After last year’s rebranding project that included the new logo and murals around campus, the ASB and yearbook organizations are facing some financial challenges because money was spent from their accounts.
“While the yearbook has enough money to print this year’s book, the money they need for its operations was wiped out. New cameras, lenses, camera repairs and training are all really expensive,“ yearbook adviser TeriAnne Libby said.
Over $70,000 was transferred from the yearbook’s account, after the work was done and without student approval to pay for the renovations.
“There was a misguidance from administration on what the budget really was. The budget to do the rebranding versus what [ASB] actually had,” ASB Advisor Erica Rangel said.
New principal Jonathan Penuliar has been working to help the yearbook and ASB recover.
“Moving forward, I’m going to do my absolute best to make sure those departments have the tools they need to do what they do for the greater student body,” Penuliar said, “The principal plays a big role in helping to make sure that those programs, in this case ASB, get to function in the best way with what we have,” Penuliar said.
According to Rangel, ASB’s budget was already stretched. In the last two years it paid upfront for the costs for activities put on by other on-campus organizations without being reimbursed. For example, if a club or team uses any part of campus outside the school day, the cost of the facilities, mostly custodial, would be paid to the district in one large check cut by ASB at the end of the month.
After not being reimbursed for two years, the administration has implemented a stricter system so ASB can be compensated.
“I think they are trying to safeguard the processes of what checks that ASB overall…has to give to the district,” Rangel said.
The cost of ASB activities and dances does not come cheap, according to Rangel.
The homecoming dance, on average, costs $75,000 to pay for the venue, food, activities, and anything else.
ASB tries to keep ticket prices down, but the fewer people they can expect to attend, the higher the prices will be.
Almost everything needs to be paid months before the dance, so according to the Executive of Finances for ASB, senior Jackie Edwards, they are just betting that students will buy enough tickets to at least break even.
“It’s really scary because we have to spend, like, thousands of dollars on the whole dance before we even know the turnout,” Edwards said.
ASB also makes money through other means, like selling spirit wear, ASB stickers, and lower-cost activities like Morp.
In the past, ASB had enough money to fund general school improvements, like the green lunch tables all around campus.
Students should know that the money they spend on ASB activities directly contributes to other amenities on campus.
“I want students to realize, the more you contribute to the school, the more we can make things fun. So the more that you come to homecomings and you buy tickets and you buy spirit shirts, we can then spend that money on things for football games, making more fun activities, and just making the school better,” Edwards said.
