Sachem AD Appeals To Sports Community

The following letter was drafted by Sachem Athletic Director Pete Blieberg to his constituents calling for action in response to budget cuts that might affect school athletics. The letter appears unabridged:

It's time! It's time that our collective voices are heard!.

Luckily, the BOE has scheduled an additional meeting for this coming Wednesday at 7:30 in the Samoset Auditorium. It is imperative that we get parents to speak as well as student/athletes to address the BOE and let them know of the positive impact that playing interscholastic sports has been for them.

If we DO NOT seize this opportunity to let the Board know where we stand, then we stand to lose more of our programs. Remember, we already have lost the second MS team and the entire JV9 program just two years ago. What's next?

If we sit ideally by then the athletic program at Sachem will no longer reflect what is looks like today. Here's the most important pieces of information that we need to get out there!

1)      Even if sports are not targeted to be touched in the first budget vote of a proposed 8% increase, people will think all is good and feel they don't have to come out and vote.
2)      The problem is, if we don't pass the 8% budget by the required 60%, then the second budget vote WILL have athletic cuts in it and it will be TOO LATE.
3)      That is why NOW is the time to get the word out.

I need your help, regardless of what level you coach, PLEASE reach out to a parent or two from your program, ask them to attend the BOE meeting this Wednesday, sign up to speak and address the BOE in a "upbeat manner" as to the positive things that athletics has done for their kids. Additionally, we need student/athletes from your programs (ALL LEVELS) to address the Board as well. When they were discussing selling the Waverly Ave soccer fields, that club marched in little kids in uniforms which had a very "visual" impact on the Board members, this is what we MUST do.

This is the last meeting before the BOE adopts the budget which must be done publicly on April 17th. If you sit back now and let someone else take care of this, then you will have no one to blame if things go bad. PLEASE act on this now and let's show the BOE and the entire community how truly important interscholastic sports is to the Sachem Nation.

Thank you for all your help, this one is important!

Peter Blieberg
Athletic Director
Sachem School District

The special meeting from the Sachem Board of Education is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on April 10.