More on the Elimination of No-Cut Freshman Sports

Susan Lampert-Smith:

At Memorial, Athletic Director Tim Ritchie said he hopes kids who get cut will find a team in an expanded intramural basketball league through Madison School Community Recreation.

"You hope that you have a good intramural program that keeps kids working towards making the team next year," he said.

I worry about the kids for whom basketball or volleyball would have been their only school activity. And I'm even more worried about the kids who won't try out because they fear not making the grade.

Those are the missing kids that Joe Frontier worries about.

Sometimes, there's no real way to know the true cost of saving money.

Lampert-Smith mischaracterizes this decision as a "cost of saving money." The Madison School District's budget grows annually (including the generation of grant funds, which is to be commended), this year to $320M+. Rather, the Madison School Board's decision to eliminate no-cut freshman sports reflects choices made, or not made, such as:

• Ongoing reductions in Fine Arts Curriculum
• Controversial growth in health care spending (WPS costs far more than the Group Health Care alternative)
• Growing administrative budgets ($1.5M more this year than last)
• Shifting programs to MSCR, which is funded by Fund 80. Fund 80 is a growing, controversial source of local property tax revenue that is not constrained by state spending caps.

Loehrke's recent speech to the Florence schools provides a roadmap for such decision making: putting students first.

What can you do? Send your thoughts on these matters to the Madison School Board: comments@madison.k12.wi.us and ask 2006 Madison School Board Candidates about these issues. Two seats are up for election in April, 2006; those currently held by Bill Keys and Juan Jose Lopez.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at August 30, 2005 6:57 AM
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