Push For Hillsborough Middle School Baseball Determined 'Not Feasible' For 2027

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ —The creation of a Hillsborough middle school baseball program is not feasible this year, said school officials.

On Tuesday, during the Hillsborough Township Board of Education meeting, board member Cynthia Nurse gave an HR Committee report citing startup costs, the lack of a current field at the middle school, and a budget that has already been approved.

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Nurse said district representatives met with school and athletic staff as part of the discussion. However, she said there are unresolved issues tied to launching a program.

"There are a lot of things to work out. Unfortunately, without a current field at the middle school and the cost of startup plus the building of a field... is not feasible this year," Nurse said.

According to Nurse, the district's current budget was a key factor in the decision.

The Committee decided to push off any discussion on creating a middle school team until the 2027-28 school year.

"It was our decision based on the fact that the budget has already been approved for this year. Funds are already allocated and it was a substantial cost to implement something like this," said Nurse.

Nurse's update follows earlier calls from students, parents and a local coach for the district to create a middle school baseball team.

At the Sept. 14 BOE meeting, Township Committeeman Robert Britting introduced himself as "a father and a coach" of the Raiders Middle School baseball club and urged the board to consider the program for the 2027 spring season.

• Previous Reporting: Students, Parents Push For Middle School Baseball Team In Hillsborough

Students also spoke about wanting the chance to represent Hillsborough in school baseball.

The district has not closed the door on the idea.

Nurse said discussions will continue as officials look ahead to future offerings.

"We are going to continue the discussions for the 27-28 school year. We will look not only at middle school baseball, but what else we offer at the middle school to try to make it equitable for everybody."

For now, the board's update means no middle school baseball program will be added this school year.

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