Dear Parents,
This message is to advise you of the current situation with gym time that is negatively impacting our program and the approximately 850 children we serve.
As you may or may not be aware, the Tewksbury school gymnasium facilities are utilized by many groups in town throughout the Fall and Winter ranging from the high school teams to adult recreation, youth basketball, etc. In the past, both our program and the girls’ program (TGBL) have been given a block of gym time which has been split roughly 50/50 between the two programs.
Given that we have consistently had, and continue to have, a much larger enrollment of children in our program than exists in the girls program, we have never agreed with this approach. We have never been under the impression that it was open for negotiation, thus we accepted it and made the best of the inequitable situation. We have teams share gyms for practices, purchase additional gym time both inside and outside of Tewksbury, etc.
Now with the introduction of the new Wamesit Warrior program, there is yet another program requiring gym time, we understand and accept this.
The town scheduler (Dave Libby) and new Superintendent (John O’Connor) have asked that the league presidents (TBBL: Ken Miano, TGBL: Joe Salvucci, and Wamesit Warriors: Kent White) work out a schedule that is “satisfactory to all programs”. Unfortunately we were unable to accomplish this in our first meeting and met again last night (Michael P. Kelley Chairperson from the School Committee also attended) and we have been unable to reach what we feel is a fair and equitable agreement.
Based upon what they are asking, we see it impacting our program and children in a very negative way. We will be forced to either reduce practice time or make cuts in the program. Either way, our children are being denied the opportunity for a positive basketball experience due to a situation that is grossly unfair.
We think our proposal is common sense and treats ALL of the roughly 1200 children who are participating in these youth basketball programs equitably regardless of gender or league. We are asking that the total weekly gym time allotted to each league be assigned by either number of children enrolled in the program or by the type (travel v. in-town) and number of teams in the program. In this model we recognize that it appears to benefit us as we would get the largest block of gym time since our program is the largest in size (TBBL ~850, TGBL ~310, Wamesit Warriors ~40) but we feel strongly it is the most FAIR and EQUITABLE approach. For example, if travel teams need 2 hours of practice time per week they should ALL get that regardless of which program they chose to participate in. These are town facilities paid for by our tax dollars and so the children should have equal access to them.
WHAT DO WE NEED FROM YOU? – YOUR VOICES and SUPPORT!!
We ask that you contact your selectmen, a school committee member, any of the individuals above, or Town Manager Montouri and implore them to treat our program fairly and reach a solution that’s fair to ALL children in town.
We also invite you to visit our blog and comment on this issue: http://tbbl.blogspot.com/
Thank you in advance for your support of our efforts!
TBBL Board
School Committee:
http://www.tewksbury.mec.edu/SchoolCommitteeTPS/Contact%20Information.html
Michael P. Kelley – Chairperson Mkelley@tewksbury.com 978-858-0972
Dennis G. Francis - Vice Chairperson dgfrancis4@comcast.net 978-851-2538
Jayne W. Miller jaynewmiller@verizon.net 978 863-0034
Joseph E. Russell 978-851-3418
Krissy M. Polimeno – Clerk philandkristen@comcast.net 978-640-9741
Board of Selectmen:
http://www.tewksbury.info/Pages/TewksburyMA_BComm/BOS/index
Richard Montuori (Sandra Barbeau - Ast to Town Mgr) sbarbeau@tewksbury-ma.gov (978) 640-4300
Todd R. Johnson, Chairman 508-572-0040
Douglas W. Sears, Vice Chairman 978-376-7390
David H. Gay, Clerk 978-694-1625
Anne Marie Stronach, Member 978-851-2062 after 7pm
Scott Wilson, Member 617-921-3361
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You say that gym time is split 50/50. The girls league says that you have 65% of the gymand they have 35%. Can you elaborate so I can get a clearer understanding of what is really going on?
ReplyDeleteBoth are accurate. What we are talking about is the free practice time the town provides to the youth basketball programs during the week. There are approximately 92 hours available and roughly 46 hours are given to the girls program and roughly 46 hours are given to the boys program. The 65/35 split is accurate for all gym time purchased on the weekends. What we are seeking is a more equitable allocation of the free time provided. There is also a bit of a complexity in that all times and gyms available may not be appropriate for all children. Some gyms are too small for older children and having an 8:30 practice slot for younger children does not work.
ReplyDeleteWe have presented a proposal that we feel is more equitable for ALL the children involved and it also accounts for the time and gyms being age appropriate and consistent across all 3 basketball programs. Thus far we have been unable to get the other 2 programs to even discuss our proposal to see how well it will or will not fit for their programs.
Why should TBBL and TGBL share gym time with the W.W. when some of there kids don't even live in the town of Tewksbury.
ReplyDeleteSo my girl and boy are not having practice because of the W.W. Can someone please expain to me why everytime there is an issue in town that Scott wilson is involved.It's make me sick
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a step in the right direction if we could actually see the proposal the TBBL is trying to pitch.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that the time should be split on a "per capita" basis. The programs with more children get proportionately more time for at least two reasons: 1. they have more people who have to practice; 2. The fees collected are greater than the other programs.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very sad commentary that the parents cannot figure this out for our children. Perhaps we have the kids discuss it!
So let me get this right so our children are losing gym time to a in town league that has kids from other towns on it.At least Scott Wilson is looking out Tewksbury or himself and the W.W.
ReplyDeleteThe town already knows that Scott Wilson is in it for himself not the kids so lets move on. It is basketball season we need to get the kids on the basketball court.
ReplyDeleteMove on? Its hard to move on when this idiot is still a selectman for 17 more months. If he didn't create this "New" league that is made up of kids from all over the place then we wouldn't have a gym scheduling issue. If the Scott Wilson league is made up of kids from surrounding towns, why is this an issue? Shouldn't they be renting the gym from Tewksbury? I thought the gyms were for non-profit town athletics? Oh, that's right Scott is friends with Dave Libby.
ReplyDelete-----Original Message-----
ReplyDeleteFrom: "Scott Wilson"
To: "Michael LaRosa"
Sent: 3/31/2010 3:01 PM
Subject: RE: New Team
Mike,
I had left out the town because the town I am from is already a member
in the league. We are starting a new travel league in Tewksbury and
were wondering what type of challenges that would create since there is
already a Tewksbury group in the league. Our league is just for travel
basketball and we have teams from 4th through 8th grade. We already
have our coaches, and once tryouts are complete we will round out our
rosters to 11 or 12 players.
Do you think this will be a problem? What does it cost per team to play
in the MVC?
Scott
When was the WW tryout i didn't see anything about it Scott There wasn't you didn't start a league my bad.I'm glad you don't lie.
ReplyDeleteScott you said you didn't start a new league you only asked to be a coach.This looks like an email from you.Just a little confused.
ReplyDeleteTitle IX is a reason why the time has to be split equally. Public resources must be divided equally not proportionally based on gender not numbers. The girls league could increase their numbers or the boys could decrease theirs. I can not see the need to have Kindergarten kids taking up gym time from the older kids who could get more out of it.
ReplyDeleteTitle IX was restricted to only those specific programs or activities funded with federal money.
ReplyDeleteLast time i checked our youth programs are not.
So you are saying you don't thing Kindergarten kids should play Basketball or count.every kid should be treated fairly
ReplyDeletefor those of you who insist on quoting title IX maybe you should know what it says:
ReplyDeletehere is one excerpt:
II. Accommodation of Interests & Abilities
Second, the selection of sports and the level of competition must effectively accommodate the students' interests and abilities. There are 3 factors that are looked at consecutively.
Whether the intercollegiate level participation opportunities for male and female students are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments.
Where the members of one sex have been and are underrepresented among intercollegiate athletes, whether the institution can show a history and continuing practice of program expansion which is demonstrably responsive to the developing interests and abilities of that sex.
Where the members of one sex are underrepresented among intercollegiate athletes and the institution cannot show a continuing practice of program expansion, whether it can be demonstrated that the interests and abilities of the members of that sex have been fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.
III. Other Areas
Third, all other benefits, opportunities, and treatments afforded sports participants are to be equivalent, but not necessarily identical. Title IX specifically looks at the following program components:
Equipment & Supplies: quality, suitability, quantity, availability, maintenance, & replacement.
Scheduling of Games & Practice Time: number of competitive events per sport, number and length of practice opportunities, time of day competitive events and practice opportunities are scheduled, opportunities to engage in available pre-season and post-season competition, the season a sport is scheduled, & the length of season
The quote on title ix indicates equal opportunities: When the girls league have players who play on a both a travel team and intown is that equal or does that mean 7 teams of girls travel or about 80 players get an unproportionate amount of gym time like 5 hours a week could someone please post this on all the current active Tewksbury Issue sites please let all the people know what title 9 really says
Title IX impacts any and all entities that take federal funds. It is not the basketball programs but the schools. The schools receive the federal funding so they must show equity. If the leagues are offered equity and they decide willingly to split it differently then that is a another issue.
ReplyDeleteGirls are screaming title IX ---- and title IX says the boys situation needs to be corrected for the sake of equality
ReplyDeletePeople - from someone with children in both TGBL & TBBL that have enjoyed YEARS of fun & positive experiences - please do not lose sight that this did not start as a Girls vs. Boys dilemma. It has morphed into that thanks to a 3rd program (WW) that evidently did not look into the issue of procuring their own game/practice facilities until the 11th hour - apparently it was assumed to be a given ?
ReplyDeleteJust MAYBE that should have been #1 on their list last May long before they put their focus on "selective recruiting" of players from established teams/programs and making blind promises to the parents of these children ? Unless of course the organizer(s) knew their political position might allow them the "fast-track" approach which included bypassing normal policy/procedure that every other citizen in town would be expected to follow if they had a desire to launch a new bball pgm.
Am I way off base here - wouldn't all of you first secure arrangements for basketball facilities LONG before you went to all the trouble of NOT having tryouts but specifically calling kids to lure them away from the programs they had previously played in for years ?
I am truely sorry to see this come to a head as it apparently has. Please do not lose sight that one of our elected town "officials" has used his position to force this issue and now it has to come down to a Boys vs. Girls debate and it really did not have to be this way.
I understand that each league must stand up and defend the children that it serves and in no way do I blame them for digging in their heels - it is their responsibility to protect the kids.
Unfortunately just another scar on the town that we really don't need at this time.
Make sure you all remember this fiasco the next time we have the chance to correct this ERROR at the polls. We all make mistakes, please observe & learn from them and don't let it happen twice.
Title IX "substantially proportionate to their respective enrollment" THAT SAYS IT ALL, It's an easy fix.
ReplyDeleteI think WW should be forced to purchase gym time if they are unable to prove all league members are Tewksbury residents.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the boys and the girls get equal time in basketball, this inequality is untrue in other sports. I know that Tewksbury Girls Softball fought for years to get their own facility when baseball got premium playing space.
As a parent of two girls, I think the leagues should start issuing refunds if this "lockout" continues. I paid money for my kids to play basketball and I am not receiving the services I paid for.
Let's not forget about the president of this new WW league, Kent White, who started this whole mess only after his son didn't make the travel team. Now I have kids who want to know why they don't have practice this week. Thanks Kent.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this so differcult the numbers don't lie> boys 850 kid Girl 320 Scotts league has 40 or 30 tewksbury kid. Just splite it fairly. and let the kids play.
ReplyDeleteThere was not a mess like this last year, why because we only had two leagues. We still do. Tell this WW league to take a hike they are not a town of Tewksbury league so why are we wasting all this time pleasing them. Split the gym time between our Tewksbury teams and if there is any time left over let this WW team fill out a request for gym time like all the other non town leagues do. ( adult basketball league)
ReplyDeleteor better yet why can't the westford players get their gyms.
Because it's not about whats right it's about who you know.
ReplyDeleteWhy is everytime something is in the paper that make this town look bad Scott Wilson is involved.
ReplyDeleteI am a parent of two girls and I want to make some observations plus some possible suggestions. This whole situation is intolerable since the ultimate losers in this debacle are the boys and the girls who play basketball.
ReplyDeleteObservations:
The officials in TBBL and in WW clearly dislike each other. The posts here and on TI make this point very clear. I would imagine getting them to cooperate on any items would be difficult without serious mediation.
I am perplexed how a situation between TBBL and WW would result in TBBL looking for concessions from TGBL when TGBL is an uninvolved party in this dispute. This approach only makes a messy situation messier.
Scott Wilson and others have a right to start their own basketball league. However, Scott Wilson clearly is a major player in the formation of this league and his statements indicate otherwise based on news articles and on statement Scott has made. I am disappointed that Scott would be involved in establishing a new basketball league representing Tewksbury when he is a selectman in town. Scott should realize these actions only serve to divide people within the town when his job is to unite the town.
The person who posted Scott’s e-mail on several websites should apologize to Scott for this action. This action only serves to stir up the public and we unaware of any exchanges before or after this e-mail.
All leagues in town need to find ways to become more transparent. Although I am unaware of the specifics of Scott’s issues with coaching and with an equal playing field for all, I am certain Scott’s points have merit based on other experiences in youth sports. The reality in most leagues is select people get privileges for coaching and for playing time based on power in the league. Although my kids are not elite athletes, I have seen this favoritism at every level of youth sports in my life.
Most parents are looking for their children to acquire sportsmanship skills, to learn teamwork, to get physical exercise, and to have fun when signing up for any sport. Since the adults are role models in these areas, any bad behavior defeats this goal.
Where is the outrage about the art show being cancelled, the lack of space for the chess team, or having a supervisor for the glee club? Sports is one aspect of childhood and this point is often overlooked.
Suggestions:
TBBL and WW keep their dispute to themselves and keep TGBL uninvolved. If these parties are unable to resolve their disputes, the school board should make a unilaterally decision on gym time so the kids begin playing now.
Although I agree that the gym time should be based on league enrollment numbers, TBBL needs to present to the public why the current system is ourdated based on what is different now vs. previous years minus any issues surrounding WW. I am sure the current 50 / 50 split is based on previous precedent dealing with equality. TBBL lacks the authority to revisit this issue based on a dispute with another league.
All leagues develop a transparent system to evaluate players, to evaluate coaches, and to elect board of directors. A set of written by laws fail to meet this requirement since these bylaws are rarely enforced.
The presidents of WW and TBBL sit down again and try to resolve their differences.
We are all paying our extra $15 towards facities, right. Split the time evenly player by player and if it is true WW has players outside of town let them rent space or get space from the other towns. My kids want to play and the kids all talk and they know the elite have been practicing and they haven't been what kind of message is that to send to our kids, sounds a lot like bullying isn't that what we are trying to teach our kids not to do!! Get to together for the sake of the kids split it equally.
ReplyDeleteThis is not an issue between the TBBL and WS , it is an issue for all of the in-town and travel basketball programs in Tewksbury. Every town in the surrounding areas revisit gym times through requests from the town's leagues on a yearly basis. The fact is that the practice time distribution has been unfair for years. Simple solution is to make a standard of practice hours per travel team and per in-town team and enforce it across the board. The only variable is the number of teams.
ReplyDeleteKeep this in mind: The TBBL just got a special recognition award from the State for 40 years of service to the community. They've expanded the league to pre-clinics that include girls. The TGBL doesn't have a pre-clinic. The TBBL has recently added the 4th grade level to travel in the Manchester Suburban. All of these improvements will better our programs going forward into High School.
I've got an idea...We give the adults until the end of the week to figure this out. If they don't, we let the kids do it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for getting the gym time situation resolved, my son was very excited to come home from school today and find out he had basketball practice this week.
ReplyDeleteAn observation from this blog site and from Tewksbury Issues. I have noticed that the representatives from each group spend more expressing their leadership role in developing the solution than their role in creating this mess. I sense the need to satisfy individual egos played a huge role in this whole dispute. I am basing this comment based on the comments Ken Miano and Scott Wilson posted on TI.
ReplyDeleteI hope each side spends more time understanding the other's viewpoint going forward. I am sure each league will have differing opinions on a variety of issues as time passes. If these individuals are unable to accomplish this task, the league stakeholders should then find a way to replace these individuals with people who will.
Thank god the Tgbl gave in and made it equal for all kids boy and girls. My boy Practice a total of one hour a week and my Girl practice a total of 4 hours a week.
ReplyDelete