By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
PLUMSTED — The Plumsted Board of Education last week discussed the possibility of bringing back two interscholastic middle school sports teams, as well as freshman basketball and football at New Egypt High School in 2012-13.
No final decision was made after school board members Garrett Midgett and Christopher Probasco floated the proposal at the board’s March 14 meeting. Business Administrator Sean Gately said it would cost $15,000 to have interscholastic basketball and wrestling teams at the middle school, where these sports are now only offered as intramural programs, as well as reinstate freshman football and boys basketball.
”From Mr. Probasco’s and my perspective, $15,000 is a relatively small amount of money to spend on programs that we once had,” Mr. Midgett said.
Board President Harry Miller agreed that $15,000 was not a tremendous amount of money in a $22.9 million budget, but he wanted to know where the funds would come from to bring back the middle school and high school teams.
”From a district standpoint we have no higher priority than this?” Mr. Miller asked his colleagues.
The 2012-13 budget, as introduced Feb. 29, holds operating expenses flat, but still requires an average $177 school increase in taxes for the average assessed home because of a decline in the town’s ratable base and higher debt service expenses.
Mr. Gately said the $15,000 for the sports teams could be found by making adjustments within the athletics budget and using savings that materialize from unanticipated budgetary “variances” that may occur after July 1.
”We could get an additional staff retirement, or maybe a savings that comes along in another area,” Mr. Gately said. “I would just say that we earmark those funds first off to fund this,” he said, referring to the teams.
It would not be necessary to raise the pay-to-participate fees that parents now pay for their children to join school clubs or athletics should the district decide to bring back the middle school and freshman sports teams, Mr. Gately said. Pay-to-participate fees brought in about $33,000 in the current school year, he said.
The proposed budget holds those fees flat for 2012-13. Students now pay $25 for each club they join with the maximum fee set at $50 (for two or more clubs). A higher $50 fee is required to join an athletic team, drama production, cheerleading or marching band with the maximum fee set at $100 a year (for two or more). Therefore, the most any one child pays is $150 a year, regardless of the number of sports teams and clubs joined. There is a family cap of $300 a year.
The school board has set a public hearing and adoption vote on the 2012-13 budget for 7:30 p.m., March 28 at New Egypt High School.
Residents will not vote on the budget because a new law allows school boards that move their elections to November to have the final say on all spending plans provided the general fund tax levy complies with the 2 percent cap law.
IN OTHER NEWS, the Board of Education voted unanimously to award an $84,900 contract to Jim Miller Roofing for the replacement of the roof on the New Egypt High School Barn, a 100-year-old building that the district uses to store equipment.
Jim Miller Roofing had the lowest price of the eight companies that bid on the work. The bids ranged from $84,90 to $358,823.

