The Hudson County Board of Freeholders met last week to discuss once again the pending end of the athletic programs at the Hudson County Schools of Technology, namely County Prep in Jersey City and High Tech in North Bergen.
And at this latest meeting, Frank Gargiulo, the superintendent for the Schools of Technology, admitted something that was first reported here nearly a month ago, that there was a student/athlete who was inappropriately recruited to attend High Tech.
Gargiulo told the freeholders that the student/athlete should not have ever been allowed to attend High Tech in the first place.
So that made the claims by some mayors that the Schools of Technology were recruiting players very true, and they were justified in stopping all municipal funding to foot the bill for these athletic programs.
High Tech won the Hudson County Softball Tournament last Saturday, giving the program four straight championships within the confines of the county, winning the last three HCIAA Seglio Division titles and then this new tourney. The Lasercats defeated Secaucus, 20-8, in the title game, giving standout senior hurler Erica Colon a fourth straight championship to add to her already burgeoning resume.
High Tech was gunning for a “three-peat” in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I playoffs, but they lost to Whippany Park in the sectional quarterfinals, ending the hope for the third straight and ending the brilliant and majestic career of Colon, who is now headed to Central Connecticut State on a softball scholarship.
The High Tech baseball team will face Whippany Park this week in its first-ever state sectional championship appearance, the same Group I sectional that the softball team won the last two years.
It’s been a great season for coach Jim Comprelli and his standout players like Eric Fazieka and Jose Arismendi. They earned the top seed in the Hudson County Tourney and they have been one of the best teams in the county all season.
So could this state sectional championship game mark the last stand for the Hudson County Schools of Technology programs?
There are so many stories and rumors floating around over the last week or so, with irate parents getting involved and some of the members of the Board of Freeholders, like Bill O’Dea and Jeffrey Durbin, stepping forward to try to see if there is a way to keep the programs alive.
Like everything else these days, it comes down to finances. It has been reported that the two athletic programs need approximately $400,000 to keep going.
O’Dea has made some suggestions, like eliminating some of the high-priced salaries in the programs. Already, the two athletic directors at the schools, namely Vince Nardiello at High Tech and Mike Rooney at County Prep, have been told that they will not be retained.
But O’Dea has taken it a step further, suggesting that even more salaries can be cut. He took a swipe at Richard Myrlak, who serves as both the athletic coordinator for both schools and serves as the board secretary, stating that Myrlak’s salary could be put toward the money needed to keep athletics alive.
Whether that is enough to keep the programs afloat, remains to be seen.
Some of the parents came forward to say that they were willing to begin a fundraising campaign. But the clock is ticking, because any fundraising would have to be in place before the fiscal year ends on June 30.
Here’s an idea: What about “Pay-to-Play?”
There are other school districts in New Jersey that currently use such a system now in order to help supplement the funding for their athletic programs.
In some of those districts, the fee is called a “student activity fee.” Any student who wants to participate in any extracurricular activity (not just athletics) is required to pay a fee, in some instances, like $500 annually, in order to participate.
The money raised by the activity fees go directly to the programs like athletics and do not go into the general school funding.
With approximately 200 or so students already participating in extracurricular activities now at the two schools, the student activity fee would raise $100,000 with one swoop.
The Schools of Technology are not required to provide athletics. It is a luxury, an amenity. So to be fair, the parents should have the option of whether they want “pay to play” as a way to keep the programs alive.
It’s just an idea. Let’s see if it takes root.
Now, let’s address Garguilo’s bizarre admission.
Why would he now come forward and admit that there was an illegal recruiting of an athlete? The timing and the idea is beyond absurd. Is he doing so as a ploy to keep his job?
Because, let’s face it. If there was one official illegal recruitment of a student/athlete on the record, then you can be assured there have been many more, which has been rumored for years.
The whole idea just opened up a gigantic kettle of fish and Garguilo has to take the heat for admitting that the process took place at all. It may draw attention to other cases in the past where it may have happened.
So is this the end? Sure looks that way.
But there have been stays of execution in recent years that come to mind. Holy Family Academy and Hudson Catholic both told its students that the doors of their respective schools were going to close, but a lot of people stepped forward to save the day.
That time has now arrived for the athletic programs at the Schools of Technology. The sands in the hour glass continue to pour down and they’re running out.
If this is truly the end, then it’s the end of a solid era for both schools, which left their respective marks on Hudson County high school athletics.
–Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.