After discussing a proposal by the New Bloomfield Football Boosters Club to start a school football program, the New Bloomfield Board of Education on Thursday night took no action on the measure.
Mike Frese, president of the New Bloomfield Football Boosters Club, offered a plan to start a football program at the school financed entirely the first five years by donations from the club.
Frese wanted a commitment from the board to start a school football program if the booster club raised $100,000 in donations before the program started.
Frese said he needed the commitment from the board to start a football program in order to raise the money.
"It's practically impossible to raise money for a program that does not currently exist," Frese said.
Board President Gracia Backer said it probably would take the group some time to raise $100,000 and the board could not commit a future board.
Frese said he understood that and he would be willing to come back and make the same proposal to a future board if the $100,000 is not raised within one year.
Frese said he checked costs with other school districts that started football programs and many of them agreed that $100,000 is more than enough to pay the cost of operating the program during the five-year period that would start as soon as $100,000 is raised by the booster club.
Frese said other schools starting a football program typically play all games at other schools. New Bloomfield, for example, could play its football games in early years at football fields in the Jefferson City area.
Board member Shawn Cockrum said at some point in the future the New Bloomfield School District would need to build its own football field with spectator seating.