$60,000 was the total ticket sales from this year’s Winter Formal, organized by the Carlmont Associated Student Body (ASB).
“Each year, Winter Formal typically makes $30,000,” said senior Amelia Clevenger, the facilitator for the ASB dance commission, prior to finding out about this year’s sales.
This winter formal had record-breaking numbers, beating out 2020’s previous record by almost 300 more tickets, according to Clevenger. ASB sold 1,343 tickets this year, raising $12,000 more than last year’s 1,070 tickets.
The price of tickets increased from $45 to ($40 with a PAL sticker) until Jan. 17, then increased to $50, and ($45 with PAL) until the last day of ticket sales, on Jan. 19.
“We increase the price to encourage students to buy their tickets sooner; that way, we can get a more accurate estimate of how many snacks to purchase,” Clevenger said.
There is also a $1 transaction fee for every card purchase, which takes away a minor fraction of the profit.
The total cost of holding the dance was $15,000, with $5,000 of that going straight to the rental of the Fox Theater, according to Jim Kelly, the director of ASB.
The variety of snacks and water provided at the dance cost them $600, according to Clevenger. Other miscellaneous bills, like the DJ, decorator, and security, also were accounted for.
Accounting for the expenses, the net income of winter formal was around 75% of the money collected from ticket sales.
But what does ASB do with the rest of the money?
First, ASB is registered as a non-profit organization. Under code 501(c) of the IRS, for ASB to remain tax-exempt, the money made during a specific year must be invested into expenses or used within that year.
“When we make the annual budget for the next year, we pool together every account’s money that we manage and redistribute it based on previous yearly expenditures and revenue,” said senior Aidan Gurskis, the facilitator of the finance commission.
While this budget does seem ridiculously high, around $70,000 goes to paying sports officials alone, according to Kelly. This also does not account for all the extra expenses that are not always publicized.
The annual ASB budget starts at around $140,000 or $150,000. Even with such high sales, ASB usually breaks even or loses money annually.
“We’ve actually spent more than we’ve made the last few years,” Kelly said.
I would like students to understand that every dollar taken in through ASB events or sports games gets spent on the students through items like sports team equipment, dances, and assemblies — Aidan Gurskis
Because ASB receives no funding from the Sequoia Union High School district, they have to pay for all materials and events they hold. They are involved in many school functions like managing sports funding, buying equipment, funding officials, and maintaining facilities.
“I would like students to understand that every dollar taken in through ASB events or sports games gets spent on the students through items like sports team equipment, dances, and assemblies,” Gurskis said.
