Upstream battle for new swim team

ALLENTOWN — Some Redbirds would like to swim.

A recent survey of current and incoming Allentown High School students showed over 40 students having an interest in the school developing a swim team. The results of the survey and consistent interest from parents and other community members prompted a group to propose the creation of a co-ed swim team to the Board of Education on Feb. 3.

Mary Ellen Ferrara represented the group, stating that the mission of the swim team would be to provide students the opportunity to develop confidence, commitment, determination, responsibility and teamwork through competitive swimming.

“In addition to mastering skills and achieving physical fitness, we believe that through competitive swimming our children will gain an understanding that success results from hard work and goal setting,” Ferrara said. “Those lessons will carry on with them throughout their current educational and future careers.”

Developing a swim team would require pool time, a coaching staff, and transportation to and from practice and meets.

The group presented three cost proposals for having a swim team season from November to February. Each cost proposal assumed that parents would drive students to and from practices but not to and from meets.

The first proposal for a team of 20 swimmers would cost between $14,961 and $17,723, depending on the costs of transportation. The school district would pay $11,000, participants would pay $109 to $250 each, and the team would fundraise $1,800. The funds would pay for the school district to transport students to 10 meets at a cost between $1,438 and $4,200, one coach and one lifeguard at $6,443, shared pool rental with at Hamilton West High School in Robbinsville at $4,725, swim equipment at $1,500, entry fees to meets at $750 and miscellaneous costs at $150.

The second proposal for a team of 20 swimmers would also cost between $14,961 and $17,723, depending on the costs of transportation. However, in this scenario the participants would have to pay between $650 and $789 and the team would fundraise $1,961 to cover the remaining costs. The third proposal for a team of 40 students would cost between $16,461 and $20,661, depending on the costs of transportation. The team would fundraise $1,961 and participants would pay between $362 and $468.

In light of the current budget crisis that the Upper Freehold Regional School District is facing, Ferrara asked the board to consider the proposal for creating a 20- member team at no cost to the school district.“ I couldn’t imagine why you wouldn’t add this opportunity for male and female students,” Ferrara said.

Board of Education President Joseph Stampe said it is hard to talk about adding any programs when the district has to make approximately $1.5 million worth of cuts this year.

Superintendent of Schools Dick Fitzpatrick said the school district’s attorney may be able to create a document that clears the district of any financial liability for the swim team if the group starts one and then funding for it runs out.

“If the funding ceases, it actually can be stopped,” he said.

Fitzpatrick said he would have to clarify if the group would form a nonprofit organization to support the swim team and if it would provide liability insurance. He also said he would have to see if the school district has bus available for such a program.

Athletic Director Brian Irwin said there are four swimmers at Allentown High School that participate in competitive swim club teams. He said he would rather see students continue to have this reliable opportunity than to see a swimmer get crushed during her/his senior year when the school’s swim team shuts down for lack of funding.

“If we do this, we have to do it right so we can maintain it,” Irwin said.

Board Vice President Lisa Herzer said she doesn’t think the board should make a final decision on the issue until after the budget has been presented to and voted on in the April election.

Board member Joseph Calvitti said, “If there’s no [cost] impact to us, then I say go for it.”

Board member Howard Krieger suggested putting a committee together to study the issue further.

When Stampe took a straw poll to see if board members wanted to further explore the swim team issue now or after the budget process, Krieger and Calvitti voted to immediately pursue the issue while the rest of the board voted to postpone discussion until a later date.

“We are going to table this until we can think clearly about it after the budget situation,” Stampe said.