GilfordGrok

.

I couldn’t help but notice the ongoing debate in the Shaker Regional School district to consider funding the Gilford-Belmont varsity hockey team. The Gilford-Belmont hockey team has been successfully operating even long than the Gilford football program. Let me begin by stating that I am a huge fan of both hockey and football so obviously I am very supportive of these teams competing at the varsity level. My sons played these sports under the direction of the same people being associated with these sports today. That said, I have my concerns about funding them through taxpayer dollars.

.

The initial sales pitch for these programs goes like this; the money is placed in the budget on the spending side and the revenues that have always been raised by fundraisers and volunteer workers will replace the taxpayer’s money. In some cases, bold promises are made by unaccountable individuals to actually guarantee the money will be raised. These folks are never available when these revenue expectations don’t materialize. I vividly recall the Gunstock director claiming that if the new high speed quad didn’t pay for itself, he would make up the difference. I don’t see that happening and he’s accountable! Is it any wonder why citizens are skeptical about these things? I think we can find plenty of rich history that would lead us to believe that fundraising activities dramatically diminish when the money is already available. There is absolutely zero reason why a public budget needs to be established if the organization is operating as it should be. In fact, these programs always seem to continue on long after public funding is denied.

.

Since these programs have proven they can successfully fund themselves then why would we create a problem were none exist? Let the school provide the vehicle for these programs to operate but let the booster clubs continue to fund them. That was the spirit that involved parents, school, children and community, that I enjoyed most when my kids played.