 |
| Bechler addressing the crowd at the Marion turf field dedication ceremony in August |
This article was written by the Chronicle-Tribune's Jillian Fellows on May 14, 2015
When Jamy Bechler was appointed director of the Marion High School athletic department last spring, he took command of sports teams with a storied and successful past as well as a mountain of debt from more than a decade of unchecked spending.
Bechler presented a financial summary to the Marion Community Schools board members at their Wednesday meeting, and the numbers told a story of the highs and lows of athletic spending over the years.
Bechler began by quoting from a financial report put together in 1996 by the athletic director of the time that "the athletic department was very close to dipping into the investment principal in order to meet operating expenses."
That report indicates that the financial situation for Giants athletics has been in poor shape for many years, although current records only date back to 2006.
"The data we have currently goes back to 2006 where we had a CD (certificate of deposit) of $95,000," Bechler said. "That was essentially our savings. We had a checkbook for $31,000 in 2006. Eight years later when I took over, we had $30,000 in our savings and $6,300 in our checkbook. Over the course of eight years, we lost nearly $90,000. Essentially we are living beyond our means."
Immediately after stepping into the athletic director position a year ago, Bechler was faced with debt and unmonitored spending. Bechler and his staff quickly began efforts to turn the finances around.
