Fort High athletic budget won’t face cutbacks next season

For the second year in a row, the Fort High athletic budget will not suffer any cuts to its program.
And that’s good news to FFHS athletic director Bob Grynol, who said the program is now in a stable situation heading into the 1998-99 school year.
“We don’t anticipate a decrease in our budget unless something unforeseen comes up that we don’t know about,” he said Monday.
Grynol said the schedule for next year’s sports programs should remain relatively the same, adding he also doesn’t expect an increase in athlete’s user fees.
Student user fees were hiked significantly last season to offset the cutbacks incurred in 1996-97.
Fort High principal Terry Ellwood estimated the average user fee charged to each student this past year was around $60-$75, depending on the sport involved.
The Muskies’ budget was slashed 30 percent for the 1996-97 school year, leaving administrators scrambling to offer the same programs with reduced finances.
But despite the cutbacks, they managed to survive. And while Grynol stressed the athletic program isn’t making money, they have been able to balance their books.
Still, Grynol stressed they simply could not provide the kids with the necessary programs without the help of the school’s two booster clubs–the Blueline Club and the Touchdown Club.
“Besides the [financial help], they also provide a lot of volunteer time and service,” he remarked.
“Because of the support we’ve received from those two clubs, and to a lesser extent from the booster club for the court sports, we’ve been able to provide for the other sports,” echoed Ellwood.
Meanwhile, Grynol said the high school is still in the process of forming an alumni club, headed by Muskie head football coach Bob Swing, that will look to add even more funds to the athletic program.
Fort High also was looking to improve its financial situation through corporate sponsorship but Grynol noted that failed to materialize, adding most corporations choose to sponsor teams or sports on a national level.
Ellwood said both of those options are currently on the “backburner” but he did note the school has received help from such businesses as CIBC and Pizza Hut.