Thursday, August 3, 2006

By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Staff Writer

High school athletes will not have to pay to pump iron this year, but the hours their school weight rooms will be open could be curtailed.

One weight room technician will oversee the exercise facilities at both Thomas Worthington and Worthington Kilbourne high schools.

Since they opened, each weight room has had a full-time technician.

Dan Stephens, who formerly was the technician at only Kilbourne, will divide his time between the two schools. The contract of the Thomas Worthington technician will not be renewed.

The principals, athletic directors, and Stephens will meet soon to come up with a schedule, said district spokesperson Vicki Gnezda.

Students will be able to use the weight rooms at either high school, she said.

At a July 24 school board meeting, parents, students, and booster organization members turned out to ask that the positions of the weight room technicians not be discontinued, and was planned.

Athletic department heads had decided the department could no longer afford to pay the salaries from the department's $400,000 budget.

Those who spoke to the board, and board members, seemed to agree that charging students a fee to use the weight room would be a good compromise, allowing both positions to be funded.

During meetings over the past week, it was decided the athletic department could afford to pay one weight room technician for one year. Stephen's salary last year was $43,700.

It was made clear, though, that this is not a long-term solution. The school board requested that all parties involved come up with a way to keep the weight rooms open in the coming years.

The athletic department's budget covers all expenses required to be paid by the district, such as for officials and supplies. It covers middle as well as high school athletics.

Salaries and transportation costs are generally covered by the district budget.

Booster organizations provide extras such as awards and meals.

Booster groups built both modern weight rooms with money donated by the community. The Kilbourne facility opened in 1997, the Thomas one five years later.