Middle school sports in Bloomington have a regular backer now. The Bloomington Rotary gave the district $50,000 to keep after-school sports running. The club says its next goal is to beat that amount for 2027-28.
The money pays for a full year of sports. In the fall, all 3 schools offer soccer. Oak Grove and Valley View have wrestling in the winter, and all 3 have track and field in the spring.
Here's how we got here. The district cut middle school sports in 2019 because of budget problems. They came back for the 2023-24 school year with boys and girls soccer and coed wrestling. That restart was paid for with $50,000 from the Bloomington Noon Rotary Foundation and $100,000 in federal ESSER pandemic-relief money. The school board said it wanted students to have more structured after-school activities. Volleyball and basketball stayed with the district's Galaxy after-school program.
Since then, track and field has been added. The club says the push for more than $50,000 in 2027-28 is about growth as well as keeping things going. More money would mean more programs, a useful after-school option for families, and a stronger feeder system for the Kennedy and Jefferson high school teams.
To help, look for the middle school sports donation section on the Bloomington Rotary's website.
