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Board hears proposal to expand middle‑school clubs and start basketball, wrestling leagues
Summary
District staff outlined a $200,000 middle‑school co‑curricular budget funded by the Student Investment Account, described rules for club offerings and presented cost estimates for adding middle‑school basketball and wrestling.
District administrators presented a first‑year summary of middle‑school co‑curricular programming and asked the board to consider adding winter athletics such as basketball or wrestling after a pilot season.
The district said it dedicated $200,000 from the Student Investment Account for middle‑school programming, allocating $50,000 to each of four schools. That money covers program costs but does not cover transportation. District staff set eligibility rules for clubs: at least one meeting per week, minimum enrollment of 10 students, and the equivalent of 24 weeks of activity (which can be compacted into intensive schedules for productions).
This year the district reported 34 district clubs serving 781 students. Cross country in the fall had 129 participants; track and field participation was projected and pending season start. Athletic competition formats were described: cross country meets on weekends, track meets during the week with a district championship. Staff said middle‑school athletics face transportation constraints because buses run routes for end‑of‑day release, leaving limited ability to transport students home after mid‑afternoon competitions.
Board members asked for cost estimates for middle‑school basketball. Presenters estimated coaching stipends between about $2,400 and $3,100 for experienced, in‑district coaches (lower rates for less experience), and suggested each middle school would need two coaches per season (seventh and eighth grade) with an estimate of roughly eight coaches per season districtwide. Using a mid‑range stipend, administrators estimated roughly $20,000 per gender per season in stipend costs, plus officials and transportation. Officials might be paid roughly $50 per student per game (district proposed using trained high‑school students as officials in some games to lower cost), and transportation costs would be additional.
Staff proposed starting with basketball or wrestling pilots and consulting local youth organizations (YMCA, Boys & Girls Club) and high‑school athletic directors to avoid duplicating community offerings. Board members expressed support for middle‑school activities as a way to increase student engagement and requested follow‑up proposals on cost, transportation and scheduling. The board did not take formal action on athletics at this meeting.
