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Board approves SPASH boys lacrosse, adds girls wrestling head‑coach stipend after public comment
Summary
After extensive public comment and administration presentations, the Stevens Point Area Public School District board on March 10 approved adding a WIAA‑sanctioned SPASH boys lacrosse team for 2025–26 and adding a girls wrestling head‑coach stipend to the athletics schedule.
The Stevens Point Area Public School District Board voted March 10 to add a WIAA‑sanctioned boys lacrosse team at SPASH for the 2025–26 school year and to add a head‑coach stipend for a girls wrestling program.
Parents, players and youth‑program volunteers delivered multiple public comments urging the board to sanction lacrosse and to consider a multi‑district cooperative (co‑op). At the meeting administration said they surveyed families and students: a district family survey returned about 300 responses and a student follow‑up survey (sent March 3) returned 255 responses; administration reported 50 students ranked their interest at the highest levels on the student survey. Public commenters argued a two‑year co‑op would bring experienced players and steady numbers; others, including district administrators, recommended starting a SPASH‑based team to maximize opportunities for Stevens Point students.
"By making this a coop team, you are automatically gaining 10 to 12 more players, putting us closer to the solid program numbers that we need to succeed," said TJ Phyllis, a Stevens Point resident active in youth lacrosse. Superintendent staff said the district prioritized ensuring "every kid who wants to play lacrosse [gets] a stick in their hand at SPASH," and emphasized logistics, coaching and sustainability as reasons to begin with a school‑based program.
Administrators explained the WIAA co‑op process and timeline: a cooperative team application requires school‑board and superintendent approvals from each district involved and must be filed by May 1 for spring sports. The board heard administration’s budget estimate and startup cost request for a SPASH‑based boys program and discussed conference affiliation and staffing needs.
On wrestling, district staff described steady growth in girls participation statewide and locally, and asked the board to add a head‑coach stipend so the program has dedicated leadership as girls wrestling transitions into separate WIAA team competition. The board approved adding the stipend to the district’s athletics schedule (Appendix B) for the 2025–26 school year; administration estimated the stipend at approximately $6,121.
Motions and votes: the board approved adding the girls wrestling head‑coach stipend (motion made by G Pope; second by Dennis; motion carries). The board separately approved adding a SPASH boys lacrosse team as a WIAA‑sanctioned sport beginning 2025–26 (motion made by Ted Kowalski; second by G Pope; motion carries; one board member recorded a dissenting vote).
What happens next: administration said it will promote the program, begin coach recruitment and pursue conference affiliation. If the district later needs to, it may consider a cooperative application with neighboring schools, but administrators said a school‑based program would give SPASH greater control over logistics, playing opportunities and long‑term stability.
The discussion combined public comment, parent advocacy, and staff recommendations; board members repeatedly cited a priority of access for Stevens Point students when weighing a cooperative approach against a school‑based team.
