Combined Athletic Department Sought

AVALON – Avalon and Stone Harbor district schools share many things, including Superintendent Stacey LaRocca Tracey. They are about to share something new, something Tracey said both boroughs have wanted for a long time, an athletic department.
Tracey went to the Avalon Borough Council June 12 to announce plans for a combined athletic department. The plan speaks to requests from parents and students for an athletic program which provides students with an opportunity to compete as team members.
Beginning in 2011-12, enrollment declines at both school districts led to an agreement by which the school systems remained distinct districts with their own school boards, while sharing a superintendent and an instruction model.
Stone Harbor provides educational services for grades K-4 and Avalon does the same for grades 5-8.
Both districts have seen a growth in enrollment in the last few years, fueled in part by a high percentage of parent-paid-tuition students from outside the boroughs.
Tracey said enrollments are at a level which would allow the combined districts to support an athletic department and to begin competing at the middle-school level in sports including basketball and soccer.
She said parents were very excited for the opportunity. Tracey hopes to have competition in basketball for the 2019-20 school year.
To facilitate and give direction to the effort, Tracey asked for support from Avalon for the use of the borough’s Recreation Director, Chuck McDonnell, to serve as athletic director. It would be an additional role for McDonnell, Tracey said.
The role would function largely after school during the school year and should not interfere with his duties as borough recreation director. There would be no use of other Recreation Department staff.  The school budgets would carry the expense of McDonnell’s stipend.
Council members expressed support, which would require an additional shared services agreement between the borough and the two school districts.
Business Administrator Scott Wahl said that the initial agreement would be for three years with a standard 90-day notice for ending it.
McDonnell told council that any new team would not be able to compete in the Cape Atlantic League because the district did not have a high school.
He said the new Athletic Department would be able to schedule games with teams like Middle Township but they would not count for league standing.
He added that school districts like Wildwood Crest are “in the same boat” and would provide an environment for scholastic team competition.
Tracey said the program would be able to take advantage of the availability of recreational facilities like the outdoor track completed in 2015 in the Avalon School District.