Board of Education Discusses Junior Baseball Sponsorship Request

The Summit Board of Education discussed a proposal by the Summit Junior Baseball Association to accept sponsorships and display sponsor banners at the Jefferson School field where they play.

Eleanor Doyle, chair of the Operations Committee, said while on the surface this request may seem innocuous, there are some questions that need to be answered before the committee will make a recommendation to the board.

George Lucaci suggested implementing a one-year pilot program to see how the program goes and at that time the board could make a decision about the future of baseball sponsorships.

Doyle said some of the worries she has are about the precedent this would set for other teams wishing to do the same thing at other schools in the district, and whether or not this would inhibit the board's ability to do something similar as a means to generate additional revenue.

Gloria Ron-Fornes questioned the benefit to the district of allowing the Junior Baseball Association to do this when the district currently cannot afford to fully fund some of it's varsity high school sports, such as men's volleyball and wrestling.

Michelle Stevenson's concerns revolved more around the concerns parents might have about the potential sponsors chosen and about the "perceived endorsement of these sponsors."

While the Operations Committee will continue to discuss this issue, Lucaci said he doesn't think the board should make a decision based on a minority of neighbors who may be against this proposal.