By Nate Leskovic
Times Staff
6/26/08

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Mary Gormley, incoming superintendent, says she is convinced students are falling through the cracks and not participating in sports due to the $200 per sport costs.
“I think the fees are abhorrent,” she says, about the possibility of losing the safety net provided by sports programming.
It is not simply a matter of sports. Students must maintain good grades to play sports and coaches are expected to monitor players’ academics. In addition, studies show that students involved in sports have better attendance and higher achievement than those who do not, according to Gormley. She says involvement in sports increases their involvement and investment in school.
Incoming Assistant Superintendent John Phelan agrees. “When you want to invest students in learning, you can hook them in with sports and activities. It makes their whole day more positive. When you have something you feel strongly about that brings excitement about being in school every day, it translates into success in the classroom.”
More money for sports programming comes from outside the schools than from within, prompting Gormley to question funding approaches.
“It takes the ‘public’ out of public schools,” she says.
The total budget for sports programming will be about $540,000 next year, according to Assistant Superintendent Paul Hilton. Of that, only $191,000 will come from taxpayer dollars. By comparison, $350,000 of the sports budget was town funds two years ago.
Next year, the schools expect to receive $190,000 in sports fees from students and $20,000 in gate receipts from games. The remaining amount, approximately $150,000, must come from outside sources.
This past school year, the difference was covered through $16,800 in advertising revenues, $73,500 from the Boosters, $5,500 in team fundraising efforts by students, and $46,000 from the “Hillside Fund.” The boosters delivered its fundraising check to the school system on June 23.
The Hillside Fund was established by the Copeland Foundation in 2004 to help the high school maintain accreditation through the purchase of supplies and materials and will be exhausted this year, exacerbating potential shortfalls. School officials are uncertain if the Hillside funds can even be used for athletics again this year, they say.
In addition, last year the Boosters had about $30,000 on-hand before they began their community fundraising effort on behalf of sports. Boosters President Jerry Cahalane says this year, “We’re pretty much spent.”
“I’m thinking I’m going to need more people involved in fundraising,” Cahalane says, but adds confidently, “We’ll absolutely be able to pull it off.” The group plans on being more creative.
“It’s amazing the people who will step up, if you can get the word out and if the news is dire enough. People will fundraise for sports. They wont do it to hire a teacher, unfortunately,” he says.
The Impact
Though school officials say it is difficult to measure who doesn’t try out for sports because of increased students fees, they are convinced there are students who aren’t playing as a result of the fees.
“It’s hard for a 15 or 16 year old or a parent to come out and say they can’t afford it,” says Phelan.
School officials stress they will never tell students they can’t play because they can’t pay. Gormley says last year about 80 students had fee waivers, reductions or worked jobs in the community to cover their costs.
Athletic Director Steve Traister says the list grew at the start of the winter and then spring seasons as new fees were due for multi-sport athletes.
Phelan, a former JV basketball coach at the high school, says barriers to sports participation could have a real negative impact on students.
“There are things you learn on the court or the ball field or the race track that you just don’t learn in the classroom,” he says, mentioning teamwork and leadership skills. Phelan says athletes can see the accomplishments of hard work.
“When you put your effort into a sport and you have a successful experience, you can relate it to the classroom,” he says.
Sports programming is also important for applications to college and potential scholarship opportunities. For example, Cahalane cites one student who was quiet and soft-spoken until a teacher encouraged him to join the track team.
“After a couple of years he was actually talking,” Cahalane says. “He was totally socialized and ended
up getting a scholarship to college for running.
Some of these kids would never even know if they
were good unless they are given an opportunity to try.”
The costs for a high school athlete do not end with fees. There are the costs of uniforms, buses and officials for non-league games and scrimmages, and equipment beyond the basics.
Gormley says ideally she would eliminate the fees. Though unlikely, she says it may be possible to cut them to a $75 or $100 per year. “We need to work to find a way to reduce them,” she says. “Through fundraising, the school budget or creativity.”
“There was a tremendous effort this year by the Boosters and the Save Our Sports committee,” says Traister. “It took a considerable amount of effort and time. My concern is that they might not be able to do it again. You can’t keep going to the well too many times.”