Enthusiasts plead for full sports funding
By Alice Felts
Mary Chrisinger found herself in a familiar place Monday night—standing before the Fauquier County School Board, again asking for all sports to be funded by the school district.
Last year, Chrisinger and her supporters, many of whom were students, pleaded the case for swimming, indoor track and lacrosse. Having been the Fauquier High swim coach for five years, she stated that the county school system was the only competitor in the region that did not fully fund its swim teams.
Although this is her final year as a volunteer swim coach, Chrisinger remains a staunch supporter for those teams partially funded. Her daughter, Abby, also spoke before the board. A FHS senior athlete in both swimming and lacrosse, Abby will not benefit directly from a budget increase, but told the board she hoped that future athletes receive better treatment and equal funding.
Although last year's requests for fulling funding all sports failed, this year Dana Hansson-Giunta from the Scott District came to the public hearing with some suggestions. One was to generate sports revenue. However, she acknowledged that in the case of winter track, there wasn't an appropriate current facility in which admission could be charged. There isn't an indoor track; the Liberty High track lacks spectator stands, lighting, bathrooms, concession stands and gates; and the Fauquier High track has been in disrepair.
Another solution offered by Hansson-Giunta was the redistribution of existing funding after a comprehensive review of operating expenses and revenues for each sport and each athlete. She suggested using the model of the U.S. Department of Education.
She concluded her comments to the board, “Since you will need to determine an appropriate amount of funding for Kettle Run High School athletics, now is the perfect opportunity to examine the flow of sports dollars per sport, per athlete in our schools.”
E-mail the reporter: afelts@timespapers.com.