General News: School Board Accepts Donation for Asst. Coach
November 08, 2011
By Charlie B. Scirbona
The Cornwall School Board approved the use of a donation to pay for an assist coach position for the first time Monday, sparking a debate on how to deal with similar situations in the future.
The donation of $3,721.60 came form the indoor track team’s extra-curricular activity fund, and will allow them to pay for an assistant coaching position. The position was eliminated under the current budget.
School Board Vice President Melanie Mulroy-Robinson said that the board has wrestled with the decision to allow donations to fund sports programs and wanted more discussion on the matter.
However Board Member David Carnwright said that teams and clubs should be allowed to do what they want with money that they had raised on their own. Sports teams’ extra-curricular funds are raise by the team members and usually go to fund things like team dinners.
Board Member Charles Frankel also saw no problem with accepting the donation, as long as it’s done fairly, in the current economic climate.
Many of the board members felt that letting private donations and fund raising pay for clubs and sports would pit students and staff against one another.
Board member James Congelli said that he worked in a school district that had allowed teams and clubs to be funded through donations and it created animosity among students and staff in the district.
The board kicked around the idea of tabling the vote until they could decide on a comprehensive policy on the issue; however Board President Larry Berger said that the board should vote on the current resolution and begin developing a policy at the December work session. The vote was 7-2 in favor of the of taking the donation, with Board members Barbara Manzari and Jeanne Lincoln voting no, because they felt a policy should be in place before nay decisions are made.
