CHEYENNE (WNE) — With the passage of its annual budget for the upcoming fiscal year, Laramie County School District 1 has eliminated elementary sports, along with reductions in compensation for coaches and activities leaders across the district.

The reduction in student activities will save the district $1.2 million, finance director Jed Cicarelli said during a budget presentation at the district’s Board of Trustees meeting Monday evening.

Cicarelli presented data that showed LCSD1’s activities spending far outpaced other counties in the state. In one comparison, Cicarelli said that during the 2018-19 fiscal year, Laramie County spent about $378 per student. Natrona County schools — the next-highest spender in the state — spent $286 on each student for activities and does not have an elementary sports program. 

“We are one of, if not the last, large district in the state that does have an elementary athletics program,” Cicarelli said.

The district spends about $480,000 annually on elementary activities, according to a May 24 memo from former Superintendent Boyd Brown to trustees detailing planned budget reductions. Close to $442,000 of this amount is spent on personnel.

Along with the decrease in activities funding, the budget also includes an end to money dedicated to paying for Advanced Placement tests, reduced funding for travel to out-of-state events for activities, a reduction in contracts and less funding for staff development.