SPORTS VS EDUCATION

SPORTS VS. EDUCATION

By Judi Panasik
January 11, 2008

Trinity School District is at a crossroads: education or sports? With five new members out of nine on the Trinity School Board, enough to make a difference during voting, which way will they go? When running for office last year School Board Members Jack Keisling, Tom Bodnovich, and William Clemens all took the positions that Trinity needed to improve the quality of education and keep unnecessary spending down. School Board Member Jeff Miller wanted to create more equality between the schools. Both Miller and Jim Knapp were supported by a teachers group, which helped secure their seats.

So boys, put our money where your votes are.

At the January 3, Trinity School Board meeting, according to the Observer Reporter, parents of Trinity South Elementary School came to the meeting to discuss several issues, one being the need to add a third teacher to the fifth grade. School board members motioned to add the third teacher. But it was Keisling who tried to amend the motion adding that they should take the $50,000 they were going to use for the long term lease on the South Strabane Ball field and pay for the unbudgeted teacher. Although Bodnovich seconded Keisling they were informed by their solicitor Mike Brongo that the deal was binding, so they both withdrew the motion.

Well guess what, at the South Strabane Township Reorganization Meeting on January 7, a concerned taxpayer, Judi Panasik, asked the South Strabane Supervisors if you could get out of the deal. And the answer is yes. However that depends on the ethics, moral standards, and importance of education to the South Strabane Supervisors. Good Luck.

Supervisor Tony Zelenka kept telling the resident it was a done deal. But as always Panasik was persistent and kept asking if it was possible to let Trinity out of the deal with no ramifications to either side since the field has not yet been used? By South Strabane’s own acknowledgement at their meetings, they have hundreds of thousands in surplus from taxes in 2007, what was Trinity’s $50,000 to them? Wasn’t education more important?

Panasik also brought up the point that 40% of the $50,000 comes from South Strabane residents anyway. They are essentially paying themselves to use the field.

Remember Zelenka was one of the board members that pushed to have the over $300,000 field built and then went on to solicit Trinity to use it so that it would be used at all. Two years ago Zelenka was trying to get $700,000 to $250,000 out of Trinity to build his two fields of dreams. However Trinity pulled out and South Strabane got nothing and with no other real support had to settle for one.

Zelenka’s daughter plays for Trinity and he is involved in softball leagues.

And even though there were concerns from the Trinity Athletic director and girl’s softball coach regarding the South Strabane field, Trinity voted to engage in a long-term lease.

But according to South Strabane Solicitor Tom Lonich it would be possible for Trinity to get out of the lease if the South Strabane Supervisors would vote to let them out. Lonich said that Trinity could send a letter to South Strabane Supervisors asking them to let them out of the contract. The supervisors would then just have to vote on it and Trinity could have their money to pay for the additional teacher.

And really why could South Strabane out of good faith, and since according to Zelenka no one is at the parks anyway, let Trinity use the field for one year and see how it works out. Trinity would have to maintain it and pay for any port-a-john usage, but not have to pay the $50,000. Forty percent of that is South Strabane’s anyway.

When asked if they would let Trinity out the only supervisor that gave a definite answer was Zelenka, shaking his head adamantly NO!

So now the ball is in Trinity’s court. All they have to do is write a simple letter. Will the school board members vote to do this? If brought up at the next meeting and voted on it would show where these new and old school board members stand, education or sports?
It will also show the kind of men that are on South Strabane’s Board of Supervisors, men of integrity or greed?