Where is the damn equality?

[BeautifulStranger]

I found out today that they're planning on canceling the spring musical to save money, since the school pays directors for their time.
Along with that, they're planning on cutting all spring sports and after school activities to ensure that football, basketball and baseball will have enough funds.

How is that fair?
I realize that everyone has to make compromises in these economic times, but how is cutting one activity to keep another a compromise?

[RaeofLite]

Unfortunately, I don't know about your school... but maybe kids are getting scholarships or hoping to to get into colleges/universities using sports? That's oen idea. And it builds big school "spirit" with pep rallies and all that "fun stuff".
*shudders remembering her highschool vice principle wearing a shirt several sizes too small for him as he jumped around infront of the basket ball teams in a pep rally*

[BeautifulStranger]

We don't win anything at Alpena High School.
Kids get scholarships for sports once in a blue moon.

[GhostDog]

Oh god, don't even get me started. It really irritates me seeing schools mis-prioritize like that.

I had an old neighbor come over a few years ago, and she complained that the whole football team at her son's school got new equipment and a new practice field, while there weren't even enough textbooks to go around and they had severely inadequate special education provisions. Football took priority over actual goddamn education. Thanks, Texas. Glad to know where your priorities are!

My guess is, football ends up bringing in more funds by way of sponsors/tickets/concessions than other sports? But I don't know. I see it all the time and it annoys the hell out of me. (Gotta love mandatory pep rallies for every football game that take valuable time out of the school day! And yet all of the spring sports only got one, singular, collective pep rally! Woooo.)

[Darkwing65]

Yeah that's not fair. It's probably because Football, Basketball, and Baseball draw the bigggest crowds and bring in more money.

What about fund raising? Can't the y disperse the money equally and use fund raising to make up the difference.?

[GhostDog]

Originally Posted by Darkwing65

Yeah that's not fair. It's probably because Football, Basketball, and Baseball draw the bigggest crowds and bring in more money.

What about fund raising? Can't the y disperse the money equally and use fund raising to make up the difference.?

Probably because it's not a good idea to do your budget counting on a certain amount of money to come from fundraising, especially in a recession. =/

Education is severely underfunded, though. I'm sure they'd love to have enough money to put on musicals and fully fund all the spring sports, though it still irritates me that clearly football is their priority over the other activities. I suppose that's just the way American culture leans though, generally.

[Derek the Wolf]

It's really simple. They cut what's least popular first. Less interest = less funding. I know it sucks if you like the stuff that isn't the most popular, but that's just the way things are.

[Black Cat]

I was home schooled, so my school never dealt with issues like that.

All the local schools are like that though, the local high school spent $3 million on a new football stadium (complete with astro turf!), yet they still have 20 year old science books. The sports teams are always provided for around here, as everyone (and I do mean everyone) takes their high school sports seriously. It's ridiculous.

Now I’m not saying down with all the sports teams' funding, but it would be nice if the public education system could spread it around a little more.

[Amy]

Right now, most schools are focusing on making money, not making sure that each student gets a fair chance to do what they want.
It really sucks.

[Lexington]

In my senior year of high school, they provided a massive upgrade to the school's astroturf stadium (in 1988!), and denied the teachers a pay raise.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

Lex

[littledinosaurs]

Music is always cut first =/
I'm not surprised at all.
Luckily my old high school's auditorium is too nice for them to ever cut the high school program.
The irony is that they claim they cut music cause there are fewer kids who do it, but they cut the music programs for the youngest kids first, so if kids never start playing how are thy gonna keep playing.

[Meropspusillus]

Yeah, it's dumb and every school does it. Sports are more popular so they get more money. Any school that puts any sort of extracurricular money before academia, however... should have it's dumb funding taken away.

[Just Adam]

in my day we would jsut direct the school musical ourselves...why pay some fancy director >.>


this aint the west end

They got rid of IT/ Computing in my school!! I was like WTF in the day and age and NO IT.

[xequar]

Originally Posted by littledinosaurs

Music is always cut first =/
I'm not surprised at all.
Luckily my old high school's auditorium is too nice for them to ever cut the high school program.
The irony is that they claim they cut music cause there are fewer kids who do it, but they cut the music programs for the youngest kids first, so if kids never start playing how are thy gonna keep playing.

There are some that think it's a bit of a conspiracy, actually... Keep the kids from learning culture and things and keep them less enlightened, and the idea is that they'll be more likely to become conservative and not like "that sissy cultural crap".

It's pretty crazy, eh?

[Just Adam]

Originally Posted by xequar

There are some that think it's a bit of a conspiracy, actually... Keep the kids from learning culture and things and keep them less enlightened, and the idea is that they'll be more likely to become conservative and not like "that sissy cultural crap".

It's pretty crazy, eh?

if music is sissy culture crap then ill be a sissy any day.

[Katherine]

Ugh, that sucks, and reminds me so much of my school. Seriously.

The football team always has the highest-quality materials and equipment. If they need something, they get it. At least half of the school funds go exclusively to the football team. There are "Go Hornets football!" posters literally everywhere in the school, at least 15 per hallway (I'm not even exaggerating), and the morning announcements always have something to do with our team.

Meanwhile, in our actual academic classes, we have to bring in our own copy paper for the teachers to make printouts for us. We have outdated equipment and textbooks that are literally falling apart in most of our classes. In the art department, people will physically have to fight over the colored pencil supply, most of which is made up of broken pencils that are all the same unused colors.

So...yeah. I know how you feel. >.<

[littledinosaurs]

Originally Posted by xequar

There are some that think it's a bit of a conspiracy, actually... Keep the kids from learning culture and things and keep them less enlightened, and the idea is that they'll be more likely to become conservative and not like "that sissy cultural crap".

It's pretty crazy, eh?

That idea is very off, and i hope that's not why it is being cut. In all honestly though those who truly want music will find their own way to it. =)
I taught myself piano! Others can do the same too.

[BeautifulStranger]

The axe has fallen.
Masquers Club is no more, because the high school is convinced we cost them $16,000 a year despite the fact that we fund everything ourselves. We raise money to pay for show royalties, costumes, sets... everything. We're allowed to finish our season up to the musical. We're going to make it the best damn year we can.
Science Olympiad, which won more than any sports team at AHS ever has, doesn't exist either.
The community pool has been closed down, and along with it, girls and boys swim teams.
The elementary school libraries are next on the list to be shut down, along with the elementary school band program.
Following would be the junior high sports program, and the junior high music program.

I can't wait until I'm out of here.

[waitingsucks]

That's pretty bad. Good for people doing those sports but what about those students who have other talents? School can be annoying like that sometimes. Football (aussie rules) is really big at my school and parents sent angry letters to the school when the Hockey Premiers were congratulated at the same assembly as the Football Premiers. It just makes me sick.