Eastbayri.com

EAST PROVIDENCE — If the East Providence Budget Commission decides to eliminate funding for middle school sports, it won’t do so on a recommendation from the East Providence School Committee.

On Tuesday night, Feb. 14, the school committee voted 3-1 against eliminating middle school sports. Though no one spoke on the issue during either of the meeting’s public comment periods, the topic was addressed by several students, parents and others from around the community at a regular session in late January, all of whom advocated for keeping the program.

The possibility of eliminating middle school sports was identified as a potential source of savings in a management audit conducted by B and E Consulting in late 2011. While the report stated the school department could save an estimated $90,000 with the cut, school department finance director Mary King said the actual cost of providing middle school sports is roughly $106,000.

The motion not to eliminate middle school sports was made by school committee member Chrissy Rossi and seconded by school committee member Ryan Tellier. Mr. Tellier said that while middle schools sports might not be part of the Basic Education Plan, he believes the school district’s job is to educate the “entire student,” both academically and socially.

School committee chairman Charles Tsonos supported the motion. He said the school committee is looking at ways of reducing costs but certain things, such as middle school sports, are hard to put a price on. School committee member Luisa Abatecola was not present for the meeting.

The dissenting vote on the motion came from school committee member Stephen Furtado. Mr. Furtado said he didn’t support the motion because he wanted to see the school department explore the matter further. Mr. Furtado referenced information from Thomas Sweeney, of B and E, who said other communities utilize booster clubs to support their middle school sports. He also noted a “good percentage” of the cost for middle school athletics is for stipends paid to coaches.

Additionally, Mr. Furtado said he wanted more information on possibilities such as combining sports between Martin and Riverside Middle Schools and examining the enrollment of different programs.

Meanwhile, an examination of high school sports remains underway. The B and E report stated the school department should review the high school athletic budget with a goal of reducing its total by at least $15,000, a move estimated to save about $90,000. The report states some programs with low enrollment could be re-evaluated and others reviewed to reduce expenditures through the reduction of non-league games, supplies, equipment and the number of paid assistant coaches.

Ms. King said an analysis of the high school athletic program is in the works. Those working on the matter include Ms. King, an official from the budget commission, high school principal Janet Sheehan and high school athletic director Paul Amaral. Additionally, Ms. King said the Rhode Island Department of Education has provided some information that will be used in assembling the analysis.

After the meeting, Mr. Amaral said high school sports has a “tremendous value” in the community and a lot of students who participate in the program are also near the top of their classes academically. Mr. Amaral said to start stripping away sports would be a “blow” to any community, especially with East Providence’s athletic tradition.

But that doesn’t mean the school department’s current fiscal reality can be ignored.

“We also see the reality and gravity of the fiscal situation,” Mr. Amaral said.

“We need to make well informed decisions to move forward, hopefully keeping as many programs as possible or keeping all of them but that may not be the reality due to the situation.”

Ms. King said the school committee should hear more about high school athletics at its next meeting, which is currently scheduled for March.

In the end and despite the school committee’s vote against eliminating middle school sports, the final decision on either the middle or high school athletic programs will be made by the East Providence Budget Commission, a state appointed group overseeing the city’s finances. As of this publication, the budget commission had not come to a decision on the matter. Ms. King said the school department is still awaiting guidance from the budget commission on whether it should move forward with filling vacancies for some spring-sport coaching positions.