School districts should eliminate sports programs to free up $$$ (colleges, activities)

[L210]

This school district in Texas is putting a bond package up for vote to pay for new uniforms. I thought sports programs paid for themselves. This district is also thinking about cutting some sports; I bet football is not one of them.

Why is Richardson ISD buying clothes on credit now? | Opinion Blog | dallasnews.com

The article above blames the Robin Hood Law, but a bill has been filed to get rid of that. According to NPR, the representative who is presenting the bill doesn't even know where the money is going to come from to make sure poor school districts aren't underfunded.

Bill Seeks to Eliminate Controversial Texas Robin Hood Law (http://www.kbtx.com/state/headlines/Bill_Seeks_to_Eliminate_Controversial_Texas_Robin_ Hood_Law_116790323.html - broken link)

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by SAFD_Wife

The military requirement was included in my original post. And there was no need to ask if they were active duty military when I could see personal information on a child at anytime, not to mention 4 year olds don't keep many secrets. If it were so hard to get the children ready for school then that would cut K4 enrollment tremendously. Sorry, just not the case. It's free, it's child care, it's taken advantage of.

So you're working at the school and sitting there judging people for using the pre-k program? I really hope you're not the teacher.

[badhornet]

You know I would never even have considered this in the past.....I dont say get rid of it completely but parents should foot some of the bill

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by L210

This school district in Texas is putting a bond package up for vote to pay for new uniforms. I thought sports programs paid for themselves. This district is also thinking about cutting some sports; I bet football is not one of them.

Why is Richardson ISD buying clothes on credit now? | Opinion Blog | dallasnews.com

The article above blames the Robin Hood Law, but a bill has been filed to get rid of that. According to NPR, the representative who is presenting the bill doesn't even know where the money is going to come from to make sure poor school districts aren't underfunded.

Bill Seeks to Eliminate Controversial Texas Robin Hood Law (http://www.kbtx.com/state/headlines/Bill_Seeks_to_Eliminate_Controversial_Texas_Robin_ Hood_Law_116790323.html - broken link)

Athletics (Equipment, Uniforms, B-Fields, Stadium Scoreboards and Natatoriums) = $9 million

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by sapphire

Just because you don't think it's important, does not mean that it's not. As someone mentioned earlier, sports have been around for decades and did not/do not cause these deficits. There is a lot of fat up above that should get cut first, but it's just like in the real world......the ones up top are safe, let's cut the front line people. Typical, knee-jerk reaction.

And you really need to get back to us when you have children enrolled in the public school system. It's easy to sit back and say "get rid of it!" until you have experienced first hand how important sports and music are in the development of young lives. Try going to an orchestra concert at your neighbrohood middle school, try attending a basketball game, or a volleyball game, and look at the hours of dedication, both on the students' part, and that of the coaches. Even when they lose, the learning and growth that takes place over a season or a school year is phenomenal to watch.

It is not a matter of what is not important or important. It is a matter of what is more important when facing the harsh reality of cost cutting. I thought I made that clear in my post. It is going to happen and when it does, who is going to pay to keep things the way they are? All of us will. Math or Football? Band or English? Admin/Staff or Teachers? You get the idea. Eventually it is going to come down to some really difficult decisions to make.

My mom is a teacher but in another county. I know what she has to go through on a daily basis. She is two years away from retirement and has been teaching for many years so she has not been as concerned as the younger teachers fearing job cuts. She told me that the superintendent for her district got a raise while most of the teachers did not. That is not right.

It is not easy for me to "sit back" and say cut this or cut that. I pay my taxes just like you do towards funding of public schools so this gives me just as much right as you to voice my opinion about funding of the public schools regardless if I am a parent or not.

[Gigi45]

Originally Posted by MattTx

What you have to ask yourself is what is more important? Basic education (math, english, science) or elective activities such as sports, band, etc?

Our public school system is bleeding dry and pretty much operating in the red these days. Something has to be done and there is no easy answer or solution.

It is pretty straightforward that sports rarely becomes a money maker for our current students once they are out of High School unless that student is one of the lucky few to obtain a career in sports long after high school in the professional leagues. Some can be said for band, theater, etc. These programs are very important to the development of the kids, but just how much more important is football or band is compared to learning how to solve math problems, proper writing, or doing science projects? Many parents know the answer to this but don't want to face the facts when it comes down to solving this crisis that we are facing today.

What we all have to ask ourselves is what is the "opportunity cost" we are facing? What can we do to make this work in the best interest of the children of today? What do the schools need to give up in order to gain the status of no debt on their financial books?

Something has to be done before schools are so poor they can't offer anything at all.

This is basically my point. Districts need to budget for education first. There can be a lot cut from that budget, I agree. ( Elementary schools don't need wireless computer labs with 25 computers that must have a salaried staff person to keep them running.) Once the academic budget is set, then *extra* can be set aside for *extracurricular* activities.

[stoneoak]

Originally Posted by badhornet

You know I would never even have considered this in the past.....I dont say get rid of it completely but parents should foot some of the bill

trust me, public school is far from free. Parents are asked to pay up for one thing or another nearly every day. Those uniforms and equipment are not handed out. Parents have to buy all that stuff -- and it is not cheap. There's also fees tacked on to fund away games or club dinners. Like Sapphire mentioned -- parents and students are constantly being asked to donate either money or their time to one fundraiser or another to raise money for a team or club or choir or the school in general.

Then there are the teachers constantly asking for items. We have to continously buy school supplies throughout the year. We're asked to help pay for field trips. The cost of school lunches continues to rise.

So we are footing the bill in many ways already. A public school education is hardly free.

But, cutting sports and programs is not the answer. Sports provide so much more for a child then just kicking a ball. Kids learn about teamwork, learn how to push themselves to the limit, learn how to balance their schoolwork around games and practices. And sports does keep many on the straight and narrow. For me personally -- I was at school running laps when I was on a team in high school. But, when I quit sports, I then had plenty of free afternoons to get into trouble. And I did get into plenty of trouble.

[sapphire]

Of course as a taxpayer you are free to voice your opinion. As a taxpayer/parent, you may have different views, was my point.

And we ARE footing the bill, badhornet. In the form of taxes, not to mention band instrument fees and transportation costs and missed family time due to practices, games, etc. I'm sure this means nothing to people who have kids that sit there like a bump on a log, but to anyone who has a kid who is involved, you know what I mean.

My kid doesn't use all the services that my tax $$$ help pay for, i.e. special ed, so it all washes out. And no, I have ZERO problem with that.

[Gigi45]

Originally Posted by sapphire

Just because you don't think it's important, does not mean that it's not. As someone mentioned earlier, sports have been around for decades and did not/do not cause these deficits. There is a lot of fat up above that should get cut first, but it's just like in the real world......the ones up top are safe, let's cut the front line people. Typical, knee-jerk reaction.

And you really need to get back to us when you have children enrolled in the public school system. It's easy to sit back and say "get rid of it!" until you have experienced first hand how important sports and music are in the development of young lives. Try going to an orchestra concert at your neighbrohood middle school, try attending a basketball game, or a volleyball game, and look at the hours of dedication, both on the students' part, and that of the coaches. Even when they lose, the learning and growth that takes place over a season or a school year is phenomenal to watch.

I do have school aged children and I am saying "get rid of it." I see the hours put in on sports, yet the kids cannot write a decent essay, their grammar stinks and they have not memorized basic math facts.
Perhaps this is more a poor parenting problem......

[sapphire]

So, every kid that is involved in sports is dumb? Ever hear of "No pass, no play"? They check my son's grades throughout the season and if there were to be failing grades, he would not play.

It's fine if you don't want your kid to get into sports, but many many of us encourage it for our kids. We see a value in it.

And I work on a college campus. Trust me, there are tons of non-athletes, non-music players who cannot write a proper sentence in English, let alone speak in a professional manner.