GEORGETOWN — In an effort to retain and bring in talented coaches, a special committee made up of administrators and coaches within Georgetown County School District is proposing an increase in the athletic stipend budget.
At the district’s board meeting on May 2, GCSD superintendent Keith Price, a member of the committee, proposed that the district increase the yearly athletic stipend budget by $371,200 to a total of $1.1 million.
Currently, GCSD uses only $504,300 of its $800,000 stipend budget because it does not offer all sports at all levels at all schools, leaving $295,700 left over. The latter total, plus the $371,200 from a source that is yet to be determined, would allow the district to reach the desired $1.171 million.
The proposal would be carried out in phases, with Phases 0, 1 and 2 already being accounted for in the current budget. Phase 0 would encompass athletic directors, assistant ADs and varsity football head coaches, increasing the overall yearly stipend total from $70,000 to $118,000 for that group.
“There were two glaring areas where we were well behind, and that had to do with head football coaches and our athletic directors,” Price said.
The proposal also compared the current GCSD stipends to the athletic stipends of three unnamed school districts of similar size, showing that GCSD is trailing them.
Phase 1 would increase supplements without days’ pay or additional positions being added, while Phase 2 would increase the number of assistant coaches.
Phase 3 would increase the number of days’ pay for varsity head coaches and would be partially covered by the current budget, with an extra $135,700 needed. $235,500 is needed for Phase 4, which is an increase in the number of days’ pay for remaining coaches.
The proposal would also require varsity head football coaches to serve as ADs, increasing their yearly stipends from $7,500 to $9,500 plus 30 days’ pay.
Additional changes would include paying coaches who drive for athletic events, playoff payment structure changes and incentives for region, lower state and state championships. A region title would give a team’s coaching staff a $250 bonus, a lower state title would grant a $500 bonus and a state title would be good enough for a $750 bonus.
