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Boyertown High School seeks board support and $16,336 to formalize esports club
Summary
School leaders and students described two years of growth in esports, competitive success and college interest and asked the board to approve club status and an annual budget of $16,336 covering league registration, stipends, transportation and equipment maintenance.
High school staff, a technology teacher and student leaders asked the board to recognize an esports club, outline a budget, and incorporate co-curricular stipend language into the MOU/CBA process.
The high school presentation described an in-school esports elective and a proposed after-school club that competes in leagues. Teacher Mr. Pennington said the program competes in PIEA and TEC leagues and that TEC provides 30 jerseys and other supports. Coach/staff said the district fields six game teams (Rocket League, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Valorant, Marvel title, and a Fortnite variant) and currently runs practices year-round.
Students described competitive successes. Student Alexis Rich, a junior and team leader, said, “Overall, playing with the esports and the Overwatch, it's been really good for building a community of friends.” Captain Isaiah from the Rocket League team described college recruiting interest after off-site tournaments and said the program “let me see that this is actually a real industry.”
The proposed annual budget totaled $16,336. Line items presented included league registration and jerseys ($3,500), co-curricular stipend for two semesters (to be folded into the collective bargaining MOU), transportation to nearby colleges and tournaments, and an equipment maintenance plan to refresh graphics cards and parts over time. Mr. Sparks said $17,000 was tentatively budgeted in the high school budget for next year pending final board action.
Board members asked whether esports would be treated as athletics (it would not initially; PIAA has not recognized it as a sport), what games are age-appropriate (the program limits entries to teen-rated titles), team sizes (game-dependent; Rocket League 3v3, Marvel 6v6), arena capacity (15 machines in the current lab plus a connected classroom for rotations), and whether eligibility would mirror other co-curricular eligibility rules (yes).
The board did not take an immediate funding vote; administration said the $17,000 figure had been included in the superintendent’s proposed high school budget for the next fiscal year and that stipend costs would be negotiated and included in the MOU/CBA process.
