Public School Costs...

[Super Dave]

So, does everyone have their local school district trying to have referendums and all that jazz?

I guess when you're a property owner, you get a bit more sensative to all that stuff.

When I was in school, I was involved in some extra cirricular activities that weren't supported by the school district.  My parents and I paid for those.  They weren't all that expensive, but they had a cost.  At least we paid for what we were doing.

Closer to me, a school district is ramping up for their attempt to get more money.  Of course, they say that all kinds of things will have to go.

I say, get rid of them.  Why not focus on education alone?  There are plenty of soccer and football things out there outside of the school system.  Even band programs. 

Sure, they are nice and all, but they are nice and all only.  Read, write, and learn math. 

[Court Jester]

i think schools should focus on teaching stuff. not sports. sports are good but they should be apart from school and not funded by the schools. my 2 cents

[Gixxerblade]

I think that school sports are an important part of the education system. It makes for a more well-rounded person in the long run. In North Carolina we have a lottery that is paying for a lot of that. Maybe thats the route that many of your states shoudl go.

[Super Dave]

Good article...

http://www.mises.org/story/2419

[Super Dave]

I think that school sports are an important part of the education system. It makes for a more well-rounded person in the long run. In North Carolina we have a lottery that is paying for a lot of that. Maybe thats the route that many of your states shoudl go.

Anyone have studies that actually show that it makes someone "more rounded"?

I think a job made me more rounded than football practice ever did in high school.  "What's FICA?"

Mandetory military service would make people "more rounded" too.  But I don't want to pay for that either. 

I understand where you're coming from though. 

[Super Dave]

Also, don't get me wrong, football is my favorite stick and ball sport, period. 

Cost? http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/137-02182007-1301031.html

If the tax payers can be obligated to pay for 30 guys to play football, why shouldn't they be obligated to pay for Jeff's daughters early career in motorcycles? 

They shouldn't. 

[Jeff]

2 years ago they passed a referrendum which upped our taxes to pay for a $5M "fine arts center" to replace the existing one at Hamilton High School.  I asked when the tax would be removed.  There were crickets chirping in the distance...  Nobody had an answer.  It was like everyone was fine with bumping up taxes since it was only $50/yr, but nobody seemed to realize (or care) that this tax would *NEVER* be removed! 

I voted no...  It still passed...

[Court Jester]

parenting you children will make them more rounded than anything else.

[spyderchick]

 

This topic is stickier than you might think. I had a friend on the school board in Greenfield (WI). She said when they were cutting teachers or art programs, no one would show up, but cut the funding for school sports like football or basketball, and they got bitched out by everyone and their brother.

Thing is, no one paid for Rhiannon's lessons she took after school, be they music, dance or gymnastics. Want to play football? Pay for it. want your kid to play soccer? Pay for it. They took driver's ed out of the hands of the school districts here, parents have to pay for it out of their pocket. To me driving is a life skill, maybe that's what should be taught in schools. Football, etc, are great, but not all kids are interested in it. Where do we draw the line to be equitable to all students?

I could go on for pages. Yeah, hot button issue for me. 

[Super Dave]

I'm on your side, Alexa.  Let everyone pay for their stuff.  Teachers are needed.  Some kind of building is needed, but it doesn't need plasma screens and stuff.  Morton Buildings makes decent stuff.  Do that, and be done with it. 

[Gixxerblade]

Come to think of it. You got me thinking Dave. I really whole-heartedly agree with you. Let them join the military. Who gets the enjoyment out of football and other school sports except the kids. Make their parents pay for it. Heck make the NFL pay for school football because they ultimately reap the costs of great football players. I say every one of those snot nosed kids have a to goto the military after high-school before they goto college and waste moms and dads hard earned money on something silly like college. Let them grow up first. When they graduate college they aren't but 22 years old, definitely not old enough to hold a good job.

[JBraun]

I'm trying not to comment here, but I'm afraid I can't help it.

You're talking about taking opportunities away from kids. There are talented kids all over the country who earn scholarships to colleges their parents could never afford because they're good at sports. If their parents had to pay for them to play, they'll never get that opportunity.

I was an athlete in high school, and frankly I learned more on the field/court/track than I learned in the classroom. I went to a average size school, and out district reached into several small farm communities. We always had good football teams, thanks to some very tough farm kids who probably would never be on the field if their family had to work it into the budget. Some of them went on to play in college, and one in particular made it to the NFL.

HS sports are a necesary part of the experience. Everyone in the school benefits, not just the athletes.