Should High Schools be Allowed to cut Sports, Band and Extracurriculars?

Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion

Should High Schools be Allowed to cut Sports, Band and Extracurriculars?

[56 posts] [27 contributors]

Topic Rating:

(Total Ratings: )
Rate this topic:

Started 3 years ago by Mercurius
Latest reply from StowCbusCleveland

Tags:

schools

12 3 Next »

Mercurius
First Avenue
Login to Send PM

How critical were extracurriculars to your development? I know, for me, they provided invaluable lessons and friendships. Not to mention the scholarship opportunities that arose from them. I can understand not buying new equipment or going to a fee system, but in my home town of Grove City, they were completely cut. Another reason I will probably never move back. Out of all the news outlets, Sports Illustrated just published probably the most in depth coverage of the issue.

in the past 15 years, they've passed only one operating levy -- in 2005 -- and that took several tries. Johnson, the school board president, said every cut has pained her because each one represents "an opportunity lost for a child." Johnson is campaigning for the levy as well as her own seat, which is one of three up for election in November. She warned that no matter who sits on the board, a defeat of the levy will force the district to cut even deeper. Athletics would be gone, but that probably would be a secondary concern. "The next round of cuts will directly impact classroom instruction," Johnson said. "That's what we've been trying to protect."

Read more

Posted 3 years ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
Login to Send PM

High Schools is LA will now have up to 42.5 students per teacher:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/education/08school.html

Posted 3 years ago #
adrock
Grandview Heights
Login to Send PM

by default, an argument against a school cutting EXTRA-curricular activities means that you propose cutting funding for things like books and teachers to fund football and basketball and band.

the pie is only so big.

if a school can provide extra stuff like sports and music, great, let them do it. if not, there's nothing stopping a kid from playing sports and playing music outside of school. and for kids in SWCS especially, it would do them a lot of good to interact with kids outside of their district.

Posted 3 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
Login to Send PM

adrock wrote >>
by default, an argument against a school cutting EXTRA-curricular activities means that you propose cutting funding for things like books and teachers to fund football and basketball and band.
the pie is only so big.
if a school can provide extra stuff like sports and music, great, let them do it. if not, there's nothing stopping a kid from playing sports and playing music outside of school. and for kids in SWCS especially, it would do them a lot of good to interact with kids outside of their district.
...or allowing students to pay for them. See Pickerington.

Posted 3 years ago #
Columbusite
Minneapolis
Login to Send PM

I'm almost certain that if they cut out bussing that there'd be plenty of money for extracurricular activities and better learning materials.

Posted 3 years ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
Login to Send PM

Columbusite wrote >>
I'm almost certain that if they cut out bussing that there'd be plenty of money for extracurricular activities and better learning materials.

Posted 3 years ago #
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
Login to Send PM

It all comes down to what should a school be and what should it provide. Some people think schools should be entirely "reading, writing and arithmetic". Yet schools that focus in on those basics often do poorly, even on the basics. The classic ideal is "strong mind in a strong body". Students learn better when they have adequate physical activity.

From my point of view, art and music should be considered just as basic as the "Three R's[sic]". But even if you don't value those things for themselves, there is ample evidence that art and music education significantly improve academic performance.

As far as the busing comment: It is my understanding that widespread busing was originally mandated in order to desegregate the schools. One might argue that the schools have resegregated even with busing. In my opinion, however, desegregated schooling remains an important goal, and remains difficult to achieve without busing, given that most neighborhoods are not well integrated.

Posted 3 years ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
Login to Send PM

I'm chock full of NY times links today. re: busing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/fashion/13kids.html?scp=1&sq=walk%20to%20school&st=cse

Posted 3 years ago #
adrock
Grandview Heights
Login to Send PM

students can't pay for them, parents pay for them. parents in pickerington as a whole have much, much more expendable income than parents in the southwestern city school district.

the voters don't want to fund the schools, so their property values go down, so their schools get less money, so their property values go down more, so the schools get even worse, and during all this time anyone with a brain and common sense has moved out of the district...thus is the story of the west/SW side of columbus for a long time now. you just can't help some people.

Posted 3 years ago #
ramirez
here
Login to Send PM

I don't think I like the wording of the original question...if they have to cut something they have to cut something. With that said, I am all for reading, writing, math, science, music, phys ed, sports, music etc...
Another issue of money/savings to consider is No-bid contracts or Sole-Source contracts within school districts. Never doubt that the 'buddy system' or 'good 'ol boy' network is hard at work in the public school sector just as it is within' higher government and it costs these schools buckets of money.

Posted 3 years ago #
Columbusite
Minneapolis
Login to Send PM

Another link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32538756/ns/us_news-education/

And here's a quote from yet another one: "Cities and states spend $14.7 billion annually transporting kids to school; for the typical school district, bus bills total 5 percent of the budget."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/157579

Posted 3 years ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
Login to Send PM

Columbusite wrote >>
Another link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32538756/ns/us_news-education/
And here's a quote from yet another one: "Cities and states spend $14.7 billion annually transporting kids to school; for the typical school district, bus bills total 5 percent of the budget."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157579

Transportation costs are HUGE. In my previous career, we had an after school program and the cost to transport the kids to and from the program was the single biggest expense, well more than another other category including salaries.

Posted 3 years ago #
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
Login to Send PM

Yeah, Cookie, thats usually my knee jerk reaction to Columbusite referring to to anything involving rubber tires and an engine but I think he is right about this one. Maybe staggering starts to High School, Jr. High, Elementary schools so they can share busses and drivers, or eliminating service to kids within a certain radius, or redrawing districts? My high school was 20 miles from my house and I had 3 schools within 5 miles of it, so there was a lot of wasted money bussing our neighborhood that distance.

Posted 3 years ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
Login to Send PM

Tigertree wrote >>
Yeah, Cookie, thats usually my knee jerk reaction to Columbusite referring to to anything involving rubber tires and an engine but I think he is right about this one. Maybe staggering starts to High School, Jr. High, Elementary schools so they can share busses and drivers, or eliminating service to kids within a certain radius, or redrawing districts? My high school was 20 miles from my house and I had 3 schools within 5 miles of it, so there was a lot of wasted money bussing our neighborhood that distance.

I think making some changes to bussing is certainly debatable, but he said "cut out bussing," which is just plain stupid.

Posted 3 years ago #
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
Login to Send PM

Well sometimes you have to add a ration filter when he speaks...

Posted 3 years ago #
Daz

Login to Send PM

Extracurricular, probably not as much, but I'll have to say that PE is directly responsible for me being the little scholar that I am today.

Nothing like getting pounded with a dodgeball to make you realize that you should probably go pick up a book.

Posted 3 years ago #
thepiece
merion village
Login to Send PM

More changes that just cuts to sports and extracurriculars occurred in SW, those were just the things that Dispatch focused on. Things that more directly impact instruction. That being said, I'm not sure there were any other places to cut, so the community decided to end those programs not really the schools.
The whole situation is sad and that cycle of lost levy/lower property values/less money adrock mentioned is a pretty scary proposition and realistic.

I feel pay to play is going to be pretty unfair in SW, given the demographics of the district (and the estimate I heard to do pay to play was $700 a year per sport).

...in regards to the busing question, it would be great if more kids lived closer to their schools but the residential layout of the district is not something the district has really any control over. In the case of SW, you have redrawn and expanded bus/walk districts (which has elementary kids crossing West Broad to reach school) and no high school bus service (so now most of those kids are being driven or driving alone to school...lots of cars vs a few buses...hardly efficient).

Posted 3 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
Login to Send PM

Mercurius wrote >>

adrock wrote >>
by default, an argument against a school cutting EXTRA-curricular activities means that you propose cutting funding for things like books and teachers to fund football and basketball and band.
the pie is only so big.
if a school can provide extra stuff like sports and music, great, let them do it. if not, there's nothing stopping a kid from playing sports and playing music outside of school. and for kids in SWCS especially, it would do them a lot of good to interact with kids outside of their district.

...or allowing students to pay for them. See Pickerington.

See any of the Catholic schools. I did theatre and band in high school (and payed for each). I know theatre helped a lot down the line with my public speaking and feeling more comfortable in addressing large groups. Being able to revert to an onstage mentality and block out some of the anxiety.

As important as I think extra curriculars are I also believe that there are some very creative (and probably common sense) ways to offer these programs and still trim the budget. Schools could combine for sports teams and offer a varsity level for the top athletes and a club/rec sports program for kids to either develop their ability or simply have fun without the intense competition.

Theatre could do more black box style performances that require little in the way of set construction or even costuming. A school could even invite the students (or local artists) to write and stage pieces given students an even greater opportunity than being in a play.

Posted 3 years ago #
MFRONE
Lakewood
Login to Send PM

The Southwestern City School district is way too big, if Grove City would have just created their own district there would be no issue.

Posted 3 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
Login to Send PM

MFRONE wrote >>
The Southwestern City School district is way too big, if Grove City would have just created their own district there would be no issue.

I agree, but it's really much more complicated than that.

To split districts, you have to prove that both districts would be improved by it and a vote by the whole district has to approve it by a majority.

Posted 3 years ago #