Jesse Beers, a teacher, coach, and parent at Fredonia, spoke to the Board of Education this week about what he called “inequities” in the school’s athletic department and other extracurricular activities. Beers highlighted poor athletic facilities, lack of funding for coaches compared to other extracurricular activities, and safety concerns in his speech, which spanned eight minutes from the time he was allowed to begin.

“It would be nice to see the playing field leveled,” Beers said. “Years ago, I hoped these improvements would take place in time for my kids to enjoy them. That time has come and gone.”

Beers has been in the district for 23 years and is a reigning Section VI Class B2 champion softball coach. He also has been a Fredonia parent of two varsity athletes. Kazlin Beers was a three-sport standout at Fredonia in soccer, basketball, and softball before graduating in 2020. Rylee Beers was a varsity soccer player at Fredonia, who celebrated her senior night this past fall on the SUNY Fredonia field against Dunkirk.

One of the focal points of Beers’ presentation was the athletic facilities of the district, especially the outdoor fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and football at the Orange Bowl.

Jesse Beers, left, Rylee Beers, middle, and Amy Beers, right, are shown during a Senior Night celebration this past fall in Rylee’s final season as a varsity girls soccer player.

“Our athletic facilities are, in a word, embarrassing. From the experiences I’ve had myself as a coach, as a parent/spectator, and from speaking with other coaches, embarrassing might not be strong enough a word. Perhaps dangerous is more accurate,” Beers said.

Beers claims the softball field has been called unsafe by multiple umpires who spoke to him, highlighting concrete around the dugouts, holes in the field, and drainage issues. Beers noted that many coaches will not schedule games against Fredonia as the host because of the district’s facilities. “Honestly I don’t blame them,” he said.

Beers also said, “I’ve personally watched girls fall without coming into contact with anybody on the soccer field and roll their ankles due to the same conditions. I’ve spoken with soccer coaches who relayed their officials have also told them their field is unsafe and officials don’t enjoy working their games.”

Related to the football field at the Orange Bowl, Beers joined the long list of people who have complained in recent years about unsafe field conditions. “I’ve personally been at football games where the start was delayed as officials made our grounds crew go around and fill in gopher holes with dirt because they felt the field was unsafe,” he said.

The district is in the process of having its building needs assessed by Young and Wright Architectural, as Fredonia looks forward to its next major capital project. Athletic facilities are among the major issues regularly discussed for possible improvements.

“I’ve been here for 23 years. The idea of improving our athletic facilities has been continually discussed. I’m glad to see it discussed again tonight, but unfortunately, to this point it has been continually pushed off while other extracurricular activities have enjoyed marked improvements,” said Beers.

A document highlighting 19 different positions with increased financial commitment from the district in the most recent district contract was shared by Beers with the Board of Education and The OBSERVER. In total, there was an increase of more than $31,000 devoted to positions in co-curricular programs. However, many sports teams in the district still only have one contracted coach for the team, while some activities and other sports teams have multiple paid positions.

“For sports like baseball and softball, at minimum by rule, you need two (coaches) yet the district still only pays one,” said Beers. “To be clear, I’m not saying the sports who enjoy multiple paid positions don’t need or deserve them. I’m just asking why, when a clear inequity exists, doesn’t anyone in the district or the FTA seem willing to address it?”

Three of the last four years, Fredonia’s softball team lost home field advantage in playoff games because the field was deemed unplayable. Beers pondered, “I wonder what the reaction would be from the administration, the board, or the public if after weeks or months of hard work and dedication, just prior to production, that the musical had to get moved to a neighboring district’s auditorium because ours didn’t have adequate lighting, sound, or was deemed unsafe.”

The lack of an athletic trainer was also highlighted by Beers, who stated, “The district continues to choose not to employ a trainer, which in my opinion, borders on neglect. In the event that an athlete is injured and needs immediate medical attention, and as a district we cannot provide it, when it comes out that the coaches have asked repeatedly for years and were ignored, this more than likely will (be viewed as) negligent. I’m sure a personal injury attorney will see it that way.”

Beers also highlighted the requirements for coaching positions and the difficulty the district has had filling open positions. One position he specifically cited was the junior varsity baseball coaching job, which remained vacant for an extended period of time before a candidate was selected. The district shared 23 desired qualifications, including 10 mandatory qualifications, in the listing for the position.

The JV baseball coaching position was recently filled by Mario Muscarella, who led the Fredonia 11-12 All-Stars Little League team to the Non-Sanctioned District 38 Championship last summer.

“That was a great hire,” Beers said. “But can anybody wonder why it took so long to fill that position? It took months.”

Multiple coaches were in attendance in support of Beers’ message, including assistant softball coach Tim Wright and varsity swimming coach Joanne Lotter, who both also teach in the district.

“We as coaches are constantly subjected to angry parent conversations — texts, phone calls, athletes being pulled in all sorts of different directions, and of course, passive-aggressive or sometimes just regular old aggressive social media posts from players, parents, and fans. It has reached a point where as a coach, unless you have a vested interest in the program, we start asking ourselves why we do this anymore,” Beers said.

Fredonia Superintendent Brad Zilliox thanked Beers for coming to the meeting to express his concerns. “When people are here, we’re listening and taking that in. We’re trying to use that information as we move forward, whether that be now or in the future. Thank you for sharing your thoughts,” Zilliox said.

Director of Special Education Kristen Ferro and Wheelock Principal Amy Piper also thanked Beers for his comments.

Also related to athletics from the recent meeting, the district officially approved an intramural Girls Flag Football program for the 2023 spring sports season. Athletic Director Greg Lauer told the Board of Education that approximately 35-40 high school students are interested in participating this spring. The season will feature seven games this year exclusively in Chautauqua County, with an eye on 12-14 games next season also incorporating Erie County schools if the program is successful in its pilot this year.

The district also approved a list of contracted coaches and volunteers for the spring sports season. Among the highlights includes three coaches with experience in varsity sports within the past decade — Fredonia Boys Soccer Coach Jim Rush, former Fredonia Girls Basketball Coach Mark Putney, and Silver Creek Football Coach/Athletic Director Sean Helmer — offering their services as volunteer assistants with the varsity baseball program, led by head coach Tim Cowan.