Thank you to everyone who has signed so far - please forward to your friends and family
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Hilary Pryde
11 years ago
I'd be interested to know why a person wouldn't think sports team athletics are a valuable part of any interscholastic program. I would hate to envision a school where the kids were released from school each day with nowhere to go but home. I guess they could join an after school math club or science club or hang out at the library or Starbucks. They could do more of what they do in school already: study, write and read, and sit and eat. That would be way better than the physical acts of running, throwing, jumping, cooperating, listening, improving, striving, etc. I guess we could tear down the beautiful new stadium because we'd have no teams to play there. The answer is-sports team athletics are definitely valuable and we can't let them fall by the wayside with no district funding or minor attempts at funding!
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Michelle Gilman
11 years ago
You have valid questions. A lot of people believe that athletics should be the first thing to cut during a financial crisis and it was. The crisis is over and funding has been restored.
It does not cost the school district $2,600 per student to fund athletics. Funding will be increased by that amount per student.
And YES, it is very important that the District start paying for their teacher's coaching pay as guaranteed in their collective bargaining agreement (contract). This isn't just about uniforms and equipment. This about a school district expecting a nonprofit group to raise money to reimburse them for teacher salaries.
Many students benefit tremendously from school athletics and the district should cover the costs as the law states. A recent study showed that people who participated in youth sports, on average, had a higher tendency to go to college and earned a higher income. It also promotes a healthier lifestyle when childhood obesity is at an all time high.
Not every student is an artist or a musician. Not every student excels academically. Not every student is an athlete. The one thing they all have in common is that they are students and they all deserve the same opportunity to excel at what they're good at.
The student athletes and their coaches (teachers) need the support of the community. Thank you for your time.
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Michelle Gilman
11 years ago
We cannot privatize or create a pay to play school sports program. California state law forbids it. It puts us in a difficult position. We can't force people to pay or raise money to cover the costs of their student athlete. We can't insist that all coaches be volunteers because the law gives teachers that right. We can't force the district to pay the teachers who do coach, even though it is in their contract. Where does that leave the student athletes? They do matter in all of this.
The value of any program is subjective. Parents want the money to support the interests of their own child. With the additional $2,600 per student available, it seems more than reasonable to allocate funds to support the success of all our students.
I cannot support cutting a school program because I personally cannot find any relevance to it. The district should allocate $300-$500 per student to put towards whatever program the student is involved in, music, drama, sports, etc... Similar to a health savings account, if the money is not used by the student during the school year, it goes back in the general fund.
There has to be a better solution than cutting a program that has a positive influence on students. Athletes have to maintain a minimum GPA in order to participate. Most student athletes have an above average GPA.
I want to be sure all the kids have athletic opportunities in Castro Valey!! I support this 150,000 %
Sports are such an important thing for the kids!!
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Thank you to everyone who has signed so far - please forward to your friends and family
I'd be interested to know why a person wouldn't think sports team athletics are a valuable part of any interscholastic program. I would hate to envision a school where the kids were released from school each day with nowhere to go but home. I guess they could join an after school math club or science club or hang out at the library or Starbucks. They could do more of what they do in school already: study, write and read, and sit and eat. That would be way better than the physical acts of running, throwing, jumping, cooperating, listening, improving, striving, etc. I guess we could tear down the beautiful new stadium because we'd have no teams to play there. The answer is-sports team athletics are definitely valuable and we can't let them fall by the wayside with no district funding or minor attempts at funding!
You have valid questions. A lot of people believe that athletics should be the first thing to cut during a financial crisis and it was. The crisis is over and funding has been restored. It does not cost the school district $2,600 per student to fund athletics. Funding will be increased by that amount per student. And YES, it is very important that the District start paying for their teacher's coaching pay as guaranteed in their collective bargaining agreement (contract). This isn't just about uniforms and equipment. This about a school district expecting a nonprofit group to raise money to reimburse them for teacher salaries. Many students benefit tremendously from school athletics and the district should cover the costs as the law states. A recent study showed that people who participated in youth sports, on average, had a higher tendency to go to college and earned a higher income. It also promotes a healthier lifestyle when childhood obesity is at an all time high. Not every student is an artist or a musician. Not every student excels academically. Not every student is an athlete. The one thing they all have in common is that they are students and they all deserve the same opportunity to excel at what they're good at. The student athletes and their coaches (teachers) need the support of the community. Thank you for your time.
We cannot privatize or create a pay to play school sports program. California state law forbids it. It puts us in a difficult position. We can't force people to pay or raise money to cover the costs of their student athlete. We can't insist that all coaches be volunteers because the law gives teachers that right. We can't force the district to pay the teachers who do coach, even though it is in their contract. Where does that leave the student athletes? They do matter in all of this. The value of any program is subjective. Parents want the money to support the interests of their own child. With the additional $2,600 per student available, it seems more than reasonable to allocate funds to support the success of all our students. I cannot support cutting a school program because I personally cannot find any relevance to it. The district should allocate $300-$500 per student to put towards whatever program the student is involved in, music, drama, sports, etc... Similar to a health savings account, if the money is not used by the student during the school year, it goes back in the general fund. There has to be a better solution than cutting a program that has a positive influence on students. Athletes have to maintain a minimum GPA in order to participate. Most student athletes have an above average GPA.