Steps could begin to end current CL lineup in Toledo

The first step in what may be a major exodus from Toledo's City League is expected to be taken Wednesday night at a school board meeting of the Oregon School District.

Clay athletic director Mike Donnelly has confirmed that one item on the meeting agenda will be a proposal that his school pull out of the City League and be one of several current CL member schools to form a new league.

Such a move has been speculated about in recent months in light of the financial crisis impacting Toledo Public Schools.

On the meeting agenda, under the category of "Athletic League Resolution," a statement is included that recommends that: "the Oregon City School District withdraw from the Toledo City League effective at the end of the 2010-2011 school year and form a new league with St. John's, Central Catholic, St. Francis, St. Ursula, Notre Dame, Whitmer, Findlay, Fremont and Lima Senior. The new league would begin for the 2011-2012 school year. The name of the new league is still yet to be determined."

Donnelly confirmed that the proposal will be voted on by the Oregon school board and said the only amendments to that agenda item was that St. Francis de Sales "has not agreed to leave the City League at this time" and that "Findlay and Lima Senior have not officially been invited, but all indications point to their being invited."

Athletic directors at current City League member schools Central Catholic, St. John's Jesuit, Whitmer, Notre Dame, and St. Ursula have each confirmed the intention of their respective schools to be part of the new league. Donnelly acknowledged that future CL member Fremont Ross is also on board to join the new league, although neither Ross principal Jose Hernandez nor school AD Art Bucci was available for comment yesterday.

"I can't comment at this time," longtime City League commissioner Ed Scrutchins said yesterday. "I have a meeting scheduled for Friday [with Rev. Ronald Olszewski of St. Francis and Waite principal David Yenrick], and we also have an ABC [City League Athletic Board of Control] meeting on July 28.

"That's Clay's proposal and they haven't firmed it up, so there's no need for me to comment on that at this time. Not until we have an ABC meeting"

If the new league is formed with these schools, that would leave the 85-year-old City League - which presently includes 13 schools plus Fremont Ross as an approved addition for 2011-12 - as a six-team, all-TPS alignment that would include Bowsher, Rogers, Scott, Start, Waite, and Woodward.

Libbey - one of four original CL members along with Scott, Waite, and Woodward when the league was formed in 1926 - was closed following the 2009-10 school year as part of recent TPS budget cuts.

Those cuts became necessary when TPS developed a budget deficit reported at $39 million. The district's board of education approved widespread cuts in late June, with the compensation of TPS personnel composing the largest portion of the trim in the form of layoffs.

Some of the cuts were made within extra-curricular activities, including athletic programs, at the six remaining TPS high schools and the district's six feeder middle schools - Byrnedale, DeVeaux, East Broadway, Jones, Leverette, and Robinson.

The approved cuts, which TPS assistant superintendent Jim Gault confirmed would save the district $884,000, included all middle school sports programs (basketball, track, cross country, volleyball, and wrestling), all freshman-level high school sports, and several "minor" varsity sports - cross country, wrestling, golf, boys tennis, and ice hockey.

According to officials at all of the current non-TPS CL schools, these specific athletic cuts within TPS schools were the impetus for their collective exploration into forming a league.

"We did what was best for the students at St. John's and the other schools [involved]," St. John's athletic director Brian Miller said. "The City League has been great to us, and we've had great success in the City League. I'm friends with all the [TPS] athletic directors in the league, but the standards of their sports aren't meeting our needs.

"That's why all the teams are joining the new league. We need these sports. We need cross country and freshman football. We need freshman basketball. All of us agree that we want to help the TPS schools, but we also feel like we're giving them a year to get ready and decide what they want to do.

"We have to take advantage of this time because we don't know exactly what else is going to happen to TPS."

Donnelly echoed those sentiments.

"When we got into the City League it was under the assumption that we would play in the full complement of sports and compete for titles and give our kids the opportunity to be recognized," he said of Clay, which joined the CL along with Whitmer in 2003. "From our standpoint it came down to opportunities."

Although his school has yet to officially agree to pull out of the City League, St. Francis athletic director Carl Janke did at least acknowledge that they are exploring the possibility.

"St. Francis is looking at investigating options because the City League has made some [budget cut] announcements already that there are going to be some significant changes," Janke said. "Therefore, knowing those changes, the City League will not be the same as we've known it over the years.

"As far as [TPS] cutting junior high sports, cutting freshman sports and the different [varsity] sports they're cutting out, it's obvious that the City League is not going to be same, and there's going to be a transitional period, one way or another.

"At St. Francis, we're looking at where are we going to be down the road? What are the best options for our student-athletes?"

Contact Steve Junga at:

sjunga@theblade.com

or 419-724-6461.