Derby Restores Spring Sports

The school board unanimously voted Thursday to restore several spring sports at Derby Middle School.

The programs had been cut out of the budget last year.

Board members voted to restore middle school baseball and softball, along with a track coach’s position at the high school.

The money — not to exceed $14,000 — is expected to come from something called the sports enterprise fund.” That’s gate receipts from school sporting events.

Click here to read our previous story on the restoration of some middle school athletic programs.

The enterprise fund has been dipped into twice since last summer to fund sports cut during last year’s budget process.

At Thursday’s school board meeting, Pamela Festa Mangini, the district’s business manager, said she is predicting the district will have a surplus at the end of school year of about $58,000.

School board chairman Kenneth Marcucio asked whether that money could be used to restore the programs instead of the sports fund.

Mangini advised against it, saying that other costs could eat away that projected surplus. The Bradley School, for example, just had a problem with its heating system.

I would caution you at this point,” she said. I’d be very hesitant to add additional costs.”

The board voted to reword its vote so that the money is expected to be drawn” from the sports enterprise fund. The wording gives them the option for another funding source, if they find extra money.

The restored sports programs are scheduled to launch March 22.

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