Schools take steps to deal with failed vote
Establishes $100 athletic fees By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The committee voted 7-1 on Wednesday, Aug. 15, to implement $100 participation fees for each athlete's participation in each sport as well as for participation in the marching band.

"I think this is the best of all evils," said Committee Chairman David Christianson.

The athletic programming cuts will include the elimination of the golf team, the co-ed indoor track team, the co-op wrestling program, junior varsity ice hockey as well as the freshman teams of football and girls' and boys' basketball. At the middle school level the cheerleading program is eliminated.

"We wouldn't eliminate any middle school sports that are interscholastic," said Athletic Director David LaRoche.

On Wednesday, the committee focused their fee discussion on the marching band and the sports programs, which begin practicing before school starts.

As part of Wednesday's vote the committee approved the formation of a few activities without fees. Those activities include the Quick Stop Café and the peer mediation/leaders programs at Overlook. At Oakmont the activities included were the student council, the National Honor Society, peer mediation and yearbook.

The Peer Mediation groups are both funded through grants.

The high school class advisors and Web masters at each of the schools will also continue to be funded.

School Committee members had touched on the concept of eliminating all sports and co-curricular activities instead of implementing a fee or reducing programming.

"I was the one that suggested it was an all or nothing approach," Christianson said. "I'm torn between the principal of it and the actuality."

Christianson said it took many discussions with people for him to decide to support the fee-based approached. He said he'd asked residents not to vote no on the proposed override as a way of sending a message to Beacon Hill or on a philosophy of believing in Proposition 2 1/2. And said for that reason he would support them implementation of $100 participation fee.

Committee member Keith Glenny was the only committee member to vote against the implementation of the fees.

"I think it has become very easy for us to do this," he said. "I have this speech every time we do this."

Glenny said the district is supposed to watch out for those students whose families cannot afford the fees.

"Those are the very kids that public education is supposed to be for," he said.

The more than 40 parents, teachers and residents who attended the meeting asked a series of questions on the implementation process of these fees, why certain sports were eliminated and how to cover fees for those who can't afford them.

Students how are eligible for the federally regulated free or reduced lunch program will be eligible to have the participation fee waived.

The booster club or other community organizations may also try to lend a hand to students in need.

"We pretty much know where the help is needed," Rick Noseworthy, a member of the Oakmont Booster Club, said.

The fees and the funding for the other activities will be determined after school starts in order to gage student interest. The Oakmont administrator and school council will take a survey during the first weeks of school, and the school committee will review the recommendation from that information. Overlook's administration will be undertaking a similar process.

There is no additional money in the operating budget of the school to fund any part of the remaining activities so these activities will have to be selffunded.