Uniontown to reinstate several middle school sports programs
Uniontown Area school officials have announced that three of the previously cut sports programs at the middle school level have been reinstated.
Dr. Charles Machesky, district superintendent, said the middle school cross country, volleyball and soccer programs will remain for the 2011-12 school year, based on certain stipulations.
Machesky said the programs can run for the upcoming school year as long as coaches offer their services without pay and that parents help pay for costs such as supplies and uniforms.
“We have found that since there will be no ninth-grade football program, the district has some funding from that and can absorb the cost of transportation for the sporting events,” Machesky said.
He noted that the freshman football program was eliminated due to a low enrollment. Machesky said the 15 players who signed up to play will by part of the high school’s junior varsity and varsity teams.
The school board passed a final budget in June that reflected several cuts in response to the lost revenue from the state. Those cuts included most of the sports programs at the middle school level. In July, wrestling coaches Mark Jenkins and Jeff Spinetti told the board they would volunteer their time to keep the program, and the board reinstated the program.
In August, middle school cross country Coach Joe Erhart as well as representatives from the volleyball and soccer programs also asked the school board for the same consideration, and were awarded the opportunity, contingent on the same stipulations as the wrestling program.
Machesky said after a follow-up meeting with the district’s business manager, it was determined that transportation costs could be paid for by the district.