BUSD to seek voluntary donations for athletics

The families of Bonsall High School and Sullivan Middle School students participating in athletics will be asked to provide a donation for the school district’s athletic programs.

A 5-0 Bonsall Unified School District board vote Sept. 11 approved asking for a $150 voluntary donation from families of Bonsall and Sullivan athletes.

“This will help to offset the cost and will help us to fund the sports from year to year,” BUSD superintendent David Jones said. “We’re trying to make sure we don’t lose any sports.”

Coaches at Bonsall High School and Sullivan Middle School had received a $2,000 annual stipend. During the budget process the school district had to remove the stipends from the formal funding, although the donations will help to restore the coaches’ compensation.

“We’re trying to make up for that,” Jones said. “We discussed some funding possibilities.”

On a long-term basis fundraisers may provide for the financial needs of the Bonsall High School and Sullivan Middle School athletic programs, but the request for donations is expected to provide funding for the 2019-2020 seasons.

“The goal is to do what probably most if not all high schools do,” Jones said.

Jones’ son is currently a sophomore at Torrey Pines High School and is expected to be a member of the Falcons’ junior varsity basketball team for the 2019-2020 season. The Torrey Pines High School families are asked for more than the $150 donation the Bonsall and Sullivan families are being requested to provide.

“We thought for this area that this is a reasonable ask,” Jones said of the $150 amount.

Jones played high school ice hockey and baseball in Minnesota.

“My parents paid every season for me to play hockey and baseball,” he said. “I’m sure it wasn’t very much different back then.”

The donations are voluntary.

“We’re asking for a donation,” Jones said. “We will never exclude a child from participation in a sport if they don’t pay or can’t pay.”

The funding will be placed into an athletic account rather than being designated for a single sport and will cover expenses such as equipment, travel to road contests, coaching stipends, officials fees, and tournament entry fees.