The results of an athletics committee’s study were presented by Valley Regional High School Associate Principal Carolyn Gbunblee at a Jan. 6 Region 4 Board of Education (BOE) meeting. The study is part of a multi-pronged review of athletics at John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School that Superintendent of Schools Brian White committed to during the 2019–’20 school year.

The study committee, composed of students, parents and staff, was charged with analyzing Region 4’s athletics program against five Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) standards for “exemplary” high school athletics.

These five standards included guiding principles, as would be expressed through a mission statement, as well as program curriculum, resources and equity, administration, and evaluations for players and the overall program.

The committee made numerous recommendations based on each standard, with several being noted as high priorities, according to Gbunblee.

“Fields and facilities came up throughout each standard as being below standard and presenting a major concern in supporting our athletics program,” said Gbunblee. “So, that’s a high-priority recommendation.”

A restructuring of the athletics administrator position to “provide leadership and effectively manage the entire athletic program” was also noted as a high priority by the committee, according to Gbunblee.

With approximately 51 percent of the school population participating in athletics during the 2020–’21 school year, the current administrator position, which is now filled by a full-time teacher on a stipend basis, is not adequate, according to Gbunblee.

“Our program is really big compared to the school population and so it’s very difficult to manage the entire program with that [current] level of time,” she said.

Other high priority recommendations were professional development for coaching staff as well as increased communication throughout all CIAC standards.

“We would want to have increased communication between the program and all stakeholders regarding many items throughout the standards,” said Gbunblee, who noted misperceptions in the community about the timeline for purchasing uniforms, which is done every five years.

“We’ve had multiple groups reach out and some social media posts regarding the uniforms that the committee didn’t find to be accurate, just an example of one of the narratives in the community that really might not accurately reflect what is happening at the school,” said Gbunblee.

The financial impact of the committee’s various recommendations was raised by a member of the Region 4 BOE at the meeting, with discussion ensuing relating to prioritizing the safety of athletes along with making capital improvements.

“I think in the short term, I think we need to look at those really significant safety issues as part of the budget process this year,” said Secretary Rick Daniels, pointing to the fields and grounds survey and recommendations completed in 2020 by the BSC Group, a consultant hired by the district (see “Towns Hear Recommendations for R4 Athletic Fields and Facilities” on Zip06.com).

White said the work of the BSC group will help the board in future decisions about capital expenses in Region 4, as it relates to the budget development process for the 2022–’23 school year and development of a 10-year capital plan.

With the work of the BSC group indicating multi-million-dollar project costs, White said that bonding will also be an important part of discussions.

“We’ll also be talking a lot more about the bonding process this spring outside of our operational budget conversations to understand, as we look at things like our current debt service and borrowing opportunities, how to take advantage of the time window in front of us to possibly secure funding to take on some of these larger capital needs,” said White.