[Rick TYler]

I have a suggestion: switch to FTC. You would probably field 2-4 FTC teams, you can build the robots in a conference room (we do), and the lighter financial commitment may alleviate the concerns of your administrators. The experience for the student may actually be better in FTC since more students will be hands-on with driving, programming and construction. If you have questions about what it's like going from FRC to FTC, feel free to ask on the forum or PM me.

EDITED TO ADD: Hands-on experience. On our three FTC teams, we have about 20 students. Nine of them are drivers and coaches. Four of them program. Three are team leaders, and one is the Post president. No one is limited to the "marketing team" or the "crate building team." Everyone designs robots, everyone builds robots. I've found it's far more involving for the average student on the team than our old FRC team. YMMV, but don't make the mistake of thinking that switching to FTC is a step backwards.

EDITED AGAIN: I thought FRC was and is a lot of fun. Loving FTC isn't rejecting FRC. Some people love football, others love baseball. Both are great sports, but they definitely have different strengths and weaknesses.