Posted: 18 May 2010 09:43 AM PDT

The Newton school board, after about an hour's discussion Monday night, decided to delay a decision on reinstating the Newton High School gymnastics program until its next meeting.
The gymnastics program was eliminated from the budget last year along with diving as a part of $50,000 in cuts from the athletics program.
Gymnastics is the most expensive of the NHS' offerings per student at $1,520 per athlete.
After being approached by parents and students last spring, the board allowed an $11,000 fund-raising campaign to support the program. The funds were raised, and the team went on to host the state tournament and be named co-state champions.
In December, parents and students returned to the board to ask the program be reinstated.
Four students have expressed a desire to go out for gymnastics next year.
"Gymnastics is not in the budget," board president Carol Sue Stayrook Hobbs said. "If we put it back in, we would have to cut something else."
Athletic director Brian Engelken said he would only recommend a reinstatement of the gymnastics team if it was fully funded by the board without cutting elsewhere from the athletic budget.
"I think the district should fund it or it should not be carried at all," he said. "I think if we have the community fund it, we set a dangerous precedent.
"What happens a year from now when the budget numbers look very bad and and an individual approaches us again to fund football or track or C teams or freshman sports. Are we going to let that happen because two years ago we let gymnastics fundraise. We will have a line out the door based on past practice."
Gary Jantz, assistant superintendent for business, said the only way more money could be gleaned for the budget to reinstate the gymnastics program was to increase the pay-to-play fee schedule, which already was increased for next year.
Board member Renee Erickson voted against letting the gymnastic program fund-raise last spring because she said she thought all sports should be supported equally. She echoed those thoughts again Monday.
"I think the gymnastics athletes are as deserving as any other, and the cuts should be equal," she said. "I do not think we should single out a single program."
Esau said he agreed.
"I have a real problem picking on one sport," he said.
The board was split not only on whether to reinstate the program, but the philosophy on how to decide which sports programs are funded.
Esau said he thought a maximum of funding per student should be set. The board also discussed only offering sports that had enough students out to field a team.
Bunting said she thinks the school district should set a limit to the number of students it would continue a program for.
"If we had one student out for tennis or one student out for gymnastics, would we still have that sport," she said. "It doesn't seem to be a good policy when some sports have such few people at such great cost."
Bunting also said she thinks the decisions on the athletic program should be left to administrators.
"We have to trust our employees to make administrative decisions," she said. "We have had a lot of time to think this through. I think we should support the athletic director, who knows more about the programs.
"There is a face, a heart and child behind every dollar we have cut. We have had a 10 percent cut in base aid. It would be difficult for me to go to a classroom teacher and say we have to change their salary so we can continue to pay coaches."
Deb Palacioz, board member, said the gymnastics athletes knew they were only getting one more year for their program.
"I don't like the idea of micromanagement," she said. "When that $50,000 was cut, it was a done deal."
Stayrook Hobbs said she would have known then what she knows know.
"We have had tough times. We have had to tighten belts. We have had to make cuts," she said. "Students have not lost all their opportunities for things to do. Those students do take part in other sports. If I would have known about the conversations we have had on this, I would have said no."
Randy Zohn said the district could cut in other places. He said he thinks $50,000 was too great of a cut to levy on athletics.
"I know it has been lean," he said. ... "But not funding a program for kids is not right. Programs for kids is why we are here."
Board member Darrell Conrade was absent from the meeting Monday so the board will vote on whether to keep gymnastics at its meeting June 7.
The board also:
• Approved a change order for $25,840 for the NHS academic addition.
• Approved a bid from Pryor Electric of Newton for $133,414 for NHS auditorium lighting upgrades. Theatrical Services Inc. of Wichita will be the theatrical lighting subcontractor on the project.
• Approved revisions for the 2010-11 NHS agenda.
• Approved a resolution terminating the Channel One agreement.
• Approved a change in contract for Tobie Loewen from half-time Reading Recovery teacher to a to full-time second-grade teacher at Slate Creek Elementary School, and a change in contract for Tarrah Geraci, third-grade teacher at South Breeze Middle School, from full time to half time.
• Accepted the resignations of Heath Elliott, physical education teacher at NHS, and Jim Hoffman, counselor at Chisholm Middle School.
• Approved hiring of Kurt Herrel to a special education position at Eby Learning Center; Heidi Claassen as a fourth-grade teacher at Slate Creek Elementary School, Jeff Comer as a social studies teacher at NHS, Nonni Wagner as a vocal music teacher at Chisholm Seventh/Eighth Grade Center, Carmen Goering as a vocal music teacher at Santa Fe Fifth/Sixth Grade Center, Lowell Ely as a Vo-Ag teacher at NHS and Brad Cooper as a counselor at Chisholm Seventh/Eighth Grade Center.

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Sports groups to gather for recreation festival

Posted: 18 May 2010 01:20 PM PDT

From field hockey and gymnastics to curling, rowing, and even a zipline, the Island Savings Family Sport and Recreation Exhibition will have it all.

More than 40 sporting organizations will gather on Saturday, May 29 to strut their stuff at the grounds of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence.

"It's important to introduce families to sports when the kids are young," said Andrea Kerry, acting general manager of PISE.

The festival is intended to get kids out and seeing what sporting activities are available in the community, she said.

For the first time PISE will be teaming up with the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and Island Savings to host the free event.

Some of Victoria's premiere athletes will be at the festival as well past and future Olympians. Expected to attend is sailing paralympian Stacie Louttit, bronze medal winner at the Beijing Summer Olympics and the Canadian Yachting Association's 2008 female athlete of the year.

Each of the 40 organizations will have their own interactive exhibition so there will be no shortage of activities for youngsters, including lacrosse, judo and soccer.

If all that wasn't enough Adrenaline Ziplines will provide a 300-foot zipline for all comers.

"We're really excited, this is the biggest event of its kind that's been held," said Mikyla Cleal, the festival's co-ordinator.

"It's for the whole family."

The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at PISE on the Camosun College campus at 4371 Interurban Rd.

editor@oakbaynews.com

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Sports groups to gather for recreation festival

Posted: 18 May 2010 01:15 PM PDT