Yelm Community Schools announced in a newsletter to families and staff that it will eliminate high school and middle school C-teams and transportation for districtwide athletics for the 2024-25 school year.
Varsity and junior varsity sports will still be offered at the high school and middle school levels, with the exception of middle school football, which will also be eliminated. With the cut of athletic transportation, parents will be required to provide transportation to and from events.
These reductions come as the district is working toward finalizing its budget for the upcoming school year. As of Thursday, July 18, the district projects an $8.25 million budget shortfall for the year and has made $9,141,000 in cuts as part of its reduced education plan following the failure of its educational programs and operations levy.
YCS already finalized increases to pay-to-play fees across all sports, facility-usage fees for outside user groups and secondary Associated Student Body prices.
Total Sports Development (TSD) announced in a Facebook post that it would attempt to raise $50,000 to fund C-team sports for the district.
In an email to parents, Yelm High School head football coach and TSD Co-Founder and Vice President of Sports Development Jason Ronquillo called the decision a “program killer.”
“This is very devastating news. Cuts like these will have lasting effects on programs that can last years or even decades in some cases,” Ronquillo wrote. “Yelm athletics as we know it are in extreme trouble. I find it hard to fathom only a handful of teams will suffer the consequences and shoulder the burden of decisions like this. This is why I’m calling on all citizens of Yelm to join us.”
TSD will host a Zoom meeting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 6, to discuss the fundraiser and plan to save C-team sports. Visit the TSD Facebook page for the link.
