Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Athletic director tells subcommittee Brockton faces aging turf, staffing gaps and program costs
Loading...
Summary
At a Brockton School Committee subcommittee meeting, Athletic Director Caro outlined participation numbers, facility safety concerns (aging turf and a pool too shallow for diving), staffing reductions and budget pressures, and proposed middle-school skill sessions and further procurement steps.
Athletic Director Caro told the Brockton School Committee subcommittee on athletics that the district’s athletic programs are meeting clear student interest but face significant facility, staffing and budget strains that could limit participation going forward. He outlined participation totals, infrastructure risks at Marciano Stadium and Campanelli Stadium, and a shortfall of athletic-support staff as the spring season begins.
Caro gave season-by-season participation figures and enrollment signals: 338 students participated in fall athletics at the varsity/JV/freshman levels last year, 310 in winter, and 283 in spring; he added that sign-ups were higher (he cited about 527 fall registrations and roughly 498 in winter) but roster sizes and team limits prevent placing all interested students. "The sign ups — the interest is there. We just don't have many spots for a lot of the teams," Caro said.
Caro raised immediate facility concerns. He said the artificial turf and track at Marciano Stadium are about 16 years old and have been overdue for replacement: "It really needed to be replaced 2 or 3 years ago." He said bids from manufacturers exist but the district has not yet issued a construction procurement; he warned that if the annual GMAX safety test (scheduled for July) fails, teams would not be allowed to practice or play on the turf and the district would need to secure alternate venues. On the high-school pool, Caro said an engineer found the pool roughly one foot too shallow for diving and that, pending repairs and ADA upgrades, the district must rent pool time off-site for dive practice and hosted meets.
Members pressed Caro on who is responsible for preparing Campanelli Stadium for the high-school baseball season. Caro said responsibility has been unclear for years; earlier leases assigned groundskeeping to the professional team (the Knockouts/Rocks), but the lease language has changed and he has not seen the current lease that runs through 2027. A committee member asked for a title search and for counsel to review the contract language and revenue-sharing history.
Caro also flagged staffing and operating pressures: the department currently has one athletic trainer (subcontracted through Signature Health) covering multiple sites and events, and several support roles have been eliminated. "Two people are going to be responsible for scheduling, coordinating, issuing equipment, and supervising 87 teams across the city," he said, calling that consolidation a concern. He cited a prior combined expense of about $130,000 for officials, police details and the trainer subcontract, and said about $37,000 remained in the athletic supply budget for FY26. Caro warned that the hockey coop with Stoughton carries a roughly $17,000 seasonal cost (split ice rental and coaching stipend), and with only one Brockton player returning next year the district may need to consider pausing the program.
On programming, Caro and staff proposed earlier skill-development work at the middle-school level to build feeder systems for high school teams. He said field-hockey skill sessions could begin this spring on the Marciano turf, run by an assistant coach, and that middle-school outreach for baseball, softball and swimming could be expanded to improve long-term participation.
Caro listed capital needs beyond turf and pool repairs: gym bleachers in poor condition (he cited a previous replacement estimate of roughly $500,000 from four or five years ago), condemned foyer stairs into the gym that need replacement, and an architectural design to convert two fields behind the skating rink to turf that has been discussed for several years but lacks an identified funding source. Caro credited community partners, notably Save Our Sports, for recent facility improvements but said additional city or mayoral support will be needed for major capital projects.
The subcommittee requested follow-up documents and procurement timelines, including the current lease for Campanelli Stadium, RFP timing for turf construction, the GMAX test results in July, and a breakdown of off-site rental costs (ice time, pool rental) for the 2025–26 year. The subcommittee will meet monthly on athletics and pursue those follow-ups; several members indicated they will raise facilities and procurement at the full school committee as needed.
