Parents of a Bloomington-Normal lacrosse club are waiting on District 87 to approve a co-op agreement to host a lacrosse team with players from Unit 5 and District 87 high schools.
Unit 5’s school board approved the two-year agreement Wednesday. District 87 plans to consider the request soon.
District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said he supports lacrosse, but he said the school districts should be prepared to fund the program in the future, rather than simply having the parents cover the cost every year.
The co-op agreement stipulates the group Friends of Bloomington-Normal Lacrossewould reimburse all direct operating expenses. The group would have to raise that money by the start of the spring semester each year.
Reilly said that won’t last forever.
“(Parents) are looking around saying, ‘No one else has to do this for their sports, why do I have to do it?’” Reilly said.
He said it’s likely the schools would need to cover shortfalls in the future anyway.
“I don’t think it’s realistic if they fall a little short that we’re not going to have that,” Reilly said. “A reason why I think it’s better if there was money in the bank to cover whatever that amount we all would have agreed on, to me that would have been a better way to do this,” Reilly said.
The lacrosse program has been in talks with the school districts for several years. In the past, they were told the districts didn’t have the money for new programs.
Reilly is also concerned about a $80 participation fee each student would have to pay, according to the agreement. District 87 doesn't charge activity fees. Unit 5 does.
He said that money would be used to help cover expenses.
Unit 5 has applied to the Illinois High School Association to start play this spring. The team would play at Normal Community and Normal West high schools and would practice at Kingsley Junior High in Normal.
NCHS would handle much of the administrative work, including scheduling and travel.
Data from the National Federal of State High School Association shows Illinois has 89 boys lacrosse and 64 girls lacrosse programs.
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