By David Henry Updated 12:29 pm, Wednesday, August 24, 2011
There are three things that unite thousands of people in Southeast Texas – graduations, high school football games and hurricane evacuations.
The middle of the three regularly costs the most.
With long bus trips, uniforms, officials, security and stipends for as many as 10 assistant coaches, it all adds up – to the tune of almost $1.8 million dollars – which is about how much schools in Southeast Texas combined spent on the 2010 season.
That spending is not necessarily a reflection of each school’s overall spending habits. It is, however, a reflection of the area’s interest in high school football.
The best example of that is the $46 million Carrol A. “Butch” Thomas Educational Support Center of Beaumont ISD, which taxpayers directly approved as part of a 2007 bond project.
It’s no secret schools spend a lot on high school football.
What might come as a surprise is that some actually make money.
Not including the athletic director’s salary, Port Neches-Groves ISD made more than $69,000 in profit on high school football, thanks in large part to ticket revenue.
“Football is a huge revenue generator,” said Port Neches-Groves ISD superintendent Rodney Cavness. “It does generate a ton of money that goes back to the students. People aren’t just coming for the football – the band, the twirlers and the Indianettes – it’s truly a sight to see here on Friday night.”
It isn’t that way everywhere. Schools are not expected to cover their costs. All of the area schools except for two, PN-G and Vidor, lost money on football.
Beaumont ISD spent $669,315 on its three high school football teams in the 2010 season, according to information compiled from public records requests filed by The Enterprise.
But fans and former players say you can’t put a price on the experience young student athletes get from playing under the Friday night lights, which many adults recall as some of the best years of their lives.
Avoiding cuts
For the most part, football budgets have remained unscathed in Southeast Texas, even as overall state funding for K-12 public education has decreased and the student count has increased.
Nederland cut $248,600 from its 2010-2011 operating budget to make up for a $1,248,000 loss in revenue. Athletics saw a $250 decrease.
Hamshire-Fannett will have its athletic teams restrict travel to 50 miles in anticipation of a $2 million budget shortfall, but that rule did not apply to the football team.
Rather than cut the $6,000 football budget from the bare budgetary bones, Evadale will try to generate more revenue by having the school district take over the concession stand and keep the profits.
Previously, and at most schools in Southeast Texas, the booster club operated the concession stand and used the money to help the athletic programs.
“It’s a big money-maker,” said Evadale head football coach and athletic director Mark Williams, who has been with the school for 10 years.
Lumberton is one school district that runs its own concessions and made a $3,928 profit from it, which is enough money to buy about 20 new football helmets.
Cavness said he asked his athletic director, Brandon Faircloth, who is also the head football coach, to make cuts where they can be made.
Cavness doesn’t anticipate any substantial budget cuts in athletics, which has about 200 student participants.
“Yes, we’ve made cuts, but the large number of kids justifies the program,” Cavness said. “Even if you keep it the same, it is less because the number of kids is growing.”
He said any cuts to football would not be popular with the community.
“This is Texas,” Cavness said. “Football is the pinnacle sport. It always has been and always will be.”
Making it work
To save money last school year, Vidor used regular yellow school buses instead of charter buses and did not buy new uniforms beyond 20 pairs of pants.
Vidor made $18,088.73 on football and will operate under the same plan this year.
“I could always use more money, but the kids have everything they need,” said Vidor ISD athletic director and head football coach Jeff Mathews. “I’m a team player, so I’ll do what I have to do as long as our kids have the essentials.”
Evadale hasn’t purchased new uniforms in five years, Williams said. He has no budget for the junior high, so all of the team’s equipment is hand-me-down.
There’s only so much he can do to avoid costs.
Texas law requires public school districts to recondition football helmets that are 10 years or older every two years and retire helmets after 16 years.
“We have to be resourceful,” he said. “Get them when we can get a good deal on them.”
After reaching the third round of the playoffs in 2010, Williams ran out of money in his playoff budget. He received help from the Eastex Federal Credit Union and MeadWestvaco paper mill to pay for the team’s trip to College Station.
“They’re awesome,” Williams said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without their help and the booster club.”
Booster clubs play a prominent role for many of the area’s teams.
Despite the struggling economy, Nederland booster club president Marty Byrd said the club, which provides extra equipment – like a tarp for the football field – and expenses not covered by the school’s budget for all the sports, has actually seen an increase in membership and donations in the past year.
He said if the school’s athletic budget has to undergo major cuts, the booster club will pick up the slack.
“I’ve only been on it three years and have seen it grow each year,” Byrd said.
No matter what the economic conditions, Southeast Texans’ love of football has prevailed.
“I think the people in the area would step up to make the difference and try to keep things the way they are ,” said Lyndia Walker King, a Port Neches-Groves football fan and season ticket holder.
Five top-grossing programs
1. Port Neches-Groves: $200,236
2. Nederland: $100,196
3. West Brook: $96,142
4. Vidor: $91,406.46
5. Little Cypress-Mauriceville: $90,030
Five most expensive programs
1. West Brook: $153,049
2. Port Neches-Groves: $130,924.04
3. Ozen: $130,638
4. Central: $129,654
5. Nederland: $113,394
Schools that make the most money
1. Port Neches-Groves: $69,312.03
2. Vidor: $18,088.74
Schools that lose the most money
1. Ozen: -$93,282
2. Central: -$77,509
Top five coaches’ salaries
1. Larry Neumann, Nederland: $94,980.56
2. Brandon Faircloth, Port Neches-Groves: $86,840
3. Randy Crouch, Little Cypress-Mauriceville: $84,566
4. Jeff Mathews, Vidor: $81,631
5. Larry Haynes, Hardin: $81,396
*Actual compensation for BISD coaches:
Craig Stump, West Brook: $90,604
Andrew Washington, Central: $82,766
Jeff Nelson, Ozen: $82,604
