should high schools have sports?

[Cecilie1200]

Football and basketball teams bring in $$ to the schools, and help support the other less "popular" sports.

Kids are fat and lazy enough as it is, taking away more physical activites won't help the matter!

I agree with Dude, WAY TOO MANY over paid administrators and other paper pushers.

Don't take away music, art or gym either, which a lot of schools with $$ issues are doing too.

I agree with Dude and EZ. I'd say a good 1/4 or more of kids in HS carry a 'C' or better just to play on a sport or participate in other EC activities. Without those, many non-social kids wouldn't bother showing up.

Ooh, I hadn't even thought about that. The added incentive these programs give kids to pay attention to their studies is important.

 

[Cecilie1200]

While I'm no great sports fan, I do think sports and PE classes serve a good purpose and should be kept for reasons stated above. I do think that some frivolous and/or misplaced classes should be done away with and replaced with the arts classes that used to give students a well-rounded experience. I think it's also true that some administrators and bureaucrats should be done away with ... as well as inept teachers.

What classes do you consider frivolous and/or misplaced?

 

[blastoff]

Cheerleaders need sports so they know the really cool guys to put out for.

 

[industry7]

Keep sports and kill Art, Music

Art and Music have their place. Music is like sports, it can teach discipline and build character.

That's true, but IMHO, not to the extent that physical sports do. Plus, we as a country are in desperate need of more physical activity, so anything that promotes that in the next generation is of vital importance. I made varsity in several sports in high school, and also played multiple instruments in bands and solo. Between music and sports, I'd say that sports are more important for kids.

Although I do like the idea someone else brought up. If you threaten to cut sports first, you're more likely to get the money you need to keep both music and sports. I'm not sure if that would really work, but it would be nice if schools facing budget cuts could work it out to keep both programs.

 

[jillian]

with the budget cuts facing schools and general lack of non-sports related extra curricular activities, I have been seeing stories about schools dropping sports programs or at least considering it.

Personally, I am torn on the issue as I couldn't care less about sports now, but I did play them from age 6 through high school year round and played football in high school. While knowing how to block, run, shoot, etc doesn't really help me now except in pick up games, I did learn a lot of life lessons from sports.

Handling diversity (losing, playing a shitty game, being criticized by coaches and other players, etc), learning how to be on a team and deal with a diverse set of other people, working hard to reach a goal, etc are were good lessons learned, but I think I could have also learned them being on any other sort of academic team as well. Those academic teams may have also taught me things I would be using now.

yes they should have sports... they should have after school activities... they should have music programs.... they should have everything that enriches kids and lets them go on to succeed.

before they cut a single dollar from schools, they should really put a hold on all parades and things of that nature... expensive holiday displays... the type of things a family would cut if you were trying to live within a budget...

 

[Samson]

Public schools have several purposes.

1. Create Functional Voters
2. Create Productive Citizens
3. Allow mixing of Social Strata, races, genders, so you will appreciate separating yourself from them for the remainder of your life.

The question has never been if we can afford to have a coaching staff, trainers, insurance, marching band, grounds keepers, stadiums, electricty, busing, fuel, bus drivers, etc., etc., ETC that allow a public school to support a sport.

The question is does a sport create more functional voters and more productive citizens?

And the answer has always been a resounding YES.

The arguement appears when we begin to discuss how resources should be devoted to incredably expensive sports programs? How expensive are they compared with incredably expensive administrative costs?

Good luck finding this information.

Public School district budgeting, you'd assume, could be easily understood by THE PUBLIC they've been charged with educating.


Actually, larger public school districts know better than anyone how well educated the public really is, and if you can figure out their budget then you're in the top 0.1% of the intelligencia....or, you didn't attend public school.

 

[xsited1]

should high schools have sports?

Hell no! America needs fatter kids.

 

[blu]

should high schools have sports?

hell no! America needs fatter kids.

hell yea

 

[Samson]

Sumo Wrestling is an underappreciated sport in the USA.

should high schools have sports?

Hell no! America needs fatter kids.

 

[DiamondDave]

Should high schools have art? Less need for crappy paintings or clay ash trays than there is for physical ability in workplaces

As for public funding of uniforms, ungodly expenses for fancy stadiums, etc... I do not think that should come out of taxation... I think they should use fundraisers if they want such things, or seek donations... or supported by ticket sales, etc

But as for sports programs, I fully believe they are proper in schools (and before I get reamed... I believe in art and music classes as well)

 

[Dr Gregg]

Yes, it teaches them teamwork, pride, gives them exercise, keeps them busy so they aren't out getting in trouble. Builds camaraderie.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Should high schools have art? Less need for crappy paintings or clay ash trays than there is for physical ability in workplaces

As for public funding of uniforms, ungodly expenses for fancy stadiums, etc... I do not think that should come out of taxation... I think they should use fundraisers if they want such things, or seek donations... or supported by ticket sales, etc

But as for sports programs, I fully believe they are proper in schools (and before I get reamed... I believe in art and music classes as well)

Art and music are long since proven to expand people's thinking capacities. I'm thinking there's a LOT of need for those who can think in the workplace, and that need get less and less fulfilled every day in this country.

I still say before they cut ANY program that actually involves and benefits the kids, they need to winnow through the non-kid related chaff in their budgets.

 

[Samson]

they need to winnow through the non-kid related chaff in their budgets.

Like what "non-kid related chaff?"

 

[SpidermanTuba]

with the budget cuts facing schools and general lack of non-sports related extra curricular activities, I have been seeing stories about schools dropping sports programs or at least considering it.

Personally, I am torn on the issue as I couldn't care less about sports now, but I did play them from age 6 through high school year round and played football in high school. While knowing how to block, run, shoot, etc doesn't really help me now except in pick up games, I did learn a lot of life lessons from sports.

Handling diversity (losing, playing a shitty game, being criticized by coaches and other players, etc), learning how to be on a team and deal with a diverse set of other people, working hard to reach a goal, etc are were good lessons learned, but I think I could have also learned them being on any other sort of academic team as well. Those academic teams may have also taught me things I would be using now.

Short answer is yes.


Long answer would involved how much money are they spending? I think a lot of schools spend an unnecessary amount on their football programs - they wind up being much more concerned about having a winning team than a program which bestows all the values that making a comittment and working hard with a team to accomplish something does.

 

[Cecilie1200]

they need to winnow through the non-kid related chaff in their budgets.

Like what "non-kid related chaff?"

My local school district has entire administrative departments that have absolutely no contact with the kids and classrooms whatsoever. I worked in one that did nothing but try to promote the hiring of more Native American employees. Now, I'm not saying that employment diversity isn't a good thing, but if we're talking about budget cuts, I'm thinking a reduction in personnel in such a department ought to come before teacher layoffs and music, sports, and curriculum cuts. We have another department that does nothing but spend money trying to make the school district more "green and environmental". We have schools that don't even have reliable air conditioning - in Tucson! - and they're spending money on expensive environmental refits. In addition, there's an enormous amount of redundancy and waste in virtually every department in the school district. I can't think of a single place I ever was that I didn't think, "And you need this many people to accomplish this because why?" or "Man, that could be done, easier, faster, and cheaper."

TUSD spends an average of of $6,204 per student per year. Only $3,394 of that actually goes to the classrooms. Our administrative costs are noticeably higher than the state average, and would you like to know how many schools we have that have acquired an "Excelling" ranking? One. 45 are "Maintaining", 34 are "Improving" (which means they WERE "Underperforming" and are moving up to "Maintaining"), 21 are "Underperforming", and 17 are "Unrated".

I'm not interested in talking about more tax dollars going down this rat hole. I want to talk about making it NOT a rat hole first.

 

[Samson]

they need to winnow through the non-kid related chaff in their budgets.

Like what "non-kid related chaff?"

My local school district has entire administrative departments that have absolutely no contact with the kids and classrooms whatsoever. I worked in one that did nothing but try to promote the hiring of more Native American employees. Now, I'm not saying that employment diversity isn't a good thing, but if we're talking about budget cuts, I'm thinking a reduction in personnel in such a department ought to come before teacher layoffs and music, sports, and curriculum cuts. We have another department that does nothing but spend money trying to make the school district more "green and environmental". We have schools that don't even have reliable air conditioning - in Tucson! - and they're spending money on expensive environmental refits. In addition, there's an enormous amount of redundancy and waste in virtually every department in the school district. I can't think of a single place I ever was that I didn't think, "And you need this many people to accomplish this because why?" or "Man, that could be done, easier, faster, and cheaper."

TUSD spends an average of of $6,204 per student per year. Only $3,394 of that actually goes to the classrooms. Our administrative costs are noticeably higher than the state average, and would you like to know how many schools we have that have acquired an "Excelling" ranking? One. 45 are "Maintaining", 34 are "Improving" (which means they WERE "Underperforming" and are moving up to "Maintaining"), 21 are "Underperforming", and 17 are "Unrated".

I'm not interested in talking about more tax dollars going down this rat hole. I want to talk about making it NOT a rat hole first.

Well, its a PUBLIC school, so where's the linky to the TUSD budget that line items the "Dept of Hiring more Native Americans?" or the "Dept. of Making the District Green?"

This should be pretty easy to produce unless you've fabricated it all.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Like what "non-kid related chaff?"

My local school district has entire administrative departments that have absolutely no contact with the kids and classrooms whatsoever. I worked in one that did nothing but try to promote the hiring of more Native American employees. Now, I'm not saying that employment diversity isn't a good thing, but if we're talking about budget cuts, I'm thinking a reduction in personnel in such a department ought to come before teacher layoffs and music, sports, and curriculum cuts. We have another department that does nothing but spend money trying to make the school district more "green and environmental". We have schools that don't even have reliable air conditioning - in Tucson! - and they're spending money on expensive environmental refits. In addition, there's an enormous amount of redundancy and waste in virtually every department in the school district. I can't think of a single place I ever was that I didn't think, "And you need this many people to accomplish this because why?" or "Man, that could be done, easier, faster, and cheaper."

TUSD spends an average of of $6,204 per student per year. Only $3,394 of that actually goes to the classrooms. Our administrative costs are noticeably higher than the state average, and would you like to know how many schools we have that have acquired an "Excelling" ranking? One. 45 are "Maintaining", 34 are "Improving" (which means they WERE "Underperforming" and are moving up to "Maintaining"), 21 are "Underperforming", and 17 are "Unrated".

I'm not interested in talking about more tax dollars going down this rat hole. I want to talk about making it NOT a rat hole first.

Well, its a PUBLIC school, so where's the linky to the TUSD budget that line items the "Dept of Hiring more Native Americans?" or the "Dept. of Making the District Green?"

This should be pretty easy to produce unless you've fabricated it all.

Since you feel this desperate and pointless need to argue things for no good reason:

Tucson Unified School District - REAP

The Native American Employment group appears in the budget as part of the Human Resources Department, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. Or not, because I don't really care if you want to sit around, firmly believing that the TUSD budget is a lean, mean, streamlined financial machine.

Thanks for wasting my time.

 

[Samson]

My local school district has entire administrative departments that have absolutely no contact with the kids and classrooms whatsoever. I worked in one that did nothing but try to promote the hiring of more Native American employees. Now, I'm not saying that employment diversity isn't a good thing, but if we're talking about budget cuts, I'm thinking a reduction in personnel in such a department ought to come before teacher layoffs and music, sports, and curriculum cuts. We have another department that does nothing but spend money trying to make the school district more "green and environmental". We have schools that don't even have reliable air conditioning - in Tucson! - and they're spending money on expensive environmental refits. In addition, there's an enormous amount of redundancy and waste in virtually every department in the school district. I can't think of a single place I ever was that I didn't think, "And you need this many people to accomplish this because why?" or "Man, that could be done, easier, faster, and cheaper."

TUSD spends an average of of $6,204 per student per year. Only $3,394 of that actually goes to the classrooms. Our administrative costs are noticeably higher than the state average, and would you like to know how many schools we have that have acquired an "Excelling" ranking? One. 45 are "Maintaining", 34 are "Improving" (which means they WERE "Underperforming" and are moving up to "Maintaining"), 21 are "Underperforming", and 17 are "Unrated".

I'm not interested in talking about more tax dollars going down this rat hole. I want to talk about making it NOT a rat hole first.

Well, its a PUBLIC school, so where's the linky to the TUSD budget that line items the "Dept of Hiring more Native Americans?" or the "Dept. of Making the District Green?"

This should be pretty easy to produce unless you've fabricated it all.

Since you feel this desperate and pointless need to argue things for no good reason:

Tucson Unified School District - REAP

The Native American Employment group appears in the budget as part of the Human Resources Department, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. Or not, because I don't really care if you want to sit around, firmly believing that the TUSD budget is a lean, mean, streamlined financial machine.

Thanks for wasting my time.

"Native American Employment group appears in the budget as part of the Human Resources Department"

is quite different than your previous,

"administrative departments that have absolutely no contact with the kids and classrooms whatsoever. I worked in one that did nothing but try to promote the hiring of more Native American employees."

I'm certain that the Human Resources Dept of an Urban School district does more than "try to promote the hiring of more Native American employees.

Clearly your "facts" aren't quite right.

Its always disappointing when you waste your own time with baseless conjecture. Too bad you are too immature to recognise this.

 

[NYcarbineer]

with the budget cuts facing schools and general lack of non-sports related extra curricular activities, I have been seeing stories about schools dropping sports programs or at least considering it.

Personally, I am torn on the issue as I couldn't care less about sports now, but I did play them from age 6 through high school year round and played football in high school. While knowing how to block, run, shoot, etc doesn't really help me now except in pick up games, I did learn a lot of life lessons from sports.

Handling diversity (losing, playing a shitty game, being criticized by coaches and other players, etc), learning how to be on a team and deal with a diverse set of other people, working hard to reach a goal, etc are were good lessons learned, but I think I could have also learned them being on any other sort of academic team as well. Those academic teams may have also taught me things I would be using now.

Of course they should have sports.