With budgets shrinking, should middle schools cast off sports?
Many countries, including Finland, do not offer sports at schools. Sports are community-based rather than school based.
I wonder if that could eventually become the U.S. model as schools struggle to decide which programs to jettison to cope with diminished budgets. I don’t see high school sports disappearing, but I am hearing about middle schools cutting back on their sports offerings or shifting more costs to parents.
Here is a recent AJC story on the dilemma:
Clayton County Public schools is negotiating with the county’s parks and recreation system to assume operation of its middle school sports teams in hopes that the district won’t have to terminate its sports programs to balance next year’s school budget.
As it stands now, Clayton’s school system needs to cut $16 million from next year’s budget. Scrapping the middle school sports program would save the district nearly $900,000 a year, superintendent Edmond Heatley told the school board recently. The issue is likely to be addressed at a weekend retreat where Heatley will present the board with a final slate of proposed cuts.
Although details are sketchy, school board chair Pam Adamson said parks and recreation would take responsibility for the middle school sports program and would likely use school facilities. Troy Hodges, Clayton parks and recreation assistant director, confirmed discussions were ongoing but could not comment on detail.
“It’ll be the same sports program we currently have but we’re looking for clarification,” Adamson said. She said she was encouraged by the idea because it would allow more students to play sports. The number of students playing on school teams is currently limited.
“I’m willing to compromise, but I just don’t favor [cutting middle school sports] at all,” said board member Jessie Goree, a former middle school teacher. “It’s a very vital part of middle school. Middle school sports builds character and teamwork. It’s a good connection between curriculum and sport itself. It’s not just for the athlete but [other] students as well.”
Opposition to the proposed plan has drawn opposition from parents, including some who vow to leave the county if the district goes through with ending middle school sports, Goree said.
Those sports affected include football, basketball, volleyball and track. The plan would not affect the district’s physical education classes.
A Hampton mother of 12- and 9-year-old sons, called the district’s proposal “ridiculous.” “I can’t believe it’s even up for discussion. Our kids don’t have enough physical activity in the school as it is,” she said. “My youngest one is ready to play football and is looking forward to it. If it’s taken out of the schools, the only opportunity [he] would have is for me to pay for him to join a church league. It’s $800 off the top for the uniforms, fees and traveling.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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63 comments Add your comment
something has to give
April 27th, 2012
8:08 am
@Dr. Trotter. You are absolutely right. Pam and Alieka will not be reeelected.
cris
April 27th, 2012
8:52 am
I love sports. I love High School sports. BUT I’m with the get- rid- of- middle- school -athletics and while we’re at it, let’s axe high school athletics too! Too much money – not just in equipping the teams, but paying coaching salaries, travel expenses, upkeep and ,maintenence on fields, etc. Let’s move to a club system and keep it out of schools! It would address a multitude of “sins” as far as out-of-district students, school-swapping, and so on…….
Dr. John Trotter
April 27th, 2012
9:11 am
@ something: Unfortunately, from my observations from afar, it appears to me that not many people in Clayton County care enough to even get involved politically. If I were still living in Clayco (and I have been out for several years now), I would like to think that the two of them [Pam Adamson and Alieka Anderson] would be just sitting ducks. Ha! It wouldn’t even take a lot of money to beat them. I remember the days when I took unknown and politically poor candidates and whipped the daylights out of well-funded, long-term incumbents — and did it on a regular basis. But, some of these unknown challengers, once they got into office, apparently got the deluded vision that the Star of Bethlehem must have been shining over their houses, and this is why I picked them as candidates. Or, they seemed to think that they were helped into office so that some big producer would “discover” them — and that they, like Oprah and Dr. Phil, would have their own TV show one day. Ha! We used to laugh about how someone who wasn’t even thinking about running for office would all of a sudden have great delusions of grandeur. Ha! I guess it’s just human nature.
So, what’s the future for Clayton County…and especially its school system? Bleak, I am afraid. Very bleak. It never was a rich metro county. But, it had a lot of pride, and the people took their politics very seriously. “Blood struggles,” as I stated one day and was eviscerated by this newspaper for making such an impolite description. Today, though, it appears that a small Politburo (or Pharaoh’s Court) is running the County, and there are generations now in Clayco who “know not Joseph” and cannot remember the days when the people of the County were free, vibrant, fighting (yes, fighting!), and vigorous. Today, the people of Clayton County seem to still be longing for those days in Egypt and seem to be missing those delicious cucumbers. It’s days of manna in Clayton County today, days of manna. This “Wilderness Journey,” one day, we hope, will bring Clayco to the Promise Land. That will probably be when the economy goes on an upswing and developers start buying up lots on Highway 314, Riverdale Road, Highway 85, and Tara Boulevard for upscale condos with quick access to the world’s busiest airport (80% of which lies in Clayco) and to Marta Rail (which will eventually be extended all the way to Lovejoy). Clayco’s time is coming, but it will be in the “Wilderness Years” for another 20 to 30 years.
Remember all of the many housing projects in the City of Atlanta 20 years ago? Try to find one today. For example, the location of the old Carver Homes is now a nice, high-rise condo. This has happened all over the City of Atlanta. Clayco’s day is coming. I have always loved the gritty and unpretentious (with the exception of a small group of “the Lake folks” – ha!) people of Clayco, but in today’s climate, I don’t see a mounted campaign to get rid of incumbents on the school board, the commission, or in the legislative delegation. Quite frankly, I led most of the revolts in the old days, and a few years ago, I moved on to a more pastoral setting. But, CAUTION: I have been known to run a few campaigns from afar. Ha!
C Jae of EAV
April 27th, 2012
9:34 am
@Hall Mom 04/26 13:37 – You comment truly perplexes me. If my son doesn’t keep up his grades as a parent I SHUT HIM DOWN as appropriate from extra-curicullar activities as appropriate. I don’t need to have his sports related activities directly associated with the school in order to exercise that judgement.
@ bu2 04/26 15:04 – Don’t look now but there are several thriving “junior” football leagues comprised of kids between 4th – 8th grade across the metro atlanta area. Clearly running a football program is not hard to do outside of school. In fact I would argue it may even be preferrable in consideration of the potential liability concerns which when tied to public schools can put the local district on the line in ways that purhaps we’re best to remove them from anyway.
@ brandy 04/26 20:02 – Excellent point. Its been my experience that even sports leagues sponcered by county rec depts tend to be fee based programs. Therefore the county budget isn’t footing the entire bill and the programs would be presumablely less subceptable to the shrinking tax digest. Having said that I believe in Clayton, they have cut rec dept funding over the last few years, such that what was once a thriving baseball program has been significantly cut if not eliminated at this point.
C Jae of EAV
April 27th, 2012
9:57 am
@ Dr Trotter – I believe the AHA erratication of public housing complexes and the subsequent regentrification of those areas (which is still partially mainfested) was more a factor of Atlanta’s olympic bid and urban re-development grants offered by then President Clinton. These two factors combined with the sheer scale of public housing managed by AHA made for the perfect storm to spawn redevelopment. Clay Co’s demographics are somewhat different in this respect and while I think you make some good arguments the likelihood of Clay Co being reborn with simular vigor is a pipedream. It’s a great thought though….
Frankie
April 27th, 2012
10:05 am
so what happens to the football fields currently being used….a\
allow them to become overgrown
rent them out to the parks and recreation
put trailers on them for additiona class room space….
etc…
Anonmom
April 27th, 2012
10:13 am
I think that the middle school sports program in DCSS is suboptimal — the kids love participating — it really gives them school spirit and the conditioning and exercise is great. On the other hand, it’s an odd mix of things and gets very political. Baseball is an hodgepodge that overlaps middle and high school –run by the high school and open to kids who expect to enter the high school but not limited to the middle school played at the rec park. I don’t know that it would be so terrible to eliminate them altogether, just have intramural play for skill development and exercise and let the kids continue to play rec ball and the middle and high schools could run teams in conjunction with the rec leagues. My problem is that I have found the high school programs to be awfully political and I’d hate to see that get even worse…..
Dr. John Trotter
April 27th, 2012
10:28 am
C Jae: You could be very right. The Olympics spurred the doing away with the housing projects in Atlanta…starting with Techwood Homes to make way for the Olympic Village. I don’t foresee another Olympics (at least not in the Atlanta area) any time soon. Ha! Yes, Clayco could be in the Wilderness for years…perhaps 40? By the way, where did all of the folks living in the Atlanta housing projects re-locate? The lion’s share came to Clayco. Clayco became Atlanta’s refugee camp, and the City’s newspaper (yes, the AJC – ha!) had the nerve to condescendingly talk to this Clayco School Board as if it had suddenly gotten dumber. No, it hasn’t been a real smart school board for many decades. I could give you a real history of that school board, but this will be for another day and another forum.
A Conservative Voice
April 27th, 2012
10:51 am
You folks who advocate getting rid of high school sports, please read this…….the majority of football and basketball players in this state are black. A lot of these blacks, because they are top notch athletes, get college scholarships. Would you deny them the opportunity to lead a better life by attending college? IMHO, discipline in our schools would be much worse without sports. This is just not a good way to cut costs (See my first comment)
Berny
April 27th, 2012
11:58 am
A Hampton mother of 12- and 9-year-old sons, called the district’s proposal “ridiculous.” “I can’t believe it’s even up for discussion. Our kids don’t have enough physical activity in the school as it is,” she said. “My youngest one is ready to play football and is looking forward to it. If it’s taken out of the schools, the only opportunity [he] would have is for me to pay for him to join a church league. It’s $800 off the top for the uniforms, fees and traveling.”
OK. Pay the $800 so your child can play. It is NOT the school’s responsibility to provide physical activity for your children. It’s YOURS.
something has to give
April 27th, 2012
3:33 pm
Just getting rid of Ed would bring morale up tremendously in the county. He needs to take his inexperienced frat bros with him.
Dr. John Trotter
April 27th, 2012
9:45 pm
For your kicks and edification, here is my two lists of the worst and the best school board members of the Clayton County Board of Education in the last 30 years. Give me a few days, and I will give you a run down on all thirty board members whom I named. This ought to be fun! Ha!
http://www.georgiateachersspeakout.com
There’s been probably a dozen or so superintendents and interim superintendents during these 30 years. If you want me to, I can give you my take on these supes too. Oh…how I love the internet! Ha!
Tri-County Hurricanes
April 30th, 2012
8:38 pm
Although we at the Tri-County Hurricanes would like to see the Clayton County Middle School program continue we also would like to offer the children of Clayton County an opportunity to continue participating in football, cheerleading and soon to come basketball, baseball, and track! We hosted a free football clinic on April 28 with online sign ups and look to host others in the very near future so visit us at http://www.TriCountyHurricanes.com for updates!
We feel that allowing Clayton County Parks and Rec to takeover middle school sports would be detrimental and a very dangerous prospect especially with football as parks and rec barely has enough staff to field teams at their county ran parks………think of the disaster it would be to ask them to staff 14 staffs with responsible individuals in less than 2 months with no funding on a volunteer basis………if they did allow them (parks and rec) to take over that would be reason enough for me to not allow my child to participate with them as I value his safety!