As budget talks heat up for the towns in the Mahar Regional School District, the future of athletics in the communities of Orange, Wendell, New Salem and Petersham has turned particularly cloudy.
During Tuesday’s virtual School Committee meeting, members of town government and school officials discussed the dire situation facing the district, as the towns continued to carve out an education budget to send to town meetings for fiscal year 2021.
How that will ultimately impact athletics at Mahar Regional School remains uncertain, but Athletic Director Jim Woodward, who was one of many speakers during time allotted for public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, offered a grim picture for 2020-21.
Woodward, who has been Mahar’s AD for a decade and an employee in the district for 47 years, said he was asked to cut $125,000 from the athletic budget for next year. That number totals over one-third of his current budget, and Woodward said it would necessitate the elimination of middle school athletics for 2020-2021.
“We would not have middle school sports this year, which means over 300 middle school kids will be looking for something to do after school,” Woodward told the over 100 people who tuned in virtually for Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s a tough call. These cuts not only affect the Mahar community but all the schools we’re involved with. Our sports program has had a very positive influence on our athletes. These kids will never get to experience that and those losses will have lifelong effects.”
As communities prepare for their annual town meetings — Orange’s is scheduled for June 15 — the School Committee voted 8-0 to send the education budget to town meetings at $14,047,493. That number was considered a compromise, as it is directly at the midpoint between versions 5 and 6 of their budget — the latter being the most recent version.
Woodward said if he were forced to cut even more from his budget, which he alluded to if version 6 were adopted, the next step would have necessitated eliminating junior varsity and varsity programs.
“There’s nothing left to cut besides those at this point,” he admitted. “I hope with my heart to continue to offer programs that we’re proud of here but we’re in tough shape.”
Mahar Art and Music Department Coordinator Helen Miller put out a call for community members to write in support of athletics and extracurricular activities. She told the committee on Tuesday that she received 50 letters in a week, including responses from alumni, community members and current students.
Class of 2008 graduate Garrett Jones, who now lives in California, wrote in support of athletics during his tenure at Mahar.
“I feel sorry and afraid for any kid that goes to school and doesn’t have the opportunity to learn the lessons I’ve been lucky enough to learn through sports,” he wrote. “Playing sports taught me that hard work, dedication, and discipline are keys to success in any area of life. Playing sports taught me how to lead by example. Sports taught me how to be confident. The doors that open when you have confidence are endless in any career or life venture.”
Current student Caroline Chase echoed that sentiment in another letter.
“I would just like to express how much the sports programs mean to me,” she began. “I go to school and my motivation throughout the day is knowing that I can end it doing something I love, whether it’s field hockey or track. My sports are my motivation for not only getting through the day but trying my best to keep my grades up, working hard and studying for that test coming up, staying after to raise my grade in that class I am struggling with.”
Orange Selectboard Chair Ryan Mailloux said during Tuesday’s meeting that while discussing cuts to sports and other extracurricular activities isn’t easy, the situation has left the towns and the district with no choice.
“I realize middle school sports are crucial to them,” he offered. “I understand those components but at the end of the day, we have nothing extra to cut. It’s only the crucial components.”
Superintendent Tari Thomas said that since Chapter 70 aid from the state won’t be official until July or August, the situation would be revisited when the district receives more accurate state revenue figures. The current budget is based off preliminary figures released back in January.