HILLSBOROUGH: Board to increase students’ sports attendance

By Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
But ask if few go because of ticket prices — or ‘attitude of mediocrity’
   One reason more students don’t attend high school games, according to one school board member, is because the teams don’t emphasize winning.
   ”If we could put an emphasis on winning, I bet we could get a lot more people to come,” Board of Education member Frank Blandino said during the board’s Feb. 9 meeting.
   The comment was spontaneous and was not meant to harm anyone, Mr. Blandino said later, though said he believes more wins would attract more students to games.
   However, he perceives a more relaxed attitude about sports, he said.
   ”I think there is an attitude … among some of the sports, that mediocrity is acceptable,” Mr. Blandino said. “I don’t think to strive to be the best in whatever you do is a bad thing.”
   Mr. Blandino’s comments followed an inquiry board member John Donnadio made about the revenue the district receives from student ticket sales at athletic events.
   Mr. Donnadio wondered if allowing Hillsborough students to attend for free would increase their attendance at the games.
   Several teachers said the emphasis isn’t winning or revenue, and reacted to the comment after the meeting adjourned.
   ”I am absolutely appalled that a Board of Education member who is supposed to put the education of our students first would look to winning and revenue from winning,” Hillsborough Education Association President Barbara Parker said. “Revenue has become more important than teaching our student athletes sportsmanship and the benefits of good competition.”
   Given the worsening economy, the expectation of flat state aid, and the possibility of staff cuts in the upcoming budget, Ms. Parker did not want to cut a revenue source that could help alleviate budget constraints.
   ”In a time when the economic situation is what it is, and we’re going to see a budget coming that could have massive staff cuts, I think we should look to what our students need,” Ms. Parker said. “I don’t think this is the time, when we are strangling our budget, to be looking at revenue cuts.”
   Students — whether local or from out of town — pay $1 to attend games, except for conference and state playoff games (where the admission is regulated by the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association). Business Administrator and Board Secretary Aiman Mahmoud said the tickets net $6,000 for the district, used to defray the costs of the games.
   Athletic Director Michael Fanizzi is developing a system to gauge Hillsborough students’ attendance at the games, since ticket sales include local students and students from the opposing team. Rather than purchase a second set of tickets for Hillsborough students, Mr. Fanizzi agreed to create an attendance system, which would cost the district nothing, Mr. Mahmoud added.
   Mr. Donnadio suggested charging out-of-district students more to attend the games, to make up for the revenue lost by allowing Hillsborough students to attend games free-of-charge.
   That idea also didn’t sit well with Ms. Parker, since other schools in the Skyland Conference charge students a flat rate at games.
   ”It’s a student rate and an adult rate,” Ms. Parker said. “We’d be the only people in the conference charging more for students from other schools.”