BASKETBALL LEAGUE MIGHT BE ON LAST LEGS.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Young basketball players, cheerleaders and costumed mascots filled the Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary schoolyard, where the fifth- and sixth-grade Falcons scurried on twin basketball courts in matches against the visiting Mitchell School Eagles.

``The kids have so much fun,'' said Jean Sutton, co-president of the Mitchell Parent-Teacher Association, while watching her 12-year-old son hustle with his teammates. ``It's just great to play different schools. It really gives the kids school spirit.''

But the future for programs such as the intercampus basketball league at Sulphur Springs Union School District remains uncertain as officials try to save up to $2 million in operating costs next year to meet anticipated shortfalls in state funding.

``They'll be considering all kinds of things depending upon the dollars we receive from the state,'' said Tom Garvey, assistant superintendent for personnel. ``Basketball is one of them. The goal is to keep the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible.''

California's struggle to contain an estimated $35 billion deficit has meant deep cuts for public schools. For 2003-04, Gov. Gray Davis has proposed to withhold 3.66 percent in per-student funding for a year, cutting into the roughly $24 million the district annually receives from the state.

So far, Sulphur Springs officials have frozen hiring except for essential positions and are looking to reduce personnel and halt most field trips. The district must decide on the reductions by this summer, when its preliminary budget for the coming school year is due.

Garvey said the size and shape of the cuts depend on how much funding the district eventually gets from the state.

``Everything is in the analysis stage,'' Garvey said. ``Unless we have the figures to back it up, it's hard to say how high or deep it could go.''

Among the programs under review is the basketball league, in which teams of fifth- and sixth-graders from the district's eight campuses compete. Besides allowing students a bit of exercise, the matches provide lessons in cooperation and teamwork, Mitchell School Principal Judy Heyn said.

``It's like the values we teach in isolation in the classroom come together out here,'' she said.

But the games, bankrolled by Sulphur Springs and its PTA groups, can cost up to $3,700 a year, Garvey said. More than two-thirds of the expenses go toward busing players and cheerleaders to and from games, while the rest pays for referees and incidentals such as team T-shirts.

``We all feel it is a very valuable program,'' Garvey said. ``But when you're looking at field trips, it's thousands and thousands of dollars. Those are the tough decisions we'll have to face.''

Meanwhile, PTA groups are looking to bail out the league if it does fall under the budget ax. In the works is a plan for each school's parent group to contribute $350 to cover transportation, Sutton said.

``If all the PTAs don't agree, then we can't do it,'' she said.

Then there are personnel costs. Coaches and referees can cost up to $1,200 a year, and recruiting volunteers to fill in the gaps could be difficult because the activity takes place during the school day, Garvey said.

``If volunteers filled in, it's hard to dictate their schedule,'' he said. ``It's in the middle of people's workday. That's when the kids are there.'' Since the league began about three years ago, it has been popular among both parents and students.

``It's definitely something they have to continue,'' said Matt Flynn, whose 12-year-old son plays for Mitchell. ``I think all the parents would pay an extra $10 per child to have them participate in the program.''

Nathan Gross, a center for the sixth-grade team at Mitchell, enjoys the physical challenge of league competition.

``It's like the best sport ever,'' Nathan, 12, said. ``And the PE people aren't as good. I like to play the best players in the schools.''

As the state fiscal crisis continues, the district will face more difficult choices between funding popular programs or essential classroom needs, Garvey said.

``There are things that are closer to the education needs of the kids,'' he said. ``That's our job.''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Mitchell School's cheerleaders and mascot Caitlin Coen encourage their team Friday at Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary.

(2 -- color) A Fair Oaks Ranch student attempts a shot with a Mitchell pupil in his face. The eight-school league could lose its funding.

(3 -- color) A Fair Oaks Ranch player lobs one up for two on Friday. The state's budget crunch could mean the end of the basketball league unless the schools' PTAs ponyup.

(4 -- color) Mitchell School mascot Caitlin Coen and cheerleaders show their support for the fifth- and sixth-grade boys on Friday.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer