Recommended cuts to Saugus athletic programs could save schools $28G

SAUGUS – The Saugus Schools Athletic Subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend several cuts to high school and middle school sports programs Tuesday afternoon.The cuts, which total about $28,000, include consolidating the middle school and high school cross country teams and combining the boys and girls high school indoor track teams, suspending middle school basketball, eliminating hockey cheerleading, and charging $2 for adults for all junior varsity and varsity soccer games and middle school football games.The vote Tuesday was only to recommend the cuts to the full School Committee, which has the final vote on the issue. The School Committee will meet Thursday at 7 p.m.”We’re not taking away opportunities for these kids to play,” said Athletic Director Mike Nelson. “There are still opportunities.”Nelson said he will obtain waivers to allow middle-schoolers to play on the freshman basketball and cross country teams, and also noted kids would still have options like youth basketball.The proposal would also require high school teams to pay for their own officials and transportation for scrimmages.”If they don’t have the money in the account to pay for a bus, then they don’t have a scrimmage,” said Nelson.According to Sam Rippin, Executive Director of Finance and Operations, the school spent $198,000 on athletics last year while taking in $196,000 in revenue. The proposed cuts are projected to save $28,000 next year.High School Principal Joe Diorio stressed that students still have chances to play sports, saying “no one is really getting hurt.”Superintendent Richard Langlois said the cuts are a result of the school budget being reduced.”The town cut us $1.8 million,” said Langlois. “We’re trying to preserve everything and we can’t. We’re trying to tap into every possible resource.”By consolidating the cross country teams, Nelson said the extra runners will help the “hurting” team, while he noted students were OK with eliminated hockey cheerleading.”Not a lot of schools have (hockey cheerleading),” said Nelson. “In the competition, there are only three schools. I spoke to the projected captains for this upcoming year, who told me hockey cheering was not the same as it was a year ago and if they didn’t have it, it’s not the worst thing for them.”The change would have one winter cheerleading team cheering at some basketball and some hockey games, said Nelson. The squad would also compete in the basketball cheering competition and not the hockey competition.In other business, Nelson told the subcommittee that he was approached by the Cape Ann League about possibly switching from the Northeastern Conference. Nelson said he has received “overwhelming” support from coaches so far.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].