Story posted Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Coach Speaks Out Against Cuts: 'Why Only Fencing?'
By DWIGHT ESAU Journal & Topics Reporter
Rachel Dean feels very strongly about the fencing program she coaches at Maine West High School, and she feels that Maine Twp. High School District 207's proposal to make it an intramural program is "ridiculous, unfair, and makes no sense."
Last week, district officials announced that they could save $24,000 by moving fencing, which has been a funded sport at West since 1981, to intramural status effective with the 2010-11 school year. The cut is part of a $15 million cost-reduction plan recommended by district staff for 2010-11.
After meeting last week with Maine West Assistant Principal Dave Berendt and Athletic Director Chris Addante, Dean asked last week why her program was singled out for drastic action, while almost all other sports escaped the budget-cutting ax in the district's effort to deal with a multi-million-dollar budget deficit.
"No other teams are facing any cuts, except possibly the boys gymnastics programs (consolidated into a district coop) and yet they are trying to completely cut fencing," she said this week. "A mom of one of my fencers called me tonight and asked how much the district spends on other sports. I had to tell her I didn't know. But she said her son is on the freshman B volleyball team and she can imagine that with all the teams and squads and coaches, the other sports have, the fencing budget is like a drop in the bucket.
"They could have taken more money out of the budget if they had spread the cuts evenly among most or all of the sports, than the small amount they got from cutting us out," she said.
"We are a charter member of the Great Lakes Fencing Conference," she said. "If fencing became an intramural with no funding from the school, it will never be able to be a competitive team like it is now. There would be no funding for buses, tournament fees, equipment, and coaches stipends.
"Why was fencing the only sport cut?" "I have a talented group of juniors and sophomores who are in shock that they will not have an opportunity to earn the medals and trophies next year and in the future."
The fencing action is currently a recommendation only. It has not been approved by the board of education, but that may come on Feb. 2, when the board votes on all budget-cutting recommendations except the proposed elimination of 75 certified teaching jobs. Action on this latter proposal is tentatively scheduled for March.
At the Great Lakes Conference JV championships last weekend, Dean circulated a petition among parents of her own team members, other coaches, and parents. "About 220 of them signed it, including all of the other coaches I contacted," they said. "Several coaches told me they don't want us to drop out of the conference." Dean contends that the action also is unfair because her program is improving to the point that West is one of the strongest teams in the conference. At the JV meet last weekend, two West fencers won first places, and others are expected to win medals or win events at the varsity finals this weekend at New Trier.
The boys team is 7-2 in dual competitions so far, and the girls team is 5-4. Fencing is not a sanctioned sport by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), but Maine West has always treated the sport like all others, and fully funding it.
After finding out about the proposed cut last week, one West fencer started a group on Facebook entitled, "Save Maine West Fencing." More than 200 people have joined.
"Fencing is a growing sport, even though it is not sanctioned, which we can't control," Dean said. "In the last five years, the conference has added Deerfield-Highland Park Coop, Homewood-Flossmoor, Marian Catholic, and the University of Chicago Lab School, in addition to traditional members New Trier, Stevenson, Lake Forest, and Maine West plus several private schools in the Midwest. It would be terrible if Maine West, one of the charter members and one of the strongest teams in the conference, is eliminated."
Dean also said that, if the sport goes to intramural, she will have equipment problems because she couldn't hold tryouts and make roster cuts, and would be required to admit all interested students. "There wouldn't be enough equipment, and no money to buy any," she said. "I don't know how many parents would be able to, or interested in, paying for everything out of their own pockets."
Ken Wallace, District 207 superintendent, responded that, "It never has been our intent to prevent the students from competing. Fencing is not a sanctioned and supervised sport by the IHSA, and there should be some latitude to work something out so they can remain in their conference and compete as they have been. I can't imagine there isn't a way to accomplish that, and we will work with the program to get that done.
"She is wrong about other sports not being asked to accept reductions. All sports have been included in recommended cuts in supplies and purchased services." In addition, Wallace said that he hopes the families of student fencers could do some fund-raising to make up the gap caused by the cuts.
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