Salary stipend
- quizbowllee
- Auron
- Posts: 2180
- Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2004 2:12 am
- Location: Alabama
Salary stipend
OK. I've never received even one cent for the time and effort I have put into coaching the teams at Brindlee Mountain High School/Middle School. My principal told me yesterday that it was possible that I might be able to negotiate a supplement to my salary with the Superintendent/Board of Education.
Now, I don't want to ask for too much and get an immediate "NO". However, I also want to make sure that I'm not getting ripped off (like I am now by doing it for free...). I was hoping that some of you fellow coaches might be willing to tell me how much of a stipend you recieve so I have a starting point in my negotiations. If you don't want to display the information publicly, could you please e-mail the information to me at [email protected] ?
I would also like to say - just for the record - that I will continue to coach for free if I must. However, I am losing my quiz bowl class period this coming year, so I will have to coach both middle and high school teams entirely after school. I'm not sure how many more hours I (or my marriage) can handle without some sort of monetary incentive.
Thanks in advance,
Lee
Now, I don't want to ask for too much and get an immediate "NO". However, I also want to make sure that I'm not getting ripped off (like I am now by doing it for free...). I was hoping that some of you fellow coaches might be willing to tell me how much of a stipend you recieve so I have a starting point in my negotiations. If you don't want to display the information publicly, could you please e-mail the information to me at [email protected] ?
I would also like to say - just for the record - that I will continue to coach for free if I must. However, I am losing my quiz bowl class period this coming year, so I will have to coach both middle and high school teams entirely after school. I'm not sure how many more hours I (or my marriage) can handle without some sort of monetary incentive.
Thanks in advance,
Lee
Lee Henry
AP Lit and APUSH Teacher
Quiz Bowl Coach
West Point High School
President-Elect/Past President- Alabama Scholastic Competition Association (ASCA)
AP Lit and APUSH Teacher
Quiz Bowl Coach
West Point High School
President-Elect/Past President- Alabama Scholastic Competition Association (ASCA)
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- Tidus
- Posts: 654
- Joined: Mon May 03, 2004 5:58 am
- Location: Richmond, VA
I get approximately $3000, which, I figure, works out to be less than minimum wage. I get no course reduction. This is in the neighborhood of what an athletic coach gets for a single season (3 or 4 months). Our quiz bowl season runs nine months plus. When I first started 6 or 7 years ago, it was $800 ( a joke). Because we were so active they bumped it up. I believe sponsors at many, relatively inactive programs get around $1000 or less.
Of course, this being pay in the marginal tax bracket, there really isn't much left? Maybe $1800 or so. Then there are all the unreimbursed expenses like meals while traveling and wear and tear on my car. The school will pay for my gas, however. So, really, the stipend is more a token than anything else. And, mine is probably higher than most. Definitely not a good way to earn extra money. You would be better off financially by delivering pizzas in your spare time.
EDIT: In percentage terms, my stipend is around 5%. I spend far more than 5% of my working time on this activity. Maybe 25% is a reasonable estimate of the percentage of my time I actually spend on this activity. If they really wanted to fairly compensate me for my time, I should get $20,000, certainly at least $10,000. But, I am not holding my breath.
Of course, this being pay in the marginal tax bracket, there really isn't much left? Maybe $1800 or so. Then there are all the unreimbursed expenses like meals while traveling and wear and tear on my car. The school will pay for my gas, however. So, really, the stipend is more a token than anything else. And, mine is probably higher than most. Definitely not a good way to earn extra money. You would be better off financially by delivering pizzas in your spare time.
EDIT: In percentage terms, my stipend is around 5%. I spend far more than 5% of my working time on this activity. Maybe 25% is a reasonable estimate of the percentage of my time I actually spend on this activity. If they really wanted to fairly compensate me for my time, I should get $20,000, certainly at least $10,000. But, I am not holding my breath.
Last edited by jbarnes112358 on Thu Jun 15, 2006 6:33 am, edited 3 times in total.
- Stained Diviner
- Auron
- Posts: 5088
- Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2004 6:08 am
- Location: Chicagoland
- Contact:
From our newsletter back in 2000:
http://www.ihssbca.org/schovisions/sv6_2.pdf
On this year’s IHSSBCA membership form, there were survey questions asking coaches how much their Scholastic Bowl stipend is. The surveys were removed from the membership forms and sent to me for tabulation; thus, there were no names attached.
Out of 203 coaches who returned membership forms, 109, or 54%, gave dollar amounts. Another 17 coaches, or 8%, gave a percent of base salary but not a dollar amount. While it would be ideal to compile statistics based on everybody’s stipend, this is by far the best data ever collected on Scholastic Bowl stipends.
The stipends range from a low of zero (four coaches) to a high of $8,803, with a mean of $1,788 and a median of $1,500. One-fourth of coaches earn less than $840, while one-fourth earn more than $2,550. Of the coaches who only gave a percent of base salary, the numbers ranged from a low of 3% to a high of 10%, with a median of 5%.
http://www.ihssbca.org/schovisions/sv6_2.pdf
On this year’s IHSSBCA membership form, there were survey questions asking coaches how much their Scholastic Bowl stipend is. The surveys were removed from the membership forms and sent to me for tabulation; thus, there were no names attached.
Out of 203 coaches who returned membership forms, 109, or 54%, gave dollar amounts. Another 17 coaches, or 8%, gave a percent of base salary but not a dollar amount. While it would be ideal to compile statistics based on everybody’s stipend, this is by far the best data ever collected on Scholastic Bowl stipends.
The stipends range from a low of zero (four coaches) to a high of $8,803, with a mean of $1,788 and a median of $1,500. One-fourth of coaches earn less than $840, while one-fourth earn more than $2,550. Of the coaches who only gave a percent of base salary, the numbers ranged from a low of 3% to a high of 10%, with a median of 5%.
Although I retired from teaching and coaching three years ago, I still have the supplemental pay info from my last year of coaching but I know it has gone up since then.
Head academic coaches in Rockingham County in 2001-02 received $1500 with no experience and $2500 with 9 or more years experience. Assistant coaches received $1200-$2050. We had a math, a science, a social studies, and an English coach (which encompassed everything else) and the head coach was also a subject-area coach but did not receive two stipends.
However, this stipend was ONLY for coaching the VHSL-affiliated Scholastic Bowl, which ran from the beginning of school, when practices started, to late January or February, depending upon how far your team advanced to the regional or state tournament.
Spotswood was the only school in the county that "doubled" in both Scholastic Bowl and what we call ACT (Academic Competition Team), which was all the Saturday and national tournaments, in state and out of state, and which ran from Sept. through late May or early June. We received no additional compensation as ACT coaches. I went to most of the tournaments and the assistants helped out as they were available, but ACT was not part of our contracted requirements.
The school did give us approximately $1000 per season to pay for ACT tournament registrations and travel expenses, replace buzzers, purchase practice questions, etc. Any money we needed beyond that, we raised through various fundraisers (ACT I and ACT II tournaments, chicken and beef BBQ's, car washes, etc.) and through solicitation of area service clubs, businesses, and individuals. Students who did not help with fundraising had to pay their own way; those who did help had most of their expenses paid. The last 10 of the 17 years I coached, we operated on an average annual budget of $10,000-$12,000.
On weekend trips, ACT paid for the motel and often paid for one meal (usually breakfast) and the kids had to buy the rest of their meals. I was either reimbursed for gas through ACT or I claimed the miles driven as an income tax deduction. Most of the parents who drove their own vehicles (they have to be on the county's approved driving list) donated their gas or ACT reimbursed them if they wanted. Driving time of parents counted as fundraising time for their kids, as did time parents and family members spent helping with ACT I and II and with the other fundraisers. This involved some record-keeping on my part, but it made ACT travel and participation available to kids who couldn't afford to pay their own way.
Very few QB coaches will ever be adequately paid for all the time they spend in coaching, and each individual coach has to decide for him- or herself what she is willing to give. I was very fortunate in having supportive principals who gave us as much financial and administrative support as they could and a superintendent who was most appreciative of the positive PR we brought to the school system.
I also am blessed with an understanding husband who knew this was what I loved doing, and often sacrificed family time so that I could travel with the kids (he occasionally traveled with us). I was also coaching at a time after our children were grown and on their own.
If I figure in the hours I spent with ACT, along with the time on SB, I made less than $2 per hour most years, but in the long run, I have accumulated more positive memories and friendships than I can put a value on.
Head academic coaches in Rockingham County in 2001-02 received $1500 with no experience and $2500 with 9 or more years experience. Assistant coaches received $1200-$2050. We had a math, a science, a social studies, and an English coach (which encompassed everything else) and the head coach was also a subject-area coach but did not receive two stipends.
However, this stipend was ONLY for coaching the VHSL-affiliated Scholastic Bowl, which ran from the beginning of school, when practices started, to late January or February, depending upon how far your team advanced to the regional or state tournament.
Spotswood was the only school in the county that "doubled" in both Scholastic Bowl and what we call ACT (Academic Competition Team), which was all the Saturday and national tournaments, in state and out of state, and which ran from Sept. through late May or early June. We received no additional compensation as ACT coaches. I went to most of the tournaments and the assistants helped out as they were available, but ACT was not part of our contracted requirements.
The school did give us approximately $1000 per season to pay for ACT tournament registrations and travel expenses, replace buzzers, purchase practice questions, etc. Any money we needed beyond that, we raised through various fundraisers (ACT I and ACT II tournaments, chicken and beef BBQ's, car washes, etc.) and through solicitation of area service clubs, businesses, and individuals. Students who did not help with fundraising had to pay their own way; those who did help had most of their expenses paid. The last 10 of the 17 years I coached, we operated on an average annual budget of $10,000-$12,000.
On weekend trips, ACT paid for the motel and often paid for one meal (usually breakfast) and the kids had to buy the rest of their meals. I was either reimbursed for gas through ACT or I claimed the miles driven as an income tax deduction. Most of the parents who drove their own vehicles (they have to be on the county's approved driving list) donated their gas or ACT reimbursed them if they wanted. Driving time of parents counted as fundraising time for their kids, as did time parents and family members spent helping with ACT I and II and with the other fundraisers. This involved some record-keeping on my part, but it made ACT travel and participation available to kids who couldn't afford to pay their own way.
Very few QB coaches will ever be adequately paid for all the time they spend in coaching, and each individual coach has to decide for him- or herself what she is willing to give. I was very fortunate in having supportive principals who gave us as much financial and administrative support as they could and a superintendent who was most appreciative of the positive PR we brought to the school system.
I also am blessed with an understanding husband who knew this was what I loved doing, and often sacrificed family time so that I could travel with the kids (he occasionally traveled with us). I was also coaching at a time after our children were grown and on their own.
If I figure in the hours I spent with ACT, along with the time on SB, I made less than $2 per hour most years, but in the long run, I have accumulated more positive memories and friendships than I can put a value on.
- BuzzerZen
- Auron
- Posts: 1517
- Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2004 11:01 pm
- Location: Arlington, VA/Hampshire College
Disclaimer: I am a student, and this is based on what my sponsors have told me. The words "I'm pretty sure" should precede each statement of fact.
At TJ, there's an 8th period of the school day reserved for activities*, and this period is included in calculation of teacher's salaries and required periods. That is, you teach five classes and a TA/8th period, or you teach six classes. I think there might be an additional "team coach" type stipend, perhaps officially for VHSL purposes, that our sponsor gets. At any rate, our formor sponsor Nancy Kreloff once calculated that the 8th period stipend, when divided out over all the hours she spent with us on practice and tournaments, came out to about 50 cents an hour.
At TJ, there's an 8th period of the school day reserved for activities*, and this period is included in calculation of teacher's salaries and required periods. That is, you teach five classes and a TA/8th period, or you teach six classes. I think there might be an additional "team coach" type stipend, perhaps officially for VHSL purposes, that our sponsor gets. At any rate, our formor sponsor Nancy Kreloff once calculated that the 8th period stipend, when divided out over all the hours she spent with us on practice and tournaments, came out to about 50 cents an hour.
Evan Silberman
Hampshire College 07F
How are you actually reading one of my posts?
Hampshire College 07F
How are you actually reading one of my posts?
QB and other Varsity Sports
My last two schools had an activity requirement, so I have not received an additional stipend.
If I had to request a stipend, I would base my number on two questions:
1. How much do other quiz bowl coaches receive as their stipend (based on David Reinstein's number: ~$2000)?
2. How much do varsity coaches at your own school receive as a stipend?
In my experience, an active quiz bowl coach puts in about as much time as an active varsity coach in a sport such as volleyball or soccer (I have head coaching experience in both). I believe varsity basketball and football in many schools would be a more serious commitment.
Obviously the actual number of hours put in can approach infinity, if a quiz bowl coach is intense enough about the endeavor, but the same is true for sports...
If I had to request a stipend, I would base my number on two questions:
1. How much do other quiz bowl coaches receive as their stipend (based on David Reinstein's number: ~$2000)?
2. How much do varsity coaches at your own school receive as a stipend?
In my experience, an active quiz bowl coach puts in about as much time as an active varsity coach in a sport such as volleyball or soccer (I have head coaching experience in both). I believe varsity basketball and football in many schools would be a more serious commitment.
Obviously the actual number of hours put in can approach infinity, if a quiz bowl coach is intense enough about the endeavor, but the same is true for sports...
I have been an unpaid scholastic coach here in Idaho for the past 5 years, this year our superintendent (new I must add) took an interest in our team and decided that I should get paid. We talked about it and looked at the time I spent and decided on and 8% stipend which is not as much as an athletic head coach but more than an assistant coach. I felt this was fair and to tell you the truth I was totally surprised since I had never even brought up the subject of getting paid. I went from the lowest paid coach in my local competition area to probably one of the highest.
I coached quiz bowl for 6 years in Louisiana and was never supplemented for that. (1976-1982)
I coached Brookwood's team (GA) from 1986 to 1995 with no supplement. Our head fball coach went to bat for me and I got the lowest supplement my county pays. In 2005-2006, it was $2001. My principal gives me a formal apology for that every year...in writing no less. I am happy to get that supplement simply as a small recognition of what our team does to prepare and compete.
I coached Brookwood's team (GA) from 1986 to 1995 with no supplement. Our head fball coach went to bat for me and I got the lowest supplement my county pays. In 2005-2006, it was $2001. My principal gives me a formal apology for that every year...in writing no less. I am happy to get that supplement simply as a small recognition of what our team does to prepare and compete.