School staff to get free sports pass

Staff at the Cloquet schools won’t have to pay to attend ballgames and other athletic events next year, a move district officials hope will make it easier for teachers and staff who carry a district photo ID to attend and show support.

Cloquet school board members debated the loss of funds from admission fees and passes versus the benefits and elected to at least try the new policy for a year. The district’s family engagement office and activities director Paul Riess recommended the move.

“It’s good for the kids,” Riess told the board. “I was in the classroom for 18 years. When you show up to a game, the next morning that’s what the kids want to talk about. ‘Did you see that? Did you see me do this?’ They love seeing their teachers out there.”

Board member Gary “Hawk” Huard was the sole vote against the new plan, which would allow staff to get in free by showing their school-issued photo ID. Huard argued that many people in the community earn less than a new teacher but have been paying to get into games for 20 years or more.

Riess gave as an example a teacher who might stop in at a JV game for a half-hour before heading home for supper, to support kids they have in class. If they have to pay $7 per game or buy a $200 family pass, they may not do it.

“It would also give us extra people in the audience if something happens at a game,” superintendent Michael Cary said.

Board chair Nate Sandman asked if staff would also get free entrance to other events, like the fall musical or spring play. No, it’s just for home sporting events during the regular season, was the answer.

Last year, only 11 of the roughly 400 school district staff members purchased the all-season pass: 10 of those were family passes, one was an individual pass. Other school district employees had passes, mostly purchased through silent auction fundraisers, Riess said.

The free admission would apply only to the staff member, Riess said, making the point that more often people will bring friends or family members, who would have to pay for a ticket or have a pass. The activities director also argued that the decrease in gate fees could be offset by increased concession sales, but the main argument in favor of free entry was really about increased support for the kids.

Sandman asked about fall sports and ticket revenue for games that won’t be played at the high school while the outdoor athletic complex is being extensively renovated next fall. Riess said most home soccer games will be played at Hilltop, where it would be difficult to collect gate fees because it’s wide open. Early season home football games will be in Proctor, where Cloquet will likely bring its own staff and collect its own gate fees, he said.

On the subject of the athletic complex, Cary said work on the $4.9 million renovation project could start soon. The high school held its first and last home track meet this season last Friday.

“If road restrictions are lifted and weather cooperates, the plan is to start demolition on our activity complex next week,” Cary said.

The construction project will replace the current grass football and soccer field with turf and also widen the field for soccer. The track will be replaced, tennis courts will be relocated and doubled from four to eight courts. A new scoreboard with video capabilities is also in the works.

The goal is to finish the bulk of the work by October. Members Cooperative Credit Union agreed to a naming rights deal for the project. MCCU will pay up to $1.55 million for the scoreboard and 20 years of naming rights to the complex.