Numbers
Let’s Talk Numbers and then create some Linkage to probable successes with these numbers.
Questions:
How big is the annual School District budget?
Follow-up Question:
How much impact can an expanded aquatics/athletic/fitness program actually have upon the School District’s bottom-line budget?
Answer:
All in all, the amount of money spent at the swim pool and payed to employees to staff the programs is a drop in the bucket with the overall school budget. If the board gave its permission to Mark Rauterkus to go ahead and build upon the existing programs and create the greatest community swim program the world has ever seen, the total costs involved would amount to nearly nothing when compared to the existing overall budget.
None-the-less, if the people on the board feel it is their duty as elected officials to examine and scrutinize every drop of water that enters the larger school budget (er-bucket), then let’s examine the budget impact. So, get out your microscopes and here is a lesson in water chemistry and pool costs.
Question:
How much does the pool cost per year?
Answer:
Now that you have asked, buildings and grounds should provide us with the costs to operate the swim pool per year. As an outsider, the swim coach does not know, yet I’ve recently asked to answer your questions to me.
But, it is my guess that the grand total for the average yearly pool costs for buildings and grounds is about $20,000. That includes: heat, lights, water, electricity for the pump, chemicals, wear-and-tear fix-ups, cleaning supplies, etc.
Given a worst case examle of taking present-level-modest-usage of 20 swimmers per session and turning that into an extreamly populated facility with usage at 200 instead of 20, throughout the course of an entire year, the extra costs would amount to somewhere between $400 to $500 per year, maximum.
Expert Answer:
I’ve arrived at the maximum yearly costs of $400 to $500 per year after talking with area consultant given:180,000 gals of water in the Plum pool, given an extra backwash in the summers on a weekly instead of monthly basis, given a loss of 375 gallons of water while backwashing, given the price of water at $52 per 10,000 gallons, given the price of chlorine at $125 per 100 pounds and the price of acid at $4.95 a gallons, given that the pool probably consumes 100 pounds of chlorine a month and 20 gallons of acid a year.
The same number of lights are on in the pool area if there are 20 people in the pool or 200. The pump is circulating the water as the heat is on day and night anyway. So some things don’t change at all.
•••
After Coach Mark Rauterkus explored the projected costs with a consultant, we can say that a significant increase in the existing aquatics programs would have a negligible increase on facility costs to the district.
•••
We expect the chlorine and acid numbers to rise by 10 percent with my plan in full operation. Lumped together, there is a good chance the chemicals with increased usage could only amount to an extra $5 per week. All-in-all, the extra cost for greatly expanded programs amounts to a grand total of no more than $400–500 per year.
Getting this technical is what Coach Mark refers to as an inspection of the molecules in the drop of water in the big bucket of the school district budget. But at least I’ve done my homework.
Furthermore, the water and the pool do not wear out like a football field. The pool is a steel, concrete and ceramic tile hole in the ground that is depreciating slowly throughout the next century. Swimmers can make waves in a that swim pool for hours on end, and there is no chance that the swimming tank will wear out. Playing fields needs to drainage, seed, sod, cutting, grooming, expensive lighting, etc., etc.
Summary Answer:
The real costs that amount to anything are not related to the building’s operation, but instead are staff programing (managers, life-guards, instructors) and custodial worker’s compensation.
Question:
What about the custodial worker’s compensation?
Answer:
I come to understand from the November ‘92 committee meeting that the custodians can make up to or beyond $29 per hour. I guess they are union and a contract in place. As for specifics about costs and compensation with regards to clean-up and custodial time, the board would have a much better knowledge than the swim coach as it negotiated the union contract.
I don’t know what existing schedules and costs are associated with buildings and grounds. In the winter the pool area is cleaned every day, and those are fixed costs that should not escalate if 200 people use the pool in an evening instead of 20. Now that the pool is idle in the summers, perhaps the non-profit organization should cause the schedules to change so that the pool is cleaned daily instead of once a week in June and July.
It has been my experience and opinion as a manager of other similar facilities that :45 minutes of time per night would be sufficient to regularly clean that facility even after the most populated, high-use periods. Three-quarters of an hour would allow 15 minutes for each of the locker-rooms and another 15 minutes for the either the deck or the entry hallway on an every-other-day basis.
I also know that the federal government was paying most municipalities to hire a young-person for a summer-job experience. Perhaps some soft-money or some type of grant could be obtained to pay for summer-time-cleaning. Or, the lifeguards and managers can operate a mop and hose.
If the pool is put to extensive use in the summer months and if there is a daily clean-up of 1 hour at $7.00 per hour, then the costs for the 10 week summer period would be $490.
In the final conclusion, paying union wages to clean-up the pool, or as someone suggested at the meeting, having a custodian at the pool every moment that the pool is open, would be the kiss of death for expanding the aquatic’s programs. This is something that the board has to deal with, and I can’t address the existing facts that getting the floors mopped is too much to overcome when educating the public safty in water skills. I only hope that Plum isn’t like some other districts that I’ve heard about that have set itself up to contend
with a four-hour minimum of pay going out to have a janitor come in for :20 minutes of work to empty a hair-catchers on drains. Recreational activities can’t absorb those types of premium expenses.
Question:
What about costs for staffing (managers, lifeguards, instructors) for programs.
Answers:
With my expanded aquatics plans, the innovative, dynamic programing will require expert instruction and a solid educational mission. Staff costs would be significant, but they would be paid for from user fees. Staff programing costs are a variable cost. For example, as more classes are taught and as enrolment increases, more teachers can be hired and perhaps at higher rates as the paying customers will pay user fees. If no classes are held, no teacher is paid.
Today’s aquatic program offered by the district is not based upon the philosophy of user fees. Plum’s aquatics programing takes all comers for lessons and has nominal evening swim programs. Now that I’ve witness these programs first hand this fall, I have my opinions.
It is my guess that Plum’s present aquatic programing staff costs average about $12,000 per year. There are two programs: evening swim which takes into account a pool manager at $8.50 per hour and a lifeguard at $7.00 for 2 hours each night and 4 nights per week for 32 weeks for $4,000; and then the free-Saturday-afternoon lessons is for 4 sessions at 7 weeks each with a $10.00 per hour salary for 3 hours each week with 8 instructors is close to $7,000.
Now, if the lessons were to be a huge success and the evening program grew to accommodate scouts and such, then the staffing could double in one season and easily triple with successful experiences and some marketing efforts. It hasn’t happened yet, but with the involvement of Mark Rauterkus and responsible staffing levels given the existing hours with modest latitudes, the staffing expenses could exceed $25,000 per year. This growth of existing programs would be an solid increased to budget expenses as there is only nominal user fees collected in the evening swims.
Dilemma Answered:
As the recent-interim-pool manager I have not gone overboard with the budget and created new programs yet and hired lots of new people. Mr. Neff gave me the job and was supportive to me in September and said that I would be able to staff the pool to suitable levels. However, I was told I could not get a second lifeguard in the evenings and there have never been any clear-cut guidelines for increasing or decreasing the staff. I proceeded to do the best I could with what I was given, witnessing the program run at status quo, and implementing minor changes as time progressed.
Vision and Solution:
The swim pool staff (managers, lifeguards, instructors) should have a specific budget line-item.
Given the existing programing, the budget spending cap should be raised to $25,000 for the next year and up to $35,000 for future years. A projected spending amount and a spending ceiling should reflect a wide latitude in the time of growth. In a few years, as programs are operational at full or near-full capacity, then the budgeted numbers can be much closer to targeted amounts.
The manager should be responsible for staff schedules and ensuring proper management of the human resources.
In future years, the manager with the approval of the HR director, should establish a more competitive and more subjective pay scale for workers based upon certification, experience, merit and job performance. We should not have to pay more than $10 per hour to first-time, junior instructors. The swim staff will not be excited to hear I’ve made this recommendation, but I feel it is the right thing to do.
In my plans to the board regarding Plum’s expansion of its aquatics programs, I’ve always tried to make it clear that maintenance and supplies would be paid for out of the operating expenses of the non-profit organization. All costs would also be paid for by the non-profit organization too. Either way, the salaries were accounted for in the plans and those clean-up charges were not to be taken from the district’s 10% of the revenue or in the recent proposal its $100 flat rental payment each month.
In summary, it was the goal of these aquatics proposals to have the aquatics programs pull their own weight in a fiscally responsible manner and have user fees pay for any extra costs. The new non-profit organization would pay its share.
Question:
Some people thought that numbers Mark projected in the expanded aquatics plans were too high, too unrealistic, too much for others to understand. Can you prove those projections?
Answer:
“I’ve played in Peoria.” Literally, I moved to Peoria, Illinois, a market one-third the size of Pittsburgh, in the heart of the not so nice (Central High School) city, suffering the worse depression with Caterpillar Tractor falling through the floor with huge, year-long strikes choking the city, and my program went gang-busters. Every program in the region was cutting off whole limbs, and mine was turning a $15,000 surplus even after mid-year budget adjustments. I moved to town and there were 35 swimmers on the team. In three months we had 6 coaches and a rental agreements at a second H.S. pool and a waiting list because I could not take more than 200 swimmers. We eventually settled down to 150 on average in the program at any given month, 12 months per year. Plus, the YMCA program took one of my former assistant coaches and north suburban team sprang up from nowhere too, all because I promoted the sport and we were just too good.
I got a large raise to move to New Trier School District. While I was there, New Trier was rated the best public high school in America by Town and Country. I mainly coached the community kids. I had nine-lanes-full of 10-and-unders, and we had a total of 350 kids in the winter swim program from ages 7 to high school with one pool. I grew the team to reach those numbers dramatically, and that’s one of the reasons they hired me—to build the base of their team in an area with a shrinking demographics for kids as the real estate prices were too high and prohibitive for families to purchase homes.
In Waco, Texas, I worked for the City and its hard to get children of cowboys to do a sissy thing like swimming lessons, but we boomed with an awesome program at the city’s huge outdoor pool.
Building numbers in a swim program is easy. Even locally I’m having an impact with the PAYS team. In the winter of 1991, my first season there were 48 swimmers. Now there are 78. That is an 80% increase. And I’m only engaged at a very-part-time level. But I have to admit, there isn’t a day when I don’t speak to Coach Jerry O’Neil on the phone. Oh, and this past summer, we went to Boyce
Park for 3 days per week for dry-lands and swimming for 150 minutes each session. The summer before my arrival there were 32 swimmers in the program and last summer there were 68. And funny thing, if I try modestly hard again this summer we will double again. We can garner 140 swimmer in the summer of 1993 using the wave pool and the YMCA.
The scarry thing, is if we used the Plum High School pool, taught lessons and still had swim team activities, with some advance planning and my supervision, we could have 200+ swimmers. And, I’m talking 80% Plum and without kick down the local teams too. I’m a builder.
How can Mark Rauterkus attract those numbers?
Answer:
Notice, we worked out with the kids for 150 minutes this summer. It was cold and rainy all summer long and the rates were nearly $100 per kid as the County rental molded the program badly. We were not giving anything away in terms of cost, convince, tons of assistance, etc. I worked alone, and Jerry O’Neil had only one college kid helper.
But the secret is to offer a challenge to the individual. Show them how to improve by teaching. And then the rewards become quite intrinsic. I can motivate and I have the technical skills to support my methods which yields better and better results which in turn puts the program on a high level of excellence and the snowballing effects are nurtured. Work and learning is fun and I guarantee all three.
Vision and Solution:
You can’t sit on your hands and babble away the time. At Plum, I will build a first-rate, world-class, dynamic teaching program. We will not replicate anything already being done. We will not replicate anything already tried before and failed. We will not have one lane line in recreation swim as we need three or more. One was a failure. Three or more will be a success. I know.
A huge advantage to Plum is the teaching center. The pool is connected to the school, we have a great track, we have tennis court, a gym, class rooms. With the roof, there will be climate control, never a rain-out policy. We will hold long courses in odd times and be a Mecca of fitness learning.
You can’t throw out a beach-ball and expect people to come back. With great teachers, you can have higher course fees as it is more similar to college tuition than lessons.
We will reach for the stars and grab the tiger by the tail. I’ll make quick decisions, change course, accommodate teaching, keep the lessons fresh, experiment in classes and with classes. I’m going to be persistent, but in the back of everyone’s mind, we will guarantee that the program pulls its own weight with finances.
Question:
Who is going to benefit?
Answer:
The people at Plum are going to be in these programs to 80% levels. We will get some from the next door neighborhoods. But soon they will be trying to copy us and that will keep away some of the casual drifters. When something great comes to your own neighborhood, people will respond and come out for the programs.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh is a habit-forming word of mouth town. I am surprised so far that so much can be accomplished with the lessons and evening swims with so little marketing. Certificates, stickers, flyers, posters, phone calls, surveys and the like can accomplish so much. I know marketing too.
I will study participation levels from our citizens. We will document user levels and report to the board. I’ll target Plum residence. There is no validity to the lie that I’ll be turning the Plum pool into anything other than a great place for Plum kids and adults to enjoy and learn.
Question:
What about that other 20% that Mark predicts will come from out of the district?
Answer:
Visitors will travel to our programs because they are so special. However they will pay a slightly higher fee. And, we will be seeking their attendance at certain times, especially special events.
For example, if Matt Biondi came to speak to the swimmers, and if we invited a few hundred other swimmers and coaches, we could have a great turn-out, which would be necessary to pay for his appearance fee and travel costs. We will use the visitors to beef-up our numbers which in turn will allow our level of excellence to keep on climbing.
Question:
What about the numbers of economics?
Answer:
In this time of high unemployment in our state, and with the large medical and service sector in our region, and with the growth in high-tech areas, this expanded swimming plan fits right in like a glove on a hand.
We will hire 20 or more instructors. We will put a good boost to the local economy.
Question:
What long-term money aspects can be reviewed as a benefit to this expanded aquatics program.
Answer:
We will make better citizens of our youth by providing specific job skills training and experiences, plus the scholarship factor is intense money due to the program.
Question:
How is Job-Skills-Training a part of an Aquatics program?
Answer:
In this area in any given summer, there are more than 500 different summer job openings related to lifeguarding. We will train our students to become great lifeguars and instructors. Our kids will get the best jobs around and we will have high standards.
Beyond this area, we can place lots of kids in summer camps, at lakes, with scouts, etc. There could never be a saturation of lifeguards as kids will always be able to go away to guard, either at camps, or at the ocean as Mr. Painter did as a young man, or at colleges.
With steady summer work, teaching lessons and with the proper energy, we can show students how they can pay for their room and board through college. Yet alone, we are giving hands on teaching experiences. Perhaps some may go into education, or at least be good teachers should they grow up to be engineers and one day want to coach a diving team or something.
We had a hard time finding an assistant coaches for swimming. Furthermore, all the other area schools are in the same situation. We can train coaches who can then go on to coach throughout the WPIAL.
Question:
The college education is important part of the HS experience. Is there more to explain, especially with scholarships?
Answer:
Mark Rauterkus predicts that the Plum kids will earn, on average, college swimming scholarships to the amount of $160,000 per year. This is money that stays right in Plum because the kids don’t have to pay their tuition elsewhere.
Getting the district to pay a few extra thousands of dollars for the swimming program is nothing when your son or daughter can get a scholarship to go to college for nothing. Sure this is a localized list of people who will benefit, but when the matter is fully explored, I can prove that all the kids in the district will benefit.
If four swimmers and/or divers graduate each year, two guys and two gals, typically the captains or best swimmers on the team, these kids will be at All-American ability levels and will be able to, with the proper coaching and support and decision making, cash in with swimming scholarships. There are all types of scholarships at all types of schools.
For instance, Jim Rumbaugh could have gotten a full-ride to swim at many schools. He went to a major university with a big-big-time NCAA program, and his scholarship is his own private business, but they were out there for him. Plus, with additional years of coaching, we will have many more opportunities to develop our own swimming stars year in and year out. This year’s graduates of Jay, Tom, Karen, and Susan are in the scholarship range. The class of 94 looks strong too with Karin, Erica, Emil, and Mindy.
Not only do you need to have talent to get offered a swim scholarship, but you need to have connections and the right guidance. I can assist by telling our upper and lower class students what to look for, where to apply and what to ask. Kids who are engaged in our program for four years will know that getting scholarships for college will be an every day occurrence, much like getting a drivers license is to them now.
To figure the $160,000 average contribution to the district community for swimming scholarships, give 4 athletes $10,000 each and multiply that by 4 years at school. Each year there will be some starting and others leaving, and individual amounts going up and down, but the dollar value is significant and directly attributed to an excellent aquatics program through their high school years.
Beyond the hard money of scholarships, this program will shoot out lots of letters of recommendations, write strong cover letters for employment or admission to graduate programs and the such. In the
last five years, Mark Rauterkus has coached two swimmers who attended West Point. They both swim and they both are getting great educations and careers, in large part because of the excellent swim programs they were involved with as adolescents. Coach Mark takes these matters seriously, and these extra benefits to the students will make positive changes to all the kids in the program.
Finally, other students in the school will also get some benefits to having a great aquatics program, as the Aquatics program at Plum will set a standard and enhance the school’s national reputation. From meeting with the County Commissioners to the features in Sunday newspapers to eventual Sports Illustrated and Newsweek mentions too. The Pull Your Own Weight program from Jefferson Middle School in the Quad Cities in Iowa got attention from Clinton/Gore and Bush/Schwartznegger, and we can duplicate the same efforts in Plum and with our Governor’s Council on Health and Fitness. If Plum does not become a household word like Stanford, then at least those in our end of town will know good things about Plum and the local pride can grow significantly.
In the beginning, many of the teachers will not be as expert...
Money to the Community
Lets talk economy:
Jobs, Scholarships, Tourism, Materials.
College Scholarships:
Track Record
Typical Swim/Diving Scholarship
Summary
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