By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

It’s no secret that our troubling economy has had a direct effect on our schools and their budgets.
Woonsocket put that issue to the forefront last week when the School Committee announced that it was eliminating nearly all of its athletics, except for its track and cross-country programs, to help balance a $6.9 million deficit. The school’s solution was to have coaches work on a volunteer basis and raise the appropriate funds (transportation, equipment, officials) through fundraising and other means.
Less than a week after that shocking (but expected) announcement another local Blackstone Valley school has altered how it’s going to run its athletic programs due to lack of funds. This past Tuesday, School Committee members of North Smithfield voted unanimously on a “pay-to-play” system.
In a “pay-to-play” system, an athlete will have to pay a certain amount for whatever sport (or sports) he or she wishes to participate in. According to the plan, nearly all the sports will require a sum of $175. Hockey and football are the only exceptions, requiring its athletes to pay $375 and $300, respectively.
The “alternative” funding for sports is part of solution for an estimated $1.2 million shortfall in the school’s budget.
“It’s tough,” said NS head hockey coach Paul Nadeau. “I’m not from North Smithfield, but going here it seems like a strong community. I never saw something like this coming.”
Nadeau indicated that he’s aware of the reason North Smithfield athletic director Matt Tek had to make the decision to have a “pay-to-play” system. The budget has to be balanced and sometimes sacrifices have to be made.
“I understand it. The School Committee asked Mr. Tek to come up with an option,” Nadeau said.
“I have the highest respect for Matt Tek. He’s one of the hardest working athletic directors that I have ever been involved with. I know it was a difficult decision for him.”
During this past winter season, Nadeau watched his hockey squad manufacture an impressive season where it finished first in Division III-North with a 14-2-2 mark and made it to the semifinals of the playoffs. In the 2005-06 season, the Northmen earned their first-and-only team plaque.
Other teams at NS, such as boys’ basketball, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer and baseball, also had outstanding seasons during this past school year. With a “pay-to-play” system Nadeau believes that will more than likely change. His main point being: if every athlete is paying the same amount to compete, how do you respond to a parent who is upset that their son or daughter is not getting equal, or close to equal, playing time as other athletes on the team.
“I don’t know how my parents would react to it,” he said. “What do I say as a coach if I am in that situation? In the world of varsity sports, you have to teach them to be competitive and how to win and have the best team out there. In my mind, you are shooting North Smithfield in the foot. I don’t think a “pay-to-play” team can compete against a team that’s funded by the school.”
For similar reasons, Woonsocket athletic director George Nasuti doesn’t feel a “pay-to-play” option can be effective. He gave an example of a football team, which has about 40 players but only about two dozen are on the field most of the time.
“Those other kids, the second- and third-stringers, are just as important,” he said. “They know their ability. But what’s their motivation if they have to pay $300. That’s what bothers me.”
A slight variation of the plan could be a solution, says Nasuti. Instead of having a student-athlete pay a fee outright, he suggests having them hold fundraisers to come up with the money.
“That’s an approach I’m going to take in Woonsocket,” he said. “If you have 30 kids and you need $30,000 to run the team, they have to raise $100 a piece. I would prefer that. Instead of “pay-to-play” it would be “fundraise-to-play.”
Where Nadeau will also see cuts in his budget is ice time. He says that $10,000 has been allotted for the girls’ and boys’ teams with each squad getting half that sum.
“It basically takes us from four practices a week to two practices a week,” he said. “The other option is the parents group could raise additional funds, but they may say that’s illegal to do.”
Where sports will get hit hard with its newest plan, according to Nadeau, is in their numbers. North Smithfield generally has about 20 players. The NS coach feels at least a quarter of that amount would not return because of the “pay-to-play” option.
Nadeau, who is also a sixth-grade teacher at Garden City Elementary School in Cranston, believes education is a top priority when it comes to schools. But he also feels athletics is something that is vital in the maturation of a student and feels it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“I was talking with (assistant coach Richard Enos) the other day and we were saying that some kids wouldn’t have graduated or made it as far if it wasn’t for playing hockey,” Nadeau said. “I’m a teacher and obviously I feel academics are important. To take (athletics) away would be a real disservice to North Smithfield.”