Parents in Torrington are outraged after the superintendent said she wants to cut interscholastic sports at Torrington Middle School next year to save money.
“I will fight it. I definitely will,” Melissa Lenczycki. a parent said.
She said cutting the program would hurt a lot of students, including her son, who wants to join the soccer team
“If it's not available, he loses out tremendously,” she said. “There would be no way to play at the high school level because he wouldn't have the skills.”
The superintendent gave her proposed budget to the Torrington Board of Education on Wednesday night and said getting rid of middle school sports would save the district nearly $100,000.
“Travel, coaches, stipends, referees … you have to pay for the usage of facilities,” Board Chair Ken Traub said.
Torrington Middle School would still have intramural sports, where the students there would form teams and play against each other. Youth leagues were an option too. He said those ideas might be more practical.
“Traditionally, over the last few years, we've had a tough time finding enough middle schools for us to compete with on an interscholastic basis. … They don't have the programs,” Traub said.
Parents did not agree with the ideas proposed and saving their children's sports teams is now a top priority.
“This is not acceptable and we don't accept it,“ Lanczycki said.
Parents plan to sound off on this at a public hearing on Monday, March 24.
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The Torrington Board of Education will make the final decision on the budget next month.
