Budget cuts affect Oswego high school sports

OSWEGO, New York– The budget proposal for the Oswego school district was released on Tuesday, and many were left unhappy about the program cuts detailed in the proposal. Especially for the sports teams, as a total of seven sports would end up being cut by the district. These sports include the wrestling and football programs, as well the football cheerleading and girls hockey programs.

However, the potential loss of teams would be just the tip of the iceberg, as far as the impact goes. The entire modified sports program has been cut. Modified sports have been the start for many athletes and allows them to learn the game without the pressure of performing at a high level. Mike McCrobie, head coach of the softball team, expresses that students could lose out on necessary introductory training in their specific sport.

“It means that kids who learn the fundamentals of the game at the seventh and eighth grade level, will now in the future be learning that at the ninth or tenth grade level,” McCrobie says. “So it kind of pushes their skill development back a couple years.”

Although the budget hasn’t been approved, coaches at Oswego High School are looking to prepare for the worst, by developing a plan to allow students to still play the sports that they love.

“It’s time to think outside of the box,” McCrobie states. “And who knows, mergers, anything is probably a good idea at this point.”

A merger would involve Oswego combining with neighboring school districts to create a combined sports team. This is a method used between small school districts, and Oswego would have to team up with districts like Central Square or even Fulton in order for this to occur.

The budget vote will take place in mid-May, so there is time for some of the cuts to be brought back to the table.