WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 23, 2004: Mario Scarano, Athletic Director for the White Plains City School Distric, Mario Scarano, proposed creating a new position, that of Coordinator of Health and Physical Education, giving up responsibilities for devising Health and Physical Education curriculum he has been handling for the District, last night.

A.D. MAKES CASE: Mario Scarano, Director of Athletics, second from right, making A.D. Split Play to Board of Education Monday night. Photo by WPCNR News

Harriet Ketover has been aiding Mr. Scarano in overseeing curriculum consistency in physical education and health in Grades 6 to 12,  since the deparature of Lyn Kahn from the district. However, now that New York State is imposing physical education & health Assessment Tests, Mr. Scarano said, the task of running both the athletic programs and the health curriculum across the district was going to be demanding and needed its own full-time coordinator.  He said the new position would cost the District $100,000. He stated he has not been handling the curriculum coordination piece, that Ketover had been handling it on a parttime basis, and only for the 6 through 12 grades.

Scarano said that dividing the position would enable him to concentrate on making improvements to the athletic program across the district. He counted down the following benefits:

1.) Closer supervision of coaches, developing their skills and effectiveness.

2.) More time to devote to improving District Modified Programs (Grades 7-8).

3.) More opportunity to develop "Outreach Programs" to Parents, whose children participate in sports. Scarano said he felt more interaction with parents would "eliminate some of the communication problems between coaches and parents." Scarano said he had spent 3 hours on Monday afternoon with parents on phones discussing team issues.

4.) Increased liaison work with the YM and YWCA's, and the Youth Bureau .

5.) More time to recruit new coaches

6.) Time to develop the final push to fund the new Loucks Field reconstruction (a $7 Million project) that he felt could begain within the next two years.

7.) Development of a new indoor field house.

8.) Establishment of a Coaches Advisory Council where staff coaches could contribute their collective experience to discuss coach issues, help new coaches, examine situations.

9.) Formation of an Athletic Member Council of Team Captains. Scarano said, "They (athletes) should have their say in what they already do."

Scarano told Connors,  in calling for the splitting of duties between Athletic Directing and Currculum Coordinating, "I think I'm not doing either job the way it should be done,"

"What you have now is special," Scarano said. "In health and physical education, in terms of athletics, what are the things we have to respond to and make happen. I want every child in the program to have a very enjoyable experience. Now, not every one is."

Expand Middle School Teams.

He said he wanted to expand the Middle School Programs because of the positive affect participation in athletics has on student athletic performance. He said students who play on teams have 10 to 15 points better grades than children who do not.

He said he wanted to create more Middle School Teams, saying last year some 70 kids tried out for baseball, 60 children for soccer, and 40 for Lacrosse, and most had to be cut because there was only one team in each of the sports.

This hurt baseball, Scarano said, because the high school could not field a freshman team this year because only 7 tried out, since many had tried out for middle school and not made the team.

Comments from Board

Connors asked him what were the budget implications of equipment and new coaches, and Scarano said he would have to work that out. Connors cautioned "that (middle school team expansion) will not happen without expanding the budget."

Donna McLaughlin, President of the Board of Education, told Scarano that one item missing from his list of things to do to improve the athletic program was evaluation of coaches, beyond that of "self-evaluation."  Scarano defended his evaluation of coaches because he said he does discuss with the coaches their performance. McLaughlin was persistent, asking Scarano to develop a more exacting process. He said he would.

Ms. McLaughlin added that any new Coordinator of Health & Physical Education Curriculum, and Mr. Scarano, should develop better drug and substance abuse programs at the Middle School Level. (In the public comment period, a citizen asked Superintendent of Schools Connors about the WPHS Rochester drinking incident, and Mr. Connors declined to spell out details, because federal law prohibited describing penalties.)