BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
As work begins on developing the Freehold Regional High School District’s budget for the 2005-06 school year, administrators at the six schools in the district have provided central office administrators with their sports wish lists.
The requests were outlined at a recent meeting of the FRHSD Board of Education.
Business Administrator Joan Nesenkar Saylor said administrators at Freehold High School and Freehold Township High School have not requested any additional levels of sports for the coming school year.
“Colts Neck High School has requested freshman lacrosse and freshman volleyball for boys and girls,” Saylor said.
Colts Neck is also seeking a girls golf team. At the present time there is a co-ed golf squad.
Howell High School administrators are requesting boys and girls volleyball and boys and girls swimming, Saylor said.
Manalapan High School administrators want to start a girls lacrosse program. The school presently has boys lacrosse, the administrator noted.
“They’re looking for varsity and junior varsity [girls] team,” she said.
Marlboro administrators want to start junior varsity lacrosse teams for boys and girls and volleyball for boys and girls.
In addition, Saylor said the position of weight room attendant is being requested.
“All of our schools have weight rooms now,” the business administrator said. “All of them would like to have somebody who would be responsible for being in the weight room to supervise whatever students from whatever sports are in there using the equipment.”
The total for all of the additional sports including the weight room, without the cost of coaching, but with the cost of transportation, is approximately $147, 000.
“It does add up quite quickly when any school extends to a different level or adds a new sport,” said Saylor. “I will becoming back to you shortly after the first of the new year with some more information. The building principals realize that at this time no new sports can be added without specific exemptions by the board.”
Board member Terry Kraft of Howell asked about the cost of the weight room attendants.
He was told it would be $3,000 per school or a total of $18,000 for six weight room attendants. Saylor said that was a safety issue more than anything else.
Kraft said each request for a new sports team should be examined and he said administrators should determine if there are any sports that are being underused.
“You’re not going to find the people who are participating saying anything,” said Kraft. “I think you have to look at how many participants are involved in various sports and begin to determine whether the sport should be run or not, the cost of it, as well as how many people are participating. That’s the fairest way to do this. Obviously, swimming, of all the sports listed here, is the most expensive because of the amount of time.”
Board member Kathie Lavin of Farmingdale noted that some school administrators are requesting sports at different levels.
“Colts Neck is starting lacrosse this year at a junior varsity and varsity level and they hope for freshmen the following year,” said Lavin. “That means there must be some interest in order to have three levels.”
Board member Bunny Hammer of Freehold Borough asked for a copy of the administrators’ wish list and was told she would receive a copy.
Board member Bonnie Rosenwald of Marlboro said she was concerned with swimming.
“One of my concerns with swimming, as much as I love swimming, is the cost, which is phenomenal,” said Rosenwald, who noted there are some concerns associated with the sport. Since none of the FRHSD buildings has a pool, all of the swim teams must use off-campus facilities for practices and meets.
“Some schools only practice three days a week for 30 minutes each time,” she said. “Sometimes a meet is 30 seconds over [the time limit] and the little kids walk out onto the [pool] deck.
“To put another sport in knowing these problems exist and to spend money on teams knowing that they are not getting the full benefit, I don’t want to pull the team,” said Rosenwald. “But we have to find a way to do this better for these children or it is wasting money. You can’t have a swim team and have them practice three days a week for 30 minutes. You just can’t do it. That has to be worked out before it is approved to go into the budget.”
Superintendent of Schools James Wasser said consideration must also be given to how much use the fields at a school can handle without being allowed to lie empty for a period of time in order to remain usable.
Board President Patricia Horvath said the development of the 2005-06 budget is under way and she asked the board members to get involved in that process.