Outsourcing Sports? Mokena 159 Looks at Alternative Extracurricular Plans

At a special board meeting Thursday night, the Mokena District 159 School Board looked at a few options of having outside groups take over extracurriculars, hopefully bringing back sports and other activities back to Mokena schools.

The board voted in February to cut extracurricular programs as part of cost-cutting measures to combat a $2.7 million budget deficit.

Then-Business Manager Barb Germany estimated in an email in February that cutting the programs could save $200,000, but said in the email it is "a difficult number to target when it is unknown which programs will be offered and bus fees, referee fees, etc."

The board approved Germany's resignation at Thursday's meeting.

One model the district could use to fund extracurriculars is one modeled after the Warrior Booster Club for Lemont School District 113A's Old Quarry Middle School. The group formed in March 2010 after their district likewise canceled sports and other activities, WBC President Amy Kramer told Patch by email Thursday night.

While there have been booster groups in Mokena’s past, they raised supplementary funds for the sports and activities, leaving the district to run them, find coaches, organize games and transportation, etc. The Lemont group both raises funds and operates the teams.

Mokena 159 board member Scott Peters, who has been speaking with members of the group, said a similar system could be set up where parents put up the money for their child to participate in an activity up front, then be refunded if their child doesn’t make the team or doesn’t want to participate.

He said costs could be divvied based on interest, with the costs spread among members. This could mean lower per-pupil costs for more popular sports.

“If you knew there were going to be 10 kids on the volleyball team or 15, you figure out what the cost’s going to be and divide it up,” Peters said.

Board President John Troy said he was concerned about the time frame needed. The Lemont group started in March for the next school year. It’s currently mid-July, with some sports like cross-country normally starting within weeks.

Mokena Junior High School Assistant Principal Chris Clavenna said she’s also concerned about finding and mobilizing a group of volunteers able to run, not only fund, youth sports.

“I would hate to say to a child, ‘You’re going to have this,’ and then have to say, ‘No, you’re not,’” Clavenna said. “I would say realistically that fall sports are out.”

Peters also said the time frame was a concern.

“Could we emulate and do that in such a short time? You would have to move mountains to do that,” Peters said.

The district will be gathering information about costs, legality and about whether conference play would be possible. Superintendent Karen Perry said she would speak to state Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont), who helped the Lemont group form.

Another option could be turning sports over to existing groups. John Kroen of the South Suburban Wildcats youth basketball organization spoke to the board during the meeting’s public comments about creating an affiliate program to give students throughout the L-Way area a “pay for play” sports opportunity using the Wildcats’ existing system.

“Our hope was that we would be able to run this as an outside organization with limited interaction from the district so they can focus on academics,” Kroen said.