"But the teams are a clear money maker for the schools"
I would guess no juco sports pay for themselves especially football as equipment, travel insurance and coaches etc add up. Tuition does not get allocated back to the sports teams
Dude, they're making money...why else would they field teams? It makes no sense. Here's my guesses (and they're purely that -- I have no inside knowledge):
1) Coaching: Head coach probably paid slightly more than a varsity high school coach. So let's say $10-15k? Assistant makes a pittance. $3-5k? Even if I'm WAY off on that (which I doubt), I'm guessing the extremely high side on coaching salaries would be $50k total.
2) Travel: Bus only...and sack lunches. These are are mostly day trips. No flights, and probably VERY rarely an overnight. So let's say 5-6 away games per year, $1000 per game (which I'm betting is high). $6k on the high side.
3) Equipment: I bet they're on a 3-5 year replacement schedule for helmets, so let's say they stock 100 helmets and replace 25 of those per year at a cost of $100 each. So $2.5k. Let's just guess ditto on shoulder pads. Jerseys and pants cost less. Other pads are negligible. So on the high side I'll estimate $8k/year.
4) I have no clue on insurance. I'll admit that. $5k-$10k seems high, but let's just go with that.
Add it all up, and you're WELL below $100k. I say again, my guess is these programs are money makers. Not big ones, but when you're talking about a community college with enrollments likely at or below 1000 kids, a football team of 44 kids that generates revenue is a big deal. Not to mention basketball, volleyball, etc. These schools have tiny budgets -- smaller than many high schools -- so while you're right that tuition doesn't directly go back to sports, it's allocated to a general operating fund which is then tapped to pay for sports expenses. It works the same way at high schools. HS sports don't "make" money either...especially at schools who such and don't draw fans. The school simply funds these from general operating pools.