WARREN – SAD 40’s budget isn’t the only crisis the district faces. School pride is at a dangerous low, according to Kyle Santheson, a concerned parent and member of the Medomak Valley All-Sports Club.

“We’re a Class A school and cannot host a home game,” Santheson told SAD 40 directors Monday.

But while Santheson struck out when he asked the board to approve more money for extracurricular programs, his description of the deteriorating condition of the district’s playing fields, as well as the dwindling number of students playing sports, prompted the directors to create an ad hoc extracurricular activity committee to look at programs throughout the district from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Santheson painted a bleak picture. In a district with 770 high school students, only 84 participated in sports this year, he said. Medomak Valley High School’s outdoor track and fields are in such poor condition, many schools refuse to play here, he said, and the fields do not have scoreboards. At other schools in Maine where SAD 40 teams play, many are like college campuses, he said.

Without activities for students and community involvement, school spirit suffers, he said, and tragic events like this year’s rash of student automobile accidents and fatalities, suicides, drug and alcohol abuse and crime flourish.

“We’ve got to change that,” Santheson said. “We’ve got to bring some pride back to our schools. Right now, it’s just spiraling downward.”

“They are embarrassed by our home facility,” MVHS Principal Robert Strong said, backing Santheson’s description of the school’s outdoor track. “Schools don’t want to come to a dirt track.” He noted that many schools have all-weather tracks made of rubberized asphalt, which are preferred for tournaments. Some schools also have one person designated to building extracurricular programs, he said.

“There was Medomak Valley pride,” Strong said, at least when he was growing up in nearby Thomaston. Studies have clearly indicated that participation in extracurricular activities improves academic achievement, he said.

The board approved Director Jay Feyler, chairman of the booster club, to lead the committee.

“We should have a five-year plan,” Feyler said.