The Missoula County Public School’s administration ‘A’ building can be described in simple words- calm, monotonous, routine. But, these were the last words that could describe the last board of trustees meeting. Instead, with a crowd unseen since the public comment on Covid-19 years ago, the administration building was swarmed with parents and players alike of Missoula baseball.
For the third consecutive meeting, the parents and the players of the Missoula baseball community have shown up and spoken during public comment to encourage the board to allow high school baseball to come to three MCPS schools: Big Sky, Sentinel, and Hellgate.
The Board of Trustees approved baseball in 2022 as a MCPS high school sport, but yielded to the beginning of the process. The parent association created a slideshow outlining how the program could start this year.
In order to do this, the parents claimed they would pay the full cost of the program for the first year, a whopping estimated $50,000 per school, so long as the district hired coaches and secured fields. The proposal for fields was to convert the Hellgate JV softball fields into ones for baseball.
The rest of the proposal reviewed costs of uniforms, empires, equipment, and most costly to the school, travel.
In lieu of the continued strong presence, the board had added high school baseball to the agenda. “There’s a lot of passion there,” said newly elected Superintendent Micah Hill before he went into the well prepared and thorough slideshow.
Passion doesn’t account for the realisticness of starting high school baseball for the 2024 season. Potential challenges he mentioned were cost, potential impact of MCPS sport, a cut sport, space, and title IX.
Title IX was especially spoken about, which requires that MCPS invests equal amounts into girls and boys sports. The addition of baseball, a male sport, would mean an increase into a girls sport- with the board members entertaining the possibility of adding flag football to equalize investments.
This however, was not incentive enough to the board members, who intensely regarded the future end of SR contracts. These teachers would not be offered a position in future years, as they were hired during an interim period. The question was posed that if the district has the money to put into a sport, then why couldn’t they continue maintaining a semi-full staff.
Hill provided 4 options: 1, decide not to offer high school baseball as an activity at MCPS, 2, delay the start of high school baseball until 2025, 3, approve high school baseball for 2024 and use current, one time only funds and direct the administration to make it budget neutral beginning in 2025, (budget neutral meaning they would add it by taking away funding from other male high school programs), and 4, approve high school baseball for 2024 and require that the entire first year be fundraised (with fundraising milestones) and look to add baseball to the general fund in 2025.
Noting that amendments could be made to any of these plans, and knowing there are dozens of other options, the floor opened for the elected trustee’s questions. This lasted for nearly an hour and half, leaving tensions high and patience low.
Parents and players alike began speaking in public comment, in respect to the boards’ conversation. Emotions ran high especially during this, with community members turning defensive as the plausibility of baseball becoming limited.
Ultimately, the board decided to retire ambitions for baseball in the 2024 season, instead making plans to go forth with the parents’ plan in 2025.
Hellgate Principal Judson Miller spoke at the November meeting, notably not in favor of the long awaited arrival of the sport. “Baseball is incredible,” said Miller. Logistically however, Miller believes the addition of the sport has many potential problematic outcomes, enough to the point where it makes it difficult to see the benefit.
Miller pointed out that the pool from which they are judging whether high school baseball should be implemented is primarily parent-based. There was no survey at Hellgate to see if those students wanted to participate, there was no communication whatsoever. So creating and funding something as costly as the entire sport with nothing but assumptions could be disastrous. Not to mention, the known budget cuts that MCPS will begin going into next year. “I would have really liked all of the things to be on the table before we started making decisions,” said Miller.
Miller also said, “Hellgate gets shortened on facilities issues, all the time.” The most pertinent issue amongst high school students is not the inherent lack of sports at school, but instead the well-being of the already existing ones. Miller noted that the Hellgate tennis team is in desperate need of financial support, yet they cannot afford to dish out any more.
Miller even pointed out that Hellgate students in particular are at a notable disadvantage already compared to the other two Missoula high schools. Impletenmeting baseball may mean requiring Hellgate students to drive to Bonner daily to practice, lessening convenience and raising hazards.
All in all, the biggest issue is that there is a cloud of unknowingness within the student body. Miller claims he would have preferred an exhaustive survey sent to the student body, so he could argue for what the students want. Whether that includes the baseball team or not.
He proposed in the future, to avoid this position again, going forth with tactful meetings composed of representatives from all the clubs and sports to share opinions. This is in line with Big Sky’s recent start of “Big Sky Town Hall” where all activities gather and share accomplishments and program needs. In the meantime, Miller says that no decision is really final until that season begins.
The only other representative from Hellgate that spoke at the board meeting was senior Brennan Labbe. Labbe has played competitive baseball since he could remember, and spoke in favor of its addition for the 2024 season.
“It would allow more kids to form into the high school community,” said Labbe. The biggest incentive for high school baseball players would be to play against one another, fueling the local competitive drive.
Despite the ongoing financial struggles within MCPS, Labbe believes there is hope. “With enough fundraising and time to kind of put all the stones in place it would be a success,” said Labbe.
With aspirations like this, the baseball program has a high probability of success. Only time can tell whether it will be realistic though.
Public comment is still open for this matter to be considered once again, perhaps swinging the other direction.
