Adding Coaching Stipends through the Booster Club Why do we need this? Many positive reasons – Mostly benefiting students and performance on field. Not illegal and not ethically wrong either. Not circumventing the IRS and not violating any WIAA rules if handled properly. Kids today need more attention at this level than ever before. Coaches connect with student-athletes better. Coaches passion for sport rubs off on kids & makes them more passionate about being successful people. Ultimate teachers – students intrinsically motivated by sports to do the right thing. Better run practices (more coaches = more specific drills). More repetitions for players if each position is broken down. More feedback in practice and games. More hands make for lighter work. Coaching is a People business - More important than buying pieces of equipment or uniforms, etc.

Why dont they just volunteer? Some coaches do & want nothing – have financial security that most do not or they have a son/daughter involved in program (not ideal situation at High School level). Most young coaches cannot afford the time commitment of volunteering – large chunk of work day takes place during ideal practice times. Gas prices - Wilmot is not ideal geographic location for many people. Competition - Illinois pays much more for Coaching positions, other Kenosha area schools have more positions available. Weve had a state champion football player and a former NFL football player both not continue coaching with us because we could not give even slight compensation for their time and the drive. Our goal is retention of good coaches and minimal effects on staffs when people quit, retire or leave. Why come back the next year if theres nothing in it for them? Would you do your job for free?

How much time do coaches put in? Football (standard work week – not including 2 week training camp – about 50 hours of work): Mon-Wed Practices 3-6 PM (9 hours), Thursday Freshman and JV games (4-5 hours), Friday Varsity game (4 hours), Saturday film, lift, coaches meeting (4 hours), weekend film study (2-3 hours) Weekly total - 24 hours of work x 8 week season = 192 hours + 50 camp hours = estimated 242 hours in a season of work by a standard assistant coach. $1800 (apx. half) stipend / 242 hours = $7.44 an hour. So what we are asking for is below minimum wage – a pittance – for someone to work a lot of hours with our kids to help them get better and help divide responsibilities with our coaching staff. Turnover is high in coaching these days - If a regular stipend coach quits, we have a replacement on deck that knows our team protocols and our kids.

Ideal Football Coaching Staff for Wilmot: 1.Head Football Coach 2.Varsity Offensive Coordinator (QBs) 3.Varsity Defensive Coordinator (LBs). 4.Varsity & JV Offensive Line Coach. 5.Varsity & JV Defensive Line Coach 6.JV Offensive Coordinator (Varsity WRs) 7.JV Defensive Coordinator (JV Head Coach) 8.Freshman Head Coach (usually freshman team is around kids) 9.Freshman Offensive Coordinator (RBs) 10. Freshman Defensive Coordinator (DBs) 11.Freshman & JV Assistant(s) - (because of sheer numbers) School gives a total of 9 stipend positions.

How other schools do this: Touchy subject at many places – many coaches wont speak with me about it for fear of losing ability to hire coaches - seem to fear negative gossip. My conversations w/ coaches shows that it usually comes down to how either – school board, superintendent, and parents groups feel about it. – some frown upon it – feels like district cannot financially hold up, or parents feel, for some unexplained reason, that it is unethical. However, many places do carry it out if everyone is able to get on the same page. In all cases Coaches file necessary paperwork to be volunteer assistant so that they are background checked and covered by schools Insurance policy. Cudahy –Yearly Coaches clinic at school after seasons end– raise funds for 1 to 2 half-stipends based on need (of $1800 each). Money is immediately deposited into school athletic account – football - and a check is cut to the assistant coach(es) within the week.

School issues a W9 to the coach and a 1099 to IRS for the check – the tax itself is not the schools responsibility but the contractor. Oak Creeks QB Club – Very open about this – Boosters are very supportive and system has been in place for many years (going back to Joe Koch – carried assistant coaches during very successful years). Coach asks for extra stipend(s) for specific coaching positions (tells how many extra coaches there will be). This year they paid out 8 extra positions ranging from $500 to $1800 depending on how much work the coach put in – Coach determines money payouts AFTER seasons end (Full or partial). Boosters fund raise without specific student involvement – golf outing, social, clothing sales, signs & stickers, etc. They openly share that these fundraisers go towards paying coaches. After season is over and funds are raised, the booster club follows the same process of issuing W9 with the check and 1099 form to the IRS. The school board and administrators are aware of all this as it has been in place for over 20 years.

Assistant is paid as an independent contractor – school issues W9 form to coach who is responsible for recording this on his/her tax return. Burlington – Did not get back to me – Herm Christiansen will explain what he knows of their process from when he coached there on one of these stipends. What are we asking for? To use the Wilmot Coaching stipend scale and give out a half-stipend to coaches (of around $1600-$1800 if the coach is able to make a full-time commitment, or half of this if they are able to make a half-commitment). Head Coaches would need to make a formal request of the booster club for the extra stipend(s) and a process would need to be initiated after this for approval and pay. If Booster club approves of this, we would like to form a sub- committee to discuss this topic further, come back and report suggestions for a process that works within the confines of Wilmot.

I will volunteer to speak with superintendent and other administrators and explain what was discussed here tonight before moving any further. Likewise, Coach Square and I will speak to other head coaches about this idea when it is figured out and get their support. I guarantee that this will bring more interest from our coaches towards the success of booster club. Nearly every coaching staff could/should benefit from added coaches, thus our students will benefit. If the main issue is about how things look, lets set up a process that looks right and is easily explained to anyone concerned. We hope to gain your support on this so we can help our kids and all of our programs to grow and be more successful! Any questions?