NEPN/NSBA Code:JJIB  

SPONSORSHIP AND EVALUATION OF 

ATHLETIC PROGRAMS 

It is the Lewiston School Committee’s desire to offer Lewiston Public Schools students  athletic programming that provides diverse, developmentally appropriate opportunities  and encourages student participation. At the same time, the School Committee  recognizes that resources may not be available to fund all of the sports in which students  and the community have an interest. In order to provide students with meaningful  athletic experiences while maintaining high-quality, sustainable programs, the School  Committee adopts this policy governing sponsorship and evaluation of the school unit’s  athletic programs. 

Through sponsorship, the school unit assumes supervision of, and control of, a  particular athletic program. Sponsorship requires School Committee approval. The  school unit assumes responsibility only for those interscholastic athletic programs the  School Committee has designated as school-sponsored. 

The School Committee will approve only those programs that are consistent with  its philosophy and policies and with regulations established by the appropriate governing bodies, including the Maine Principals’ Association (which refers to its regulations as “policies”). Sponsorship does not mean that funding will be provided  in whole or in part through the school unit’s budget. Sponsorship is required even for  activities that may be funded in full by booster organizations. 

Sponsorship is required before any team may represent itself using the school name, to be  eligible for league play and tournament participation, or to be eligible for school athletic  awards. 

In order to assess the sustainability of athletic activities, each ongoing activity will be  evaluated at least annually. 

The School Committee establishes the following process for the approval and evaluation  of athletic programs. 

A. CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL AND EVALUATION OF  ATHLETIC PROGRAMS 

The Athletic Director shall be responsible for evaluating potential athletic  programs and assessing the viability of existing programs. The process shall take  into consideration the following factors, which shall be applied consistently to all  programs: 

1.  Student body interest; 

2.  Gender equity; 

3.  Impact on facilities; 

4.  Impact on existing programs; 

5.  Expenses; 

6.  Availability of competition; 

7.  Potential to field teams; 

8.  Alignment with School Committee philosophy and policies; and 

9.  Availability of funds, consideration of extraordinary costs (e.g., rental of  facilities, transportation, specialized equipment), and other relevant data. 

B. APPROVAL OF NEW ATHLETIC PROGRAMS 

A new athletic program must fall into one of the following categories: 

1.  School unit sponsored-it's in the budget and/or 

2.  Community sponsored-boosters, companies, etc. 

A formal request must be submitted to the Athletic Director for any new  athletic programs. Once the request is received the Athletic Director will: 

1.  Conduct a formal interest survey 

2.   Conduct a formal cost analysis 

The Superintendent shall be responsible for making and supporting  recommendations to the School Committee. Recommendations are to be made  based on data from the evaluation process. 

The School Committee may impose conditions that must be met for the program  to be approved. 

C. EVALUATION OF EXISTING OR ONGOING SCHOOL-SPONSORED  ATHLETIC PROGRAMS 

Every athletic program will be reviewed on an annual basis by the AD and the finding of  the review will be presented to the Superintendent. 

The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that all existing or previously  approved programs continue to meet the standards and criteria established by  the School Committee. 

The School Committee may authorize a program to be reviewed out of  sequence-based upon the recommendation of the Superintendent. 

The evaluation of existing or ongoing approved programs will be done using the  same process used to assess proposed programs. 

Based on the data, the AD, in collaboration with the school administrator and the  Superintendent will determine whether the program should continue or be deleted. 

D. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY 

The Superintendent may appoint a program evaluation or review committee to  perform evaluations of proposed and existing athletic programs. Any such  committee must have balanced representation including the Superintendent and/or  Athletic Director, a high school administrator, a middle school administrator, and  teachers who are employed as coaches, parents, students, and the community. Any  such committee will use the process delineated in Part A for program evaluation. 

The committee shall be advisory to the School Committee. While it may make  recommendations to the School Committee, the School Committee retains full  authority over Lewiston Public Schools' athletic programs. 

Cross Reference: JJI—Philosophy of Athletics 

JJIBA—Hiring and Evaluation of Coaches JJIBB—Sportsmanship 

JJIBC—Relations with Booster Groups (or alternative code KJA) 

Adopted: October 30, 2006 

Revised: February 27, 2012 

Reviewed: September 24, 2012 

Revised: June 27, 2022