It wasn’t on the agenda, but that didn’t stop a group of concerned parents and students from urging the South Portland Board of Education not to move forward with plans to consolidate the sports teams at the city’s two middle schools.
On Monday the newly formed group, “Parents of SoPo Middle School Athletes,” asked the school board to reconsider having only one team for sports such as soccer and basketball.
But with the school budget already approved by voters and the school department moving forward with the consolidation, there may be nothing that can be done to stop it.
According to its Facebook page, the purpose of Parents of SoPo Middle School Athletes “is to rally and save separate middle school teams. We are against combining middle school teams (in order) to give more kids the opportunity to play and feel a part of their school.”
Prior to Monday’s school board meeting, Assistant Superintendent Kathy Germani said the idea of consolidating the sports teams at the two middle schools – Mahoney and Memorial – was that of the athletic director and the principals at both schools.
She said the school board discussed the proposal during the budget season earlier this spring and at that time “no parents came forward to speak either for or against this recommendation.”
Germani also said since “the public already approved our 2015-2016 budget on June 9, without going out to voter referendum again, we cannot expend more than what was voted on.”
Richard Matthews, the school board chairman, said Tuesday that the concerned parents “certainly got the attention of the board last night” and said he’s asked Germani to sit down with Athletic Director Todd Livingston to see what solutions there might be.
“We certainly heard some great comments, but I don’t know what can be done about it,” Matthews added. And in an email to one of the parents, Livingston said the consolidation of sports teams “aligns our programming with all of our other team sports offerings.”
And although Germani said there was plenty of public notice, including a March 12 story in the Current, this week parents said they felt blindsided by the consolidation plan.
The school department is only combining the basketball and soccer teams at the middle schools, based on player interest, but even so, parents say the reduction means less playing time for kids, which could have a harmful effect especially during the years when making a connection with school and socializing with peers are seen as vitally important.
Kimberly Mayone, who has an eighth-grader wanting to play soccer, basketball and lacrosse this upcoming school year, decried the lack of transparency in regard to the middle school sports teams and told the Current, “If it was public information, I certainly missed it.”
She added, “Sports keep kids out of trouble and for some students, the desire to participate in sports is academically motivating. Limiting sports where there is enough interest and players seems short-sighted because of the positive effect sports can have in a middle schooler’s life.”
Mayone said the benefits of playing sports, “goes beyond the court and field. Sports (can help) cross socioeconomic and cultural divides. It reduces screen time and gets kids moving. These are all good things, why diminish them without public discussion?”
She also said that South Portland has “a rich tradition of athletics (and) combining all middle school sports will diminish it. Middle school can be a really rough three years for some students. Sports act as a positive outlet that offers exercise and socializing.”
Another parent, Rachel Flaherty, told the Current she spoke out at the school board meeting Monday because prior to the budget being passed, “there was no way to know what (the consolidation plan) meant, or the impact that it would have on students.”
She said if the school department’s intention had been “clearly listed the community would have known what was being proposed and would have had the opportunity to speak out about this issue.”
This fall Flaherty will have three children at Mahoney Middle School and all of them are interested in participating in athletics, as well as other extracurricular activities.
She’s concerned that “there are sports where even with two separate middle school teams, there are enough students trying out that (players) are being cut.”
Flaherty added that, “middle school is a critical time where it is important for kids to have safe, positive and supervised activities to help them make connections with their peers and build their self esteem. I am hoping that our community will change this policy so that we can give our kids the greatest number of opportunities (possible).”
Elizabeth Greely, who founded the Parents of SoPo Middle School Athletes, said she began speaking out because, “we did not hear about this issue until it had passed (and) we all felt blindsided.”
She has an eighth-grader at Mahoney who plays soccer and baseball, and runs track, and said combining teams “would reduce the sports (options) in half for our kids.”
Greely agreed with the other parents who spoke with the Current, and said, “middle school is a tough time for kids. They are trying to find themselves, fit in and deal with their bodies changing. They need as many activities as possible to see what they like.”
She added, “the students also take pride in their school and enjoy competing against one another and (sports) creates a positive middle school experience for kids.”
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