The Albert Lea school board could change how coaches of varsity sports are paid.

The board heard from Director of Human Resources and Technology Jim Quiram about inequities in compensation for head coaches for high school activities. Quiram showed the board a spreadsheet that outlined the number of weeks in the season, competitions and students involved. It also showed what coaches were being paid, and he said there’s no rhyme or reason to how sports are categorized.

“It’s a mess — there’s no logic to this whatsoever,” Funk said. “Legally we need to do something.”

Funk said because the coaching stipends aren’t based on the same standard that the school could be in trouble legally. He also said the board isn’t going to be able to fix the problem without allocating more money for coaches. This would be because bargaining units likely would not agree to reducing salaries based on new standards.

“We need to increase some salaries for equity, but we’re not going to be able to reduce any,” Funk said.

Quiram showed the board another spreadsheet that outlined paying coaches based on length of season. Funk said “at the end of the day it’s a time commitment.” The board then discussed whether to pay more for coaches whose seasons are extended by state berths.

“Something has to happen,” board Vice Chairman Mark Ciota said. “The current scale is not just.”

Ciota also said he was worried about hearing that assistant coaches were being paid more than head coaches. He also mentioned that while the discussion was important, he thought most coaches are not doing the work for the money. Funk said he and Quiram would check on the legality of any changes and keep working on the issue.

 

Coaching stipends

Sport                    Weeks    Stipend
Football                   10    $6,168
Basketball, boys     15    $6,168
Basketball, girls     15    $6,168
Hockey, boys          14.5    $6,168
Hockey, girls          14.5    $6,168
Volleyball                10.5    $6,168
Wrestling                12.5    $6,168
Soccer, girls            10   $6,168
Soccer, boys            10    $6,168
Dance team             15    $3,914
Softball                    10    $4,853
Baseball                    10    $4,853
Track & field, girls    10    $4,853
Track & field, boys    10    $4,853
Swimming, boys       12    $6,168
Swimming, girls       12    $6,168
Cross country            9.5    $6,168
Golf, boys                  10.5    $3,621
Golf, girls                  10.5    $3,621
Tennis, boys              9    $3,621
Tennis, girls              9    $3,621