Orange OKs Partial Funding for JV Sports

Members of the Orange Unified School District’s Board of Education unanimously approved partial funding for the district’s junior-varsity soccer and tennis teams Thursday night, but the decision was met with mixed reactions.

Soccer supporters were pleased with the additional funding, but parents and coaches of affected tennis players were unsatisfied, arguing that their sport should receive full funding.

Soccer supporters, led by Al Irish, an Orange resident who helped form a coalition to help restore soccer funding, did not argue when Roger Duthoy, district assistant superintendent of secondary schools, recommended to the board that the teams be reinstated with a partial funding of $3,480 from unused coaching stipends.

At an earlier school board meeting, Irish said his coalition could raise $7,000 in cash as well as $4,000 in equipment from two area soccer club teams if the school district would fund the remaining cost of the programs at its four high schools--Canyon, El Modena, Orange and Villa Park.

“I am personally very pleased that something has been worked out,” Duthoy said. “And I feel confident (the coalition) will meet their goal and commitment.”

But when Duthoy recommended the junior-varsity tennis programs receive $4,000 from other unused stipends, a coach and several parents argued that the program should its full allotment of about $12,000--money that would pay for both boys’ and girls’ coaching stipends at the four schools as well as tennis balls. The girls’ tennis programs at all the schools have continued to play full schedules without funding.

“It is my belief that many of the athletes in this area could not afford to belong to an outside team or travel to tournaments,” Canyon Coach Dave Hamel said.

Some parents questioned why they should be called on to support a program when they already contribute between $100 and $400 for tennis rackets and uniforms. Some parents said they did not learn about the funding crunch until after the season had begun.

“It’s wrong to go back to the parents now that the season is almost over and say, ‘Well, you had your fun. No go ahead and pay for it,” said Heather ter Jung, whose daughter plays for Canyon.

Board member Sandy Englander explained that the board had never approached parents for funding and the soccer coalition had come to them with a unique offer. Englander, who pointed out that several academic programs had also been victims of the across-the-board cuts, wondered why tennis programs were continuing although the board had officially eliminated them.

Duthoy said the tennis programs continued because:

--One athletic director in the district did not believe the board would actually make the budget cuts.

--A coach at another district high school said he would reduce both the varsity and junior varsity team to a manageable level and continue coaching them himself.

--Another district coach said he would continue without a stipend.

Englander then questioned whether the coaches would continue to coach on a volunteer basis in the future.

Said Duthoy: “I have a real problem asking them to coach for nothing.”

Hamel and several parents left the meeting immediately after the board approved the partial funding.

“We think by coming here and bringing it to the board’s attention they would find a way to reinstate the program next year,” Hamel said.