BOE President: 'I Won't Allow the Board to Be Rushed'

The school board will not rush toward making a decision regarding the , Parsippany Board of Education President Frank Calabria said.

"I have heard some talk about having new fields ready to go by September," Calabria told Patch. "I don't know. The board needs to take whatever time it needs to make the right decision."

A and other sports-related improvements to and is being promoted by Mayor James Barberio and a host of youth sports groups.

Proponents argue that the fields are in terrible shape, which puts Par-Troy student athletes at a disadvantage when facing teams from better-equipped schools and opens local athletes up to potential injury.  

Advocates call the idea of using open space dollars to fund the project a creative way of filling a civic need so that taxes won't rise.

But there is a huge catch: In order to use open space funds legally, Township Attorney John Inglesino said the township would need an ownership interest in the athletic fields. The high schools' fields now are under the control of the school board.

That means that the would have to relinquish 51 percent of its control of the fields to the municipality. Detractors say this would create scheduling nightmares for school sports teams that could struggle to find time to practice on their own fields. 

"This ceding control business is a lot to consider," Calabria said. "The issues are very important and both sides are compelling. Everyone needs to be heard. We have to hear all sides and know all of the facts and possible repercussions before we can in good conscience even think of passing this."

Some of those opposed to the proposed plan for paying for school athletic improvements say ultimately the BOE is responsible for the fields. Many believe the school board should be the entity to come up with a way to pay for the upgrade, either through the normal budget process or by some other creative financing plan.

"In a perfect world, it would be terrific to be able to deal with this on our own, but this situation is not perfect," the BOE president said. "We must look at all the alternatives. But the board has not made any decisions and I will not allow the board to be rushed.

"We are charged to do what's right for the students of Parsippany, and I take that very seriously. So we'll take the time to make the right decision, the best decision."