Lacrosse Parents Offended When Some on School Board Question Their Donation

A group of Jefferson parents will give the school system up to $4,600 to hire a assistant varsity lacrosse coach—a donation accepted reluctantly by some members of the township Board of Education. 

Some board members said they were worried about indirectly pressuring other sports supporters to do the same—and some parents said they were offended their gift would be met with scrutiny.

The board agreed Tuesday night to accept between $3,538.47 and $4,595.30 from the Jefferson Township High School Lacrosse Parents Association. That's the amount set out in the district's salary guide for the position. 

But board vice president Robert Feldmann questioned a motion to accept the donation.

“I’m just concerned that other sports parents’ associations may not have the ability to do this, and I don’t want to see parents get pressured for money that they don’t have,” he said.

Board president Cynthia Scott agreed.

“The board puts together the budget after input from the athletic department as to how many coaches are essential based on the number of players,” Scott said. “The lacrosse program has two coaches based on its membership, which is about 40. Based on these numbers, this is a nonessential position. If one parent group is going to raise money for an extra coach, why not make all the parent groups for all the sports do that, and take the money we would have spent on assistant coaches and put it back into the general education budget so that everyone could benefit from it?”

Board member Judy Castiglione, however, opposed that point of view.

“A donation is a donation,” she said. “These parents raised this money following guidelines set by this board, and it’s not our place or our obligation to say how they spend it. We’ve accepted donations for many other things that were never questioned, and I don’t know why this is being questioned."

The board approved the resolution by a 5-2 margin, with the “no” votes coming from Scott and Feldmann. The other two board members, Julie Mastricola and Fay Servidio, were not present at Tuesday’s meeting.

The lacrosse team’s head coach is Scott Reid, who had also been the head soccer coach until last season. At that time, Superintendent Kathaleen Fuchs declined to recommend Reid's reinstatement to the soccer position. That decision was vehemently opposed by several parents and players, who have continued to attend school board meetings and vocally support Reid.

After the lacrosse vote was approved, some meeting attendees took issue with the discussion.

Sarah Mullins, vice president of the lacrosse parents association, appeared dismayed that the board had discussion before approving the motion.

“It’s interesting that this discussion came up when it came to lacrosse,” she said. “When other sports have done this, it’s never been questioned. Why are we being questioned?”

Parents’ association president Mark Krisinski agreed.

“Our children are essential, and this is an essential position,” he said. “I don’t see other groups getting scrutinized the way we are.”

Resident Heather Marsh, whose son Sean played soccer under Reid, said, “I know next to nothing about lacrosse, but I find it very interesting that whenever a decision involves coach Reid, it becomes an issue for this board.”

Feldmann insisted that his opposition had nothing to do with lacrosse or the coach.

“I just don’t want to put any more pressure on parents than I’m sure they already feel to give money,” he said.