Whether non-district-sponsored extra-curricular activities available to high school students will be presented as opportunities at a second high school would depend on student and faculty interest there, said Jason Hoffman, Jefferson City Public Schools CFO/COO.
To be sponsored means faculty or staff leading a club or activity receive stipends from the district, Hoffman said. Whether or not a club is directly sponsored by the district, all clubs have to fundraise for their activities, he added.
There are currently at least 35 student clubs between Jefferson City High School, Simonsen 9th Grade Center and Nichols Career Center, according to information provided by the district.
Of these 35, at least the following are district-sponsored clubs: band; choir; DECA; Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA); Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; FFA; HOSA (Future Health Professionals); theater; Key Club; Marcullus (the JCHS yearbook); National Honor Society; Red & Black (the student newspaper); Scholar Bowl; Skills USA; debate; and student council, based on information provided by Hoffman.
Some clubs, like FBLA, that are tied to Nichols Career Center probably will remain singular entities if a second high school is built, Hoffman said. Otherwise, he expects every other district-sponsored club or activity would be duplicated at a second high school.
Non-district-sponsored clubs include those centered around activities and communities like archery, art, astronomy, Christian athletes, LGBT-straight alliances, environmental stewardship, hip-hop and step dance, photography and videography, prom planning and table-top gaming.
"Every building has a little different flavor," said JCPS Activities Director Mark Caballero, adding he would be interested to see what kind of student culture evolves at a second high school and how the offering of activities would reflect that.
"I would bet some of those would be the same at the other high school, and there might be some new ones," Caballero said.
"We make sure we represent our student body and their interests, and try to offer things that they'll support," at least in terms of district-sponsored activities, he added.
He said the level of student participation in extracurricular activities at the current high school is high, but he couldn't immediately provide specific numbers.
Hoffman said the district doesn't have set criteria for what defines a club that deserves to be sponsored over another.
For faculty or staff sponsors who receive stipends for their leadership roles in clubs and activities, he explained, the district needs to develop a formula to justify concretely who gets how much, based on factors like the amount of time a leader spends organizing a club or how big a club's enrollment numbers are.
Sports coaches also receive stipends, and the district estimates a 60 percent increase in coaching staff to meet the needs of a second high school.
JCPS Controller Denise Pierce explained for now, stipend levels are determined by a combination of factors - the foremost of which appears to be how long someone has been in a leadership role, according to the 2016-17 stipend schedule on the district's website.