RR school sports to see budget decrease
A reduction of 15 percent expected
Athletics programs at Rio Rancho Public Schools will see budget reductions during the next school year, though nothing like Albuquerque’s recent proposal to drop all middle school sports.
Bruce Carver, RRPS athletics executive director, told the Journal he is projecting a $103,000 loss from his operating budget — about 15 percent of the $667,000 total — and a $21,000 facilities cut.
In response, he will have to scale back team travel, supplies and professional development across the board. The district is also considering fundraising ideas like a 5K run and spaghetti dinner to kick off football season. “We’ve had to do some trimming,” Carver said. “At this point, I am optimistic that we are going to be able to survive this and still have our programs intact.”
Roughly 3,000 students participate in RRPS athletics — 883 at the middle school level and 2,051 students at the two high schools.
Carver said the district never considered dropping middle school sports, which includes football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, softball, baseball and track and field.
“I am fortunate that we have an administration that supports our programs,” Carver said. “They realize the value of them and certainly don’t want to cut them.”
Earlier this month, neighboring Albuquerque Public Schools announced a proposal to ax competitive middle school sports, drawing heavy criticism from the Public Education Department, Gov. Susana Martinez and parents.
PED and Martinez highlighted APS spending on public relations and lobbying, as well as high administrator salaries.
On Wednesday, APS said it had found a way to save middle school athletics through sponsorships, community partnerships and cuts to equipment, uniforms, schedules and supplies.
While Carver said he is happy Rio Rancho Public Schools is protecting its sports program, he worried student athletes will miss out on some valuable travel opportunities.
Rio Rancho teams often compete against communities like Clovis, Las Cruces, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Los Lunas and Las Vegas.
“The travel is important,” Carver said. “It is good for the kids. If we have to cut more back
on equipment, we will. Our priority is to protect our schedule.”
Carver also stressed that he is budgeting without final numbers for the next fiscal year, and the uncertainty is difficult.
Every district is awaiting a special Legislative session that will set the state’s 2018 budget, though it is not clear when Martinez will call lawmakers back.
“That has been the toughest part this year — the not knowing,” Carver said. “Once you know the results, you say we will deal with it.”