After several weeks of intense discussion and research on the topic, Soccer is coming to Perryton High School as a school-sanctioned sport. The issue came to a vote at the Tuesday, September 28 PISD Board of Trustees meeting.
Students and adult supporters of soccer have approached the board on a couple of occasions, including last month’s meeting. After that meeting, Superintendent James Mireles and Athletic Director Kurt Haberthur researched the possibilities of starting a soccer program.
At a community meeting on September 21, well over 100 students, parents and business leaders showed their support for adding the sport.
At Tuesday’s meeting, students spoke again in support of the program. Mireles and Haberthur shared the pros and cons gleaned from their research. Mireles recommended starting soccer this November with Club Soccer then applying to join UIL prior to the upcoming realignment in February.
Every board member who spoke made it clear that they support soccer at Perryton High School and agree that now is the time for it to happen. However, some board members felt that the better option would be to plan for starting next school year and joining as a UIL sport at that time.
After some debate among all board members, Wes Beal made a motion to approve Mireles’ proposal to start with club soccer this year and go UIL next year with the games being played on Ranger Field. Richard Beyea seconded the motion and it passed by a vote of 4-3.
Mireles and the board members congratulated the students for the way they conducted themselves professionally and for learning the appropriate way to achieve the goal.
Coach Haberthur has begun building a schedule for the upcoming season. More information will be provided as things come together.
In other business of the meeting, the board heard the monthly campus, director, and financial and curriculum reports; selected Live Oak Public Finance for governmental financial advisory services; and hired Maribel Murillo as an English Language Arts and Reading teacher at Perryton High School, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Angela Eylar.
Note: Video of the board meeting is available at: https://bit.ly/PHSgetsSoccer
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