New SHS dance team OK'd

The Spencer school board's authorization of the new program marks a different way in which extracurricular -- and possibly academic and co-curricular -- programs within the district may function in the future.

"We legally cannot ask students who participate in something to pay a fee. So, this will have to be supported from the standpoint of it needs to take donations in order to make it happen. This is in line with what we've been talking about already -- trying to support programs through outside funding. That's a lot of what we discussed through the whole budget process," Superintendent Greg Ebeling told board members Thursday night. " ... So, this is kind of a model, as I see it, to start this process in the district and a model to say, 'Let's fund a program that we don't currently have sanctioned by the school with outside funding.'"

Approximately 10 SHS dancers and several parents attended the meeting. They assured board members that financial support would not be requested from the district.

"If the funds needed to pay for the coach's salary and benefits were not raised, then the program would be dropped," Heidi Toale, the mother of a SHS dancer, said. "So, no request would be made to have the school budget pay for the coach."

Ebeling further outlined that the money to pay for a coach would be done through donations and/or fundraising efforts led by dance team parents, participants and other interested parties.

"That money would be put as a donation in the general fund and used to pay for a (coach's) salary and expenses," the superintendent clarified. "They'd also have the option of doing some fundraising. Those funds generated by students, that money would have to go into the activity account. And, the activity account can pay for uniforms, dance registrations, travel expenses and those type of things."

Ebeling mentioned how he'd been approached by proponents such as Theresa Thiesse, Kinsey Meyer and Megan Whitaker about the possibility of the district sanctioning a dance team two different times.

"The major motivation around this is the fact that they can't participate in some things. Because if you're not school sanctioned, it can limit some of the competitions you can be involved in," Ebeling said.

SHS senior Shante Foote reiterated this sentiment. She told board members that this marks her 15th year dancing in Spencer.

"But we haven't competed. ... We want to be there so bad," Foote said of the state competition featuring 240 dance teams across the state held the first weekend of December at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines.

"These kids really wish to be able to compete at the state level, like the kids from the towns around us," Whitaker added. " ... It's a huge event. There's 15 different categories that teens can enter. Some are coed and some are all-male."

The intent locally is for the newly-sanctioned SHS dance team to operate under the Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association umbrella.

How this program would be self-supported

The burden of reimbursing the school's general fund budget for the coach's salary and benefits would be placed in the hands of a Spencer High School dance team parent support group. This group's mission would be to solicit donations to fund the salary and benefits of the coach. Funds would be solicited from parents of the dancers, businesses and friends of dance. Parent-led fundraisers would also be held.