Bill for joining school choir tops $2,000

From left, Savannah Kyle, Georgia Schaefer, and Mackenzie Everett choreograph their mellophone movements to the beat of the music. The students are part of the La Cueva High School Big Bad Bear Band, which has to raise about $1,000 per person for a spring trip to New Orleans. (Greg Sorber/Journal)

If you’re an Eldorado High parent and your teen wants to have a “Glee” experience, prepare to shell out thousands of dollars to pay for it.

That school’s show choir and other costly activities throughout the Albuquerque Public Schools district are causing concern among some APS board members.

“I don’t know where you draw the line as to what’s appropriate and not appropriate, but I do think a requirement for a student to participate in choir to come up with $2,250 is unconscionable and not right,” APS board member Martin Esquivel said at a recent meeting, referring to the Eldorado choir. “And I think if that issue ever got before a state or federal court, we’d be in a lot of trouble.”

The school board faces a two-fold issue: those high activity costs, often to pay for out-of-state travel, and a state law that requires districts to collect information about money spent on athletics to ensure compliance with federal laws on gender equity. Students in the Eldorado show choir sign a commitment letter promising to pay fees that total about $2,200. The fees cover costumes and accessories, but the bulk of the money goes toward a spring trip. The letter also describes numerous fundraising opportunities that are available to offset the cost.

From top to bottom are Justus Colemon, Khari Henderson and Gabrielle Muller, who are part of “Vocal Velocity,” the Volcano Vista High show choir. They performed their spring concert Wednesday at the school. Students pay about $600 to participate in the club, plus the cost of a trip to Chicago. (Jim Thompson/Journal)

Officers with the Eldorado choir boosters referred questions to APS.

Administrators, Esquivel and other board members all acknowledge the booster issue is a tricky one, with no obvious solution.

“I’ve thought a lot about the issue of booster clubs, in terms of the good and bad,” Esquivel said. “The obvious good is that any time we can supplement any student’s participation in an athletic event or an organization, that’s obviously a good thing.”

But he said he worries that even with opportunities to fund raise, students from lower-income families may be intimidated by the cost of activities and decide not to participate.

“I do think that it bothers me to know that there might be some students out there who are not participating because of unrealistic goals and expectations,” he said.

Boosters have been a hot-button issue at APS for the past few months, as the district wrestles with how best to implement the New Mexico School Athletics Equity Act. The act requires districts to report all spending on athletics, including money raised by booster clubs. It does not require districts to distribute funds more equitably.

However, the federal Title IX law does require gender equity in activities. For example, if boosters paid for away uniforms for an all-boys football team, the district would have to provide such uniforms for girls volleyball. The dollar value would not have to match. The purpose of the state reporting act is to see whether New Mexico districts are complying with Title IX.

In November, the APS board passed a policy that required booster clubs to flow their money through their school’s activities office. After significant outcry from boosters who said this would hamper their fundraising and flexibility, the board adopted a new policy that simply says boosters must report all their financial information to the district.

Jacki Martinez, president of the Cibola football boosters, said her group was pleased with the change in policy. The Cibola football group was vocal and active in opposing the original policy but said reporting finances is no problem.

“We’re very happy,” Martinez said. “For a while there, we felt like they were going to take the money that we raise, and there were so many concerns about it going to different sports.”

Martinez said football players at Cibola are asked to raise about $300 per year, and most are able to raise it through group activities, so families don’t have to reach into their pockets. She said the money is used to feed students before games and to pay for bus transportation.

Wyatt Robledo plays the tenor drums with the La Cueva High School Big Bad Bear Band at a Thursday basketball game against Manzano High. (Greg Sorber/Journal)

Fundraising goals may be significantly higher for activities that leave the state for competitions and performances. Show choir is one example, and band is another. The website for the La Cueva band shows the group is going to New Orleans this spring, and the cost of the trip is about $1,000 per student. The website outlines fundraising opportunities to help students cover the cost and specifies that the trip is voluntary.

School board member Kathy Korte is an active booster parent whose daughter is on the Volcano Vista High show choir, which is traveling to Chicago this year. She has been an advocate for booster clubs but agreed equity is a concern. She also raised other logistical concerns: for example, if booster clubs build permanent structures or donate vehicles, maintenance of those items becomes the long-term responsibility of the district.

APS Superintendent Winston Brooks said the board is gathering the information because booster expectations vary widely among schools and activities.

“We’re trying to gather information to find out where in the heck we are,” Brooks said, describing the problem as “leftover site-based (school-by-school) management that has gone afoul.”

“Five years ago, everything was site-based,” Brooks said. “You had everything from soup to nuts going on, and the more affluent you were, the more opportunities you had. That’s not what a school district should be about.”
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal