season in which hundreds of high school students participate in athletics, and the School Board of Manatee County wants to provide additional funding to support them.

Athletics has been added to the School District of Manatee County's 1-mill property tax referendum, which is on the ballot Nov. 5. 

The millage on the referendum has a budget of just more than $75.5 million in the 2024-2025 school year and supports teacher and staff salaries, STEM programs, career and technical education and charter schools. 

If renewed by the voters Nov. 5, the school board has decided to add allocations for athletics, early literacy and school safety and security. 

Sharon Scarbrough, the executive director of secondary education, said the funding from the 1-mill property tax referendum will go toward providing additional support for athletics. 

Each school receives equitable funding from the district, and the schools determine how the funding is spent based on needs and interest in programs. 

But increased costs have made it more difficult for the district to cover the total cost of its sports programs. 

"The cost of equipment for safety, transportation ... all of those things ... has well exceeded anything we could do adequately to make sure we're providing the best opportunity for our students to compete," Scarbrough said. 

Scarbrough said some equipment, such as football helmets, has to be replaced on a rotating basis to ensure safety. According to Dicks Sporting Goods, football helmets can cost between $180 and $500 each. 

"The cost is quite expensive, but it is worth it, because we want to make sure that our students are safe," she said. 

Matt Nesser, the athletic director at Braden River High School, said uniforms are a big-ticket expense. He said a set of 16 basketball uniforms cost $2,281 ($142.56 apiece) while it could cost $164 per athlete for football pants and a jersey.

"You can get less expensive stuff as well, but with coaches raising money, they like to get quality products that will last longer," Nesser said. 

Depending on use and the quality of equipment, uniforms and more, Nesser estimated it could be four to five years before a team will have to replace those items. 

There's a cost to the individual student as well.

In order to participate in athletics in the district, each student must pay a mandatory athletic fee for each sport. The fee is $75 for football, $50 for all other sports and $25 for spring football and spring cheerleading.

The fee covers students for unlimited tryouts, participation in open facilities and strength training and participation in the sport if the student makes the team.

The fee goes toward providing insurance, which is one of the major costs of athletic participation.

Besides the cost of equipment, the district also pays for transportation, officials, and athletic trainers. 

Nesser said officials for games can cost hundreds of dollars. For the district volleyball game Oct. 16 at Braden River High, it cost $298 for officials. Officials for junior varsity and varsity football games can cost upwards of $400 per event.

Scarbrough said there are athletic trainers at each of the schools, but often with multiple sports happening at one time on a campus, an athletic trainer needs to split time among the sports. 

For the health and safety of students, Scarbrough said the district might need to contract additional athletic trainers, which funding from the referendum could go toward. 

Nesser said many coaches and parents fundraise. 

Money from admission to athletic events can go toward financially supporting a team as well, he said. 

"We try to fundraise through different means. Everybody is getting a little more creative with it," Nesser said. "Some coaches do multiple fundraisers, some do single fundraisers and that money goes to benefit the student athletes."

With so many teams and other school organizations trying to fundraise and obtain business sponsorships, Nesser said it can be difficult to raise money. 

If approved, additional funding for athletics could help ensure the district is providing students "the stage for the competitiveness with the rest of our communities," Scarbrough said. 

"We want to look at the whole child and how we can not only educate them but expose them to opportunities, whether it's the arts or athletics," she said. 

File photo

At Braden River High, Nesser said between 500 and 600 students participate in a sport.

Scarbrough said for many students, school athletics is the only chance they have to compete because travel teams or club teams can be too costly. 

She said some schools want to be able to expand their athletics programs or offer new sports, but there are costs associated with that. 

Sometimes, athletics also can lead to opportunities for post-secondary education as athletes receive scholarships. 

Nesser said participating in athletics teaches skills that will prepare students for a future outside of sports. That includes teamwork, building camaraderie and overcoming adversity. 

Scarbrough said the district has seen many former Manatee County athletes return to the area to work on schools' coaching staff. 

Scarbrough said if voters approve the renewal of the referendum in November, the funding for athletics could be distributed in various ways. 

She said the district would not only look at the enrollment of the schools but also could look at the needs of the schools, or funding could be distributed on a rotating basis. For example, one high school's football helmets might need to be replaced before another school's, and therefore the school would receive funding to replace them. 

The School Board of Manatee County ultimately will decide how funds are allocated, and the board has yet to have discussions regarding specific allocations.