Patron confronts U-235 board on baseball, softball issue

UNIONTOWN -- After more feedback from the community, the USD 235 Board of Education will take another look at a proposal to add baseball and softball programs to the district.

About 15 teachers and other local residents attended the board meeting in October to voice their opinions about adding the two athletic programs, which have been discussed over the years but never implemented. At that meeting, board members and patrons discussed costs and procedures associated with building ball fields and purchasing equipment. Teachers, parents, and even athletic coaches at that meeting shared differing views on the idea; some supported the notion while others were against it.

During their regular meeting Monday, Uniontown resident Randy Rathbun, who supports the idea of adding the programs, presented a list of West Bourbon Elementary School fifth and sixth grade students who Rathbun said were interested in participating in either of the two programs. There are 95 student names on that list, he said. Rathbun also asked the board, whose members have discussed the idea but taken no action yet, what the next step in the implementation process was.

"If these programs (baseball and softball) were in place, these are the students who showed interest," he said, referring to the list. "The interest is there. What information would you like?," Rathbun asked the board.

Board president Joe Warren said the October meeting was simply the first step in the process, and that a patron had willed money toward the specific purpose of adding the two programs, but that money was ultimately not used for that purpose.

"That's why it was brought up," Warren said. "That money was not given to us for that purpose."

Warren also said board members had not discussed the notion recently, and are currently in a fact-finding stage before including the idea in the board agenda again. The next step, Warren said, is for the board to sit down once again and completely discuss the idea. During the October meeting, board member Jeff Tinsley said that many patrons with viewpoints on the issue did not attend that pre-publicized meeting, and a more fair solution could have been reached if more of them had attended and shared their opinions.

"There were about 15 people here then (at the October meeting)," Tinsley said Monday. "We put it out to the public and there were three in favor and the rest were against it. That (meeting) was well publicized that we were going to do that. A lot of people didn't know about it."

Rathbun also said he could obtain a list of parents who would contribute financially to the implementation of the two programs. Rathbun also said he talked to UJSHS Principal Tracy Smith, who presented a cost overview of the two programs in October, about the cost of starting a pilot girls' softball program. It would cost about $8,000 to purchase equipment and other necessary items to start that program, Rathbun said. The new programs would be most beneficial to elementary school students moving on to junior and senior high school, rather than older high school students who will graduate within a couple of years.

"I just want to know, where do we go from here?" Rathbun asked the board.

The board decided on Monday to add the discussion of the two athletic programs to the board agenda for next month's meeting. Warren said the costs associated with starting up the two programs are rather high, and it is the consensus of the board not to support implementation of the programs at this time. More meetings on the issue are likely to happen in the future, officials said.

In October, Smith said the approximate total cost of equipment, coaches and staff for both programs could possibly be between $25,000 and $30,000. A new softball field would cost about $80,000 to construct, with the installation of lights at that field costing between $40,000 and $240,000, Smith said. The cost of building a brand new sports complex that would house both programs could cost between $200,000 and $250,000, he said at that time. USD 235 Superintendent Randy Rockhold has said that funding for other district athletic programs would not be cut if the two programs were added.

Bronson resident Terry Johnston, who also attended the Monday meeting, told the board that a regulation-size baseball field located in Bronson could possibly be used by a new baseball team, so that money would not have to be set aside to build a new field, Johnston said. At Rockhold's request, Johnston will present specifications of that field to the board at a future meeting.

In other business Monday:

* Rockhold said plaques were available to honor three teachers in the district who have worked at least 25 years in USD 235. The board and other administrators want to honor teachers who have devoted much of their careers to teaching in Uniontown.

* Rockhold also informed the board that a recent head count in the district showed that about 504 K-12 students are currently enrolled in the district's two schools. This is a positive step, as district enrollment has jumped by more than 70 students in the last year, Rockhold said. Major gains in enrollment are positive in terms of funding, he said.

* Smith and WBE Principal Marianna Daugherty presented reports on recent and upcoming events at their schools.

* Approved Feb. 4 as the date for the American Red Cross Jump Rope for Heart event in Uniontown, and a $63,000 bid for a district school bus.

The board also conducted three separate closed sessions to discuss Rockhold's annual evaluation, as well as negotiations to discuss personnel matters related to identifiable individuals in the school district. The board conducted other routine business and later adjourned.