Financial Strain on Programs

Financial Strain on Programs

It is no secret that Alliance High School, as many schools and business in America, suffering from a large debt. No money means less funding for activities, which means that certain activities which generate more revenue for the school will be given precedence over less revenue generating activities. As it should be, I mean after all, to get out of debt you need to make money right? There has been speculation throughout the students at AHS that there is the possibility of a program getting cut, or less-funded, and the rumors have started to fly about what might or might not appear on activity calendars in the next few years.

Programs are constantly getting cut at schools, from college down to high school, when there isn’t the money, the programs can’t be supported anymore. This has been solved by many of the clubs and sports teams doing fundraisers that nearly cover all of their traveling expenses. At Alliance High School the past few years have been a strain on extracurricular activities, but no programs are in danger of being cut in the near future. “All of the programs will continue as they always have been” said Alliance High School Activities Director Tim Wallace, “The only difference is that we will probably not be adding any new activities or events in the near future.”

Fundraising is the key word for these programs said Wallace, “all of the programs have accounts, and the money that they get from fundraising will go into there.” Money from that account is used to help pay for things like hotel rooms, food, and other expenses that the activities require. “Obviously the activities that travel more use more money,” said Wallace, “The more money that activities cost, the more that the activity needs to fundraise.”

The sports that generate revenue get that money deposited into their account as well. “The sports that charge admission: basketball, volleyball and football, get the money that they make off of admissions put in their account,” said Wallace.  Which means that they get a little help with fundraising, but they are also the sports that are the largest, and use the most money, which is why each sport and activity fundraises.

Overall, the rumors flying around about programs being cut can stop, as Wallace said that programs being cut are not anything in discussion. “There will not be any programs cut in the near future, as long as they keep doing their parts with helping with money,” said Wallace, “no new programs will be added though.” The outlook is good for the extracurricular programs at AHS, which can bring relief to many students, who have wondered whether they will be able to continue the activity that they love next year.