During a special meeting Monday, Frewsburg school board members approved merging five individual sports with Southwestern teams: the varsity football team, junior varsity football team, the competitive cheer team, girls tennis team and the boy’s varsity soccer team.

As the Board President Larry Lodestro called for a vote, all board members gave a unanimous thumbs up for the boys varsity soccer team, competitive cheer team and girls tennis team. However, when it came to the school’s two football teams, Carrie Graham, board vice president, voted against those two mergers.

However, Graham wasn’t alone in her dissenting vote. Several community members, student family members and alumni, expressed their displeasure with the idea of a merger.

Brad Swanson, a parent of two Frewsburg students said, “This feels rushed. If you read the comments left on Thought-Share it’s more like 85 – 95% of our residents don’t want this merger to happen. It’s the same for Southwestern parents, they don’t want this either.”

From left, Frewsburg Central School District’s Board of Education President Larry Lodestro and Superintendent Dr. Dr. Danielle J. Cook talk Monday, prior to a special school board meeting. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

Swanson, also said that he believes that the data gained from a survey sent out by Frewsburg officials was swayed and unreliable.

“There was a question and answer section prior to a presentation in the email but,” he said. “But, at the end of the presentation, there wasn’t another survey to take or see what a person’s viewpoint was when all the facts were presented.”

Supporting and echoing Swanson’s statement, Heather Heald, a concerned parent asked, “have you considered the extra drive time that will be added to our students’ day? It seems like Southwestern doesn’t want to merge. We, as a school, are not unified – no one really seems to want this.”

Additionally, Michael LeBaron, school board member, indicated that while he approves of the merger – it is only for one year, and he would demand that the school board would again, do its due diligence, and look at all aspects of a merger the following school year.

However, Dr. Danielle Cook, district superintendent, said she understands how community members can feel so strongly about this topic, and is sympathetic to their cause.

Frewsburg Central School District’s Board of Education, voted Monday, during a special school board meeting, held at 26 Institute St., to merge five of the school’s athletic teams with Southwestern School District’s teams. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

“A lot of a community’s image is tied up with its local, high school sports teams. I get it, I understand why people have such a strong reaction to talk of a shared sports program,” she said. “But, we must do what’s in the best interest of our students, and sometimes doing what’s right is not the most popular thing.”

Lodestro disagreed with the idea that the process was rushed while agreeing with LeBaron that the conversation isn’t over.

“This merger is only for our fall sports teams and it’s only for one-year, nothing more,” Lodestro said. “Each year we will review where we’re at with our school sports program, and re-evaluate, nothing is set in stone. This was not a rushed decision, we took three months, had several community meetings about this, we put out surveys and gathered all the data we could to make the best, educated, choice.”