Supplements are factor in determining high school coaches’ salaries
Being a high school football coach is just one way coaches earn their salaries in the state of South Carolina.
Typically, coaching stipends or supplements won’t be enough to live on, based on the amount of hours and time coaches and athletics directors spend.
The State, through the Freedom of Information Act, requested salary information for coaches receiving $50,000 or more for coaching and teaching duties from 81 public school districts.
Click here for a database of what coaches make
Most districts specified how their coach or athletics director’s salary was broken up. Football and athletics director stipends range from as low as $4,000 to $47,906 by Woodruff football coach Trey Elder.
So how do some football coaches or athletic directors earn their money?
Many earn their base pay through teaching salaries, which fluctuate based on their years of experience and if they have a masters degree. Some teachers are in the classroom from one to four classes a day.
Some of those coaches get an extra stipend for their teaching accolades. Spring Valley’s Robin Bacon and Blythewood’s Dan Morgan are among those who get stipends for being National Board Certified teachers. According to cerra.org, national certified board teachers are honored by their peers as being at the top of teaching. That stipend is worth between $7,500 to $12,500, which is more than some of the coaching stipends given.
Some football coaches also are involved in multiple sports and get stipends for each sport they coach. Also, several coaches double as their school’s strength coach to earn extra supplements.
There are a few coaches who earn supplements for doing odd jobs around the school like cutting the grass. Hanahan’s Charlie Patterson earns a $1,250 for grass cutting and Cane Bay’s Russell Zeher has a $750 stipend for it.
According to the survey, some districts like Georgetown County give their coaches stipends for making the playoffs, ranging from $750 to $2,250.
How data was compiled
In an investigation conducted this summer, The State’s new database contains the names and salaries of South Carolina high school head football coaches and athletic directors making $50,000 or more a year. The information was furnished by the school districts in response to S.C. Freedom of Information Act requests.
This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Supplements are factor in determining high school coaches’ salaries."