Reconvening of the May 15, 2008 Meeting
May 27, 2008
Carlynton Jr.-Sr. High School Library –
Minutes
The Carlynton School District Board of Education
reconvened Tuesday, May 27, 2008 in the library of the junior-senior high
school to discuss facilities usage. Attendance included President David
Roussos, Vice President Thomas Brown and Directors Thomas DiPietro, Sandra
Hughan, Ronald McCartney, Patricia Schirripa and Betsy Tassaro. Also present was Superintendent Michael Panza. The
audience was comprised of 11 individuals.
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Call to order - The meeting was called to order by President
Roussos at 6:31 pm. Roll Call: Recording
Secretary Michale Herrmann called the roll. Board members Raymond Walkowiak
and Sharon Wilson were excused from the meeting. public comment on business before the board: None BUSINESS BEFORE THE BOARD: Discussion of
Policy #707 President Roussos
explained the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the policy of facility
usage in the District with the understanding that no decision or voting would
occur during or at the conclusion of the meeting. Resident and parent Diane Millikin, representing the Girl Scouts, who often use the
elementary auditoriums, reported the organization is not in the position to
pay much, if any, for the use of facilities. She noted that not all girls in
the organization are district residents, but guessed that at least 70% are
from boroughs within the district. Resident and parent Sam Millikin, representing the Carlynton Swim Club, declared that
fees presented in some of the proposed policies would cause the swim program
to cease due to exorbitant costs. He also questioned the fact that the
district would make a profit if the board was to implement some of proposed
fees. He noted that the majority of the swim club’s out-of-district
participants were from neighboring boroughs, such as Thornburg and Ingram. Director DiPietro said he would like to see
District students benefit from all sports’ programs, serving as feeder
systems, and believes 75% to 85% of participants in any organization should
live in the District. A lengthy discussion ensued with input from Directors
Brown, Schirripa and Tassaro. Director Tassaro said the swim club has
provided a great feeder system for the high school swim program and also
pointed out that the coach has remained the same for many years. Director
Brown asked Mr. Millikin what he believed would be an appropriate number of
allowable out-of-district students.
After some discussion, Mr. Millikin said 50% is reasonable and added
that he does agree that a fee should be charged for out-of-district students,
but that district students/residents should not be penalized. Director
McCartney concurred, reiterating that an additional fee should be charged to
out-of-district participants, but if a student attends a parochial school,
yet lives in the district, he should be exempt from any additional fees.
President Roussos said the fee should be incremental but not in excess to
make money for the District. Additional money is running a program for profit
and he believes that would be wrong. Noted time: 7:23 pm A representative from the Carlynton Youth Wrestling
program said they operate with about 30-40 students and only 2-3 are
non-district residents. Resident Francesmary
Modugno offered an explanation of her proposal, which would leverage a
fair fee for out-of-district participants and would keep district fees at a
minimum. Director DiPietro stated that specific guidelines are necessary,
especially to encourage greater participation of District
residents/students. Mrs. Modugno
suggested a pre-registration for Carlynton students. President Roussos asked
Mrs. Modugno what she believed would be a fair percentage for district
participation, to which she asked for justification of the chosen percentage.
President Roussos said it is important not to undermine the ability of
participation of district residents, adding that he believes the board wants
programs to benefit district residents without an additional burden. He added
the policy should be designed on the basis of what is best for district
students. Director DiPietro again said he wants district students to have a
fair chance to participate in district sports, or organizations utilizing
district facilities, and not be overlooked because an out-of-district
participant is a better athlete. Mrs.
Modugno pointed out that while she lives in the district and pays taxes, she
chooses to send her children to a parochial school; and when they get older,
they will take what they have learned to a parochial school. She said that by
allowing out-of-district participants, who are stronger swimmers, provides better
competition for all participants. In a swim program, everyone
swims--regardless of skill-- because the swimmers swim in heats. Noted time: 7:57 pm Parent and resident John Sciulli, came before the board, representing the Little
Cougars. He said the organization is trying to recruit more students within
Carlynton School District schools. Director DiPietro asked if flyers were
sent to non-district schools, to which Mr. Sciulli admitted they were.
Director Brown cited that an age group of the Little Cougars competes with
the District’s junior high football program and is an issue. Mr. Sciulli said
he would discuss that with the board. Director Brown also indicated that
every time the board has met with Little Cougars, different representatives
are present and there appears to be little continuity. Director Brown also
questioned how rosters are submitted and asked that separate rosters be
submitted for Little Cougars and cheerleaders. Director Tassaro expressed a
concern that fees could be a hardship if Little Cougars did not open their
program to out-of-district participants. Mr. Sciulli stated the organization
holds many fundraisers to pay current fees, such as dances and a Night at the
Races. Director DiPietro suggested flyers for registration be sent to Carlynton
schools only; then if the participant quota is not met, send flyers to other
schools. Mr. Sciulli closed by saying Little Cougars is a great organization
that teaches the value of sportsmanship, and is run by wonderful volunteers. Noted time: Linda Jones, a representative from the Carlynton Girls’ Youth
Basketball program said the organization has 40 girls participating in the
program and 100% are district residents. The competition is healthy because
the girls compete against one another based on skill levels and age groups. Isabel Ford, district resident and parent, represented the
Youth Soccer program. She guesstimated that 80-85% of the students live in
the district but admitted the numbers are very tight, so they have to be
careful. She pointed out that if they do not have the participation rate to
fill a team, some students may not get to play; whereby if non-district
residents participate and assist in meeting a team quota, then all students
benefit. Rosslyn Farms resident, parent and council person, Patrick McNamara, made board members
aware of a situation council faced when the school district asked to use
their borough tennis courts. Council debated charging a fee to the District
because not all members of the tennis teams are from Rosslyn Farms, but
decided against it because it could have gotten “messy.” UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None NEW
BUSINESS: None OPEN
FORUM: None ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to discuss,
Director McCartney moved, seconded by Director Brown, to adjourn the meeting
at 8:40 pm. On a voice vote, the motion carried 7-0. |