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Boardman board aims to reduce costs of extracurriculars
By Bob Jackson
BOARDMAN
The rising costs of time and money involved in extracurricular activities has the Boardman Board of Education looking for ways to cut down on both while maintaining the integrity of the programs, and the level of interest for students who want to participate.
“We’re looking for excellence and affordability,” said Timothy Saxton, district operations director.
The discussion was part of a special board meeting Saturday morning at the board offices on Market Street. No action was taken, but the board spent considerable time talking about the issue.
The conversation primarily focused on the school district’s arts programs, for which Boardman is regarded.
“The strength of Boardman, as you all know, is our arts program,” said Superintendent Frank Lazzeri. “Success breeds success.”
Students in the high-school band and orchestra programs traditionally travel each year to places such as Disney World and other destinations, to perform, as well as to simply enjoy the trip.
However, the high cost of those trips, which mostly is borne by the students’ families, sometimes discourages parents from allowing their children to participate in the programs because they can’t afford the expense.
“Almost 40 percent of our kids are on free and reduced-price lunches,” said high school Principal Cindy Fernbeck, noting that district leaders need to be more aware of the financial impact the trips can have on cash-strapped families. “We’re almost at the point of pricing some of our kids out of having some of these experiences that we offer.”
She said scaling back costs and making the arts programs more affordable will in turn make them more accessible to students who want to participate, but are scared away by the costs.
Board member Jeffrey Barone said it can cost as much as $1,800 per student to participate in trips if they travel with both the band and the orchestra.
“And that’s just for one student,” Barone said. “If a family has more than one child in the programs, that’s a huge burden.”
Michelle Vari, high-school orchestra director and head of the music program, said students do fund-raising projects to help pay for the travel, but said that’s become time-consuming and, again, duplicative, if the students are in more than one program.
Saxton said the district shouldn’t eliminate the trips altogether because they are a “big reward” for the students, who work hard to get there. However, he agreed with the idea of reining in the costs.
Board President Vickie Davis stressed that the expensive travel is not limited to arts programs. She said athletic programs such as the baseball and softball teams, also take students on regular trips.
Likewise, the costs of events such as homecoming and other functions also need to be scaled back, Davis said.
The board also discussed the possibility of reducing the number of high-school musical and drama productions each year from three to two, largely because of the toll the shows take on the students who participate.
Vari said the same students generally come out to participate in the theater programs, and rehearsals have to be after school because there’s no time during school hours.
“The kids are exhausted,” Vari said. “They get home [from rehearsals] at 10 o’clock and they’re not going to bed, they’re doing their homework.”
She said the district needs to find ways to “scale back” the amount of time and money it costs students and families to participate in extracurriculars, without dampening interest and enthusiasm.