Booster Club Rights

[Joe Moore]

What is the name of your state? North Carolina
We have started a Band Booster Club for a new High School in our county and the athletic fields only have one concession stand built by the county. It seems that everyone is under the assumption that the Athletic Boosters have complete control over the use of this facilitiy for fund raising. All the policies that I can find leave this decision to the Principle. He is an ex football coach and has shown little interest in the band program even though band is a curriculm course. The athletic program has been fully funded and the AD has been hired. We still do not even have a Band Director and have allready been informed that the School does not have all the funds required to start the band program.What law would give us equal access to the school facilities.

 

[tranquility]

No law. Besides, how successful do you think the band program will be if you have to start suing the decision makers to get things?

 

[lealea1005]

What is the name of your state? North Carolina
We have started a Band Booster Club for a new High School in our county and the athletic fields only have one concession stand built by the county. It seems that everyone is under the assumption that the Athletic Boosters have complete control over the use of this facilitiy for fund raising. All the policies that I can find leave this decision to the Principle. He is an ex football coach and has shown little interest in the band program even though band is a curriculm course. The athletic program has been fully funded and the AD has been hired. We still do not even have a Band Director and have allready been informed that the School does not have all the funds required to start the band program.What law would give us equal access to the school facilities.

I feel your pain! I was the VP of our (State Champion Marching Band) High School's Band Boosters for several years. We had the same issues with, not so much the Athletic Boosters, but the Principal and Athletic Director who were less than friendly about the Band using "their" field and facilities.

We negotiated a plan with the Athletic Boosters to work the concession stand during the home football games only. This way, it would free the football parents up to actually watch the game, yet left them the rest of the sporting events to make money. Enough money can be made with a well planned, resonably priced menu, and about 6 regular volunteers, to fund the Band for the entire year, especially if the games are well attended.

As for the Band Director...do the other schools in the county have band programs? If so, you could ask the School Board and/or Superintendent to consider it for the budget for next year to put your school on an equal level as others in the county. Bring as many of the band members and their parents to the school board meeting to speak on the matter. Our school board was baraged with study after study showing the correlation between music, math, higher GPA's, teaching responsibility, teamwork and committment.

Luckily, there was a teacher within the school that had marching band experience and was willing to lead the program while being paid a small stipend earmarked from the fundraising money. You'd have to check their contracts to see if there is a provision which allows this.

The program started out small, and it grew in babysteps over the years, but it is now well received and going strong. There is a full time Band Director and, during Marching Band season, 3 additional sectional techs. These are just suggestions from experience. Feel free to PM me if you think I can help further. Good luck.