JV sports are back! and Year in Review: Volleyball - School House Zach - zewing's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Jul 2, 2009 at 11:07 PM : If the schools raise...

If the schools raise enough funds to save JV sports for the 2010-2011 school year, then how can the district legally take those funds away and cut JV sports?

Jul 3, 2009 at 07:07 AM : No, no — Of...

No, no — Of course the teams are allowed to keep the money they raised. The funding from the school district will be taken away regardless of whether coaches, parents and ADs have raised enough to pay for it on their own. This basically puts the onus on the schools to get the money raised by this time next year.

Jul 4, 2009 at 02:07 PM : (shaking...

(shaking head) CA folks are still numb and blind to the serious problems facing the state. I glad johnny still gets to play football but the state is still broke. We do the the same thing with our personal debts (i.e. how can I lower the payments?) Keep prolonging the inevitable...

...The white elephant will be waiting when the problems are worse. Maybe we can even have a bake sale to pay for correction officers and fix potholes in the streets.

Jul 5, 2009 at 01:07 AM : I understand the...

I understand the concern there. We had a long conversation about that in the office the day this news broke. But here's what you're missing — we're talking about $400,000 here. Not $4 million. Four hundred grand might be a ton of money to you or me, but relative to this deficit, it's absolutely nothing. It might pay three or four teachers for a single year. And to put it off for one year improves many, many lives — if you believe in the power of sports in kids' lives, like I do. Is it robbing Peter to pay Paul? Yeah, a little, and no doubt that's always a concern. But we're talking about robbing a couple of aluminum cans here or something. Whether the school district saves this money this year is going to make no difference in the long run. You're right; there are much bigger problems out there.

Jul 5, 2009 at 06:07 AM : Keep the blinders on,...

Keep the blinders on, Zach. I love football (especially BHS football) but what are the priorities? In the process of keeping the illusion the problems are only worsening. The times are grave for the state. High school kids should not have to suffer but it is what it is. The only way to rectify the state's problems is to quit spending on fluff or people are going to have to pay more taxes. 400,000 cut is a step in the right direction. No one wants to be the fall guy. Someone eventually is going to have to make the tough decisions. I just hope it's before we have the bake sale to buy books for the school and police uniforms for the cops.

we're talking about $400,000 here. Not $4 million. Four hundred grand might be a ton of money to you or me, but relative to this deficit, it's absolutely nothing.

What's that amount times all of the JV programs in the state? It's unjustifiable spending in a time when the state is not even paying its bills no matter how you cut it. This is like habitually shopping on a credit card when you don't have any income. Priorities are just out of wack, Zach. The power of sports in kids lives is powerful but the message we are sending by spending to the detriment of the state's fiscal future is sending a powerful message to the kids, too. message- it's perfectly okay to spend money you don't have if it makes you feel good.

The state will be broke for a long time but at least we can be happy that we have JV sports for the kids.

Jul 5, 2009 at 08:07 AM : What's more...

What's more important, JV sports for our kids or a thousand other innane things the government spends money on? Clearly I'm biased, but my opinion is that sports are one of the more important things a school district can give its kids.

What's $400,000 times the number of school districts with JV programs in the state? Well, what's $30 million, which is the budget deficit faced by the Kern High School District, times the number of school districts in the state? No matter how you slice it, $400,000 is beans compared to the overall picture. And yes, every cut is a step in the right direction towards lessening that defecit, but at what cost? We've already discussed at length what cutting JV could do to dropout rates and academic progress.

Put it this way: Hypothetically, you were in financial trouble, losing a couple thousand dollars a month, you'd obviously try to cut some expenses and make some more money. But if one of those expenses was your child's $20/month fee to play sports, is that one thing you'd cut? What if you knew sports is a major reason your child was staying in the classroom?

Look, no one here is saying that JV sports — or sports at all, for that matter — ought to survive at the cost of academic concerns or teachers pay. No one is saying the school district should receive more state revenue at the cost of transportation or police departments. What I'm saying is that if you're going to make cuts, be careful about where you make them. JV sports are important, and they're relatively cheap, and the money that cutting them — especially when the coaches and parents have offered to find a way to pay for them past this next year — simply isn't worth the savings. At least not for one year.

Jul 5, 2009 at 08:07 AM : Simply put, KC...

Simply put, KC isn't the only county trying to save fluff under the guise of the kids. The state is still broke becuase every program is "important and vital to society" and no one wants to make the tough decisions.

I wish people would have fought this hard for the arts and other academic programs that have been cut over the years.

Who has the gumption?

Jul 5, 2009 at 01:07 PM : As I have said on...

As I have said on other CA budget blogs, it might be a drop in the buck, but, if you take all the drops here and all the drops there and add them all together, the proverbial bucket could be overflowing. It's similar to the classic advice given in personal finance: any cuts will help balance the budget because even the small cuts can add up to big savings. I'm with jfrancis on this one. I don't think JV sports are worth it if the budget isn't balanced.

Jul 5, 2009 at 02:07 PM : And what I'm...

And what I'm saying is, some drops are more important than others. Do you need new striping on the school parking lots? We can probably skip a year on that one. It's just my opinion, and reasonable minds surely can disagree, but to me, this is a very important drop.

Jul 5, 2009 at 02:07 PM : Reading the...

Reading the conversation between jfrancis and Zach was very interesting. KHSD should consider redistricting some of the boundaries. How much does it cost a year to bus kids from Haley to Centennial all in the name of cultural and socioeconomic diversity. Most of these kids would rather attend the school they live a block from rather than spend an hour on the bus to get to school. It seems assumed that KHSD is using its funds wisely...This should cut back enough each year to pay for a few teachers, books and more. I agree with zach. Keeping kids in school is very important. The JV program allows students to work towards the next level of the sport. Fighting for play time with two levels will cause some students to give up. Academics are important but students need some other incentives to stay in school. Sports happens to be one of the ways.

Jul 5, 2009 at 05:07 PM : And how about Frontier...

And how about Frontier getting to draw kids from Calloway Dr and Olive Dr, which is closer to Centennial????? What's with that? In my opinion (not meaning to be biased), Centennial should get the kids anywhere west of at least Verdugo Ln (and maybe even Jewetta Ave or somewhere in between) and north of Rosedale Hwy. It's not as far from Calloway Dr and Olive Dr to Frontier as it is from Haley St. to Centennial, but word is Frontier is going to have 1000 more students than Centennial and that Frontier will be overcrowded while Centennial will have capacity. I think its about 1/2 mile closer to Centennial than Frontier from Calloway and Olive.

I disagree with both Shwaine and jfrancias here. JV sports (and sports in general) are very important programs for high schools. As it has been said, these programs help keep kids in school. Its time the schools get out in their communities and raise some funds for their programs (rather it be sports or fine arts like drama or music)!

Jul 5, 2009 at 05:07 PM : Another honorable...

Another honorable mention for best game: Centennial @ Frontier in the first round of league play. Final score (in games won): Centennial 3, Frontier 2 (and the JV game between Centennial @ Frontier (Centennial 2, Frontier 1) was an even better game with Centennial winning the decisive game 3 after coming back from a 9-2 deficit in game 3 which was played to 15. I know JV doesn't get coverage like varsity, but this proves that JV games can be just as exciting as varsity games).

Jul 5, 2009 at 07:07 PM : Well, two of my...

Well, two of my friends that are educators in KC have lost their jobs due to the crisis. I'm sure there salaries combine for less than $400,000. It's okay though. We have JV sports to make the kids feel good about themselves. Again, I wish people were this adamant to keep funding in the arts.

Jul 5, 2009 at 09:07 PM : Agree with you on the...

Agree with you on the arts and sad to hear about your friends. But if you think cutting JV sports is going to save jobs, you're mistaken — when they cut jobs, they don't cut just two (I can tell you about that as a Californian employee). If only it were that easy, we'd have cut JV sports long ago.

Jul 6, 2009 at 07:07 AM : But if you think...

But if you think cutting JV sports is going to save jobs, you're mistaken — when they cut jobs, they don't cut just two (I can tell you about that as a Californian employee).

That's the point, Zach. Do you think they are the only educators in Kern County to lose their jobs? We could have at least kept, say, $400,000 worth of employees in place of JV sports. This is a case of the tail wagging the dog. Sports are important but academics should be the focus and sports should stay in the extra curricular realm. KC eduction administrators are mimicking higher education. Your mistaken if $400,000 is not significant and could not have been used to keep teachers or enhance the classroom. Teachers are losing jobs and we are happy to save sports.

This is mimicing high level education (see Fresno State and their mismanagement of donor funds going to the Athletic department). We are basically telling our kids what's important by our choices. This is no different.

Jul 6, 2009 at 08:07 AM : KHSD should consider...

KHSD should consider redistricting some of the boundaries. How much does it cost a year to bus kids from Haley to Centennial all in the name of cultural and socioeconomic diversity.

They are trying to comply with the law (or avoid lawsuits). They don't redistrict for fun.

JV sports (and sports in general) are very important programs for high schools. As it has been said, these programs help keep kids in school.

No one disagrees with that. We disagree on where money should be spent and what is top priority. Teachers help kids stay in school. Drama helps kids stay in school. Adequate transportation to and from school helps kids stay in school. Nutrition helps kids stay in school. Tutoring helps kids stay in school. Positive peer groups help kids stay in school. I love sports but it is not the elixir. School is a place to learn, first and foremost. Sports is a piece of the pie. Teachers, textbooks, and anything directly in the classroom is the foundation.

We're cutting out the meat of the pie just to have a cherry on top.