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Middle School and JV sports


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I was recently told Tazewell County is considering eliminating middle school and jv sports due to budget cuts. This is supposed to be discussed at the upcoming board meeting. Has anyone else heard of this happening?

They need to discuss ways to bring in more businesses to generate a better tax base at the County Supervisors meetings.

 It's always cut cut cut every year.  

 

I've heard that this may happen, as well as consolidating the 3 high schools into 2, without building any new facilities.  Hope this is just rumors, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

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They need to discuss ways to bring in more businesses to generate a better tax base at the County Supervisors meetings.

It's always cut cut cut every year.

 

I've heard that this may happen, as well as consolidating the 3 high schools into 2, without building any new facilities. Hope this is just rumors, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

And which one do you eliminate? And how do you draw lines? That just causes a mess.

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I was recently told Tazewell County is considering eliminating middle school and jv sports due to budget cuts. This is supposed to be discussed at the upcoming board meeting. Has anyone else heard of this happening?

As a general rule, if a "source" says something too ridiculous to be true, it is.

 

Straight from the main horse's mouth, there is a $1.6M deficit, and it has to be made up. There will be some academic cuts, and there will be non-academic ones. Let's see how it plays out, but I would imagine sports would not be touched. If they are, it's the duplicative middle school programs (baseball, etc.) that would see the axe.

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Buses are, and the gasoline is.

Maybe so, but it should be paid for by the booster clubs at each individual team. If not, then the rest of the the sports that have been denied funding are being lied to. Not arguing at all, just going from experience in a different sport.

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Maybe so, but it should be paid for by the booster clubs at each individual team. If not, then the rest of the the sports that have been denied funding are being lied to. Not arguing at all, just going from experience in a different sport.

Oh, definitely not arguing. I am positive the boosters subsidize most if not all of the non-transportation costs.

 

But I anticipate that if sports are cut, those go first. Easiest cuts to make.

 

 

diesel

Right, but the point is that it's the cost of whatever petrol is used. And 87 unleaded and 40 diesel are 6 of one, half dozen of the other in terms of cost nowadays.

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$1.6 million is a really big deficit for a system and county that size.  In addition to chopping middle school sports, I'd expect an increase in (or introduction of) participation fees for most extracurricular activities.  On the academic side I would expect larger classes and fewer course offerings -- and school closing/consolidation would certainly have to be on the table.

 

Or a 3 to 4 cent increase in the real estate tax would probably provide enough immediate revenue to close the gap -- provided that the money were to be earmarked specifically for schools and there were any political traction for such an idea to begin with.

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I am afraid that this trend is going to strike all of Southwest Va. before it's over. With the decimation of the coal industry and the job losses and families moving out, I don't see any other way except consolation to survive. I can see one high school for Russell Co. easily and Buchanan Co. could be done fairly easily. I have even heard rumors of Wise Co. consolidating again. I hope it never happens but I am afraid that this is our new reality here.  

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I have some friends that live in the Va Beach area they pay $50 per child for each sport they participate in at the Middle School level.  They provide their own transportation to games as well.  If a child is part of the Reduced Lunch program then the fee is waived.  I don't see this working out too well in our area.  I believe a large number of kids is already on the Reduced Lunch program and providing transportation to Away games would be a problem for most.  When parents start paying for a child to participate in a sport and travel to take the kids to the game they're not going to be happy with Little Johnny standing on the sidelines.  It's certainly a difficult issue with no easy fix.  Hopefully it can be resolved without too many cuts.

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Lee lost middle school sanctioned teams/coaches in the last 5 or 6 years, everything is now boosters or nothing.

 

Everythung will head to boosters only and will be strictly volunteer, if they are not already.

 

To 99bama, this is where the "everyone gets a trophy" is about the only compromise possible.

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Here in Charlotte, it costs middle school kids $50 to play each sport and high school kids $100 unless they qualify for free or reduced lunch. They don't charge anything to attend middle school games down here either. I think that even charging $1 can help with certain costs. Some of these games be packed.

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Here in Charlotte, it costs middle school kids $50 to play each sport and high school kids $100 unless they qualify for free or reduced lunch. They don't charge anything to attend middle school games down here either. I think that even charging $1 can help with certain costs. Some of these games be packed.

 

We pay $5 to get in to middle school soccer games here in Bedford, but my understanding is that the money goes to the booster organization for our local high school athletic program.  $5 admission for all JV and varsity events is pretty standard throughout the Seminole District.  My assumption is that the money generated there goes into the individual schools' athletic funds.

 

Certain sports charge fees -- but generally speaking those are for teams that are classified as "clubs" and are not formally recognized as being sponsored by the school.  Middle school teams in this area are also referred to as 'B' teams (a precise definition within VHSL regulations that is applied in a consistently incorrect manner -- but that is a separate topic) and when revenues get tight in any given year, they are frequently referred to the budgetary chopping block.  Although no local system has gone that far yet.

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I have some friends that live in the Va Beach area they pay $50 per child for each sport they participate in at the Middle School level.  They provide their own transportation to games as well.  If a child is part of the Reduced Lunch program then the fee is waived.  I don't see this working out too well in our area.  I believe a large number of kids is already on the Reduced Lunch program and providing transportation to Away games would be a problem for most.  When parents start paying for a child to participate in a sport and travel to take the kids to the game they're not going to be happy with Little Johnny standing on the sidelines.  It's certainly a difficult issue with no easy fix.  Hopefully it can be resolved without too many cuts.

 

In which particular school district do they live?  The beach area can be defined in pretty broad terms, and there is definitely a strong "have versus have not" dynamic within that particular region.

 

There is also an emerging dynamic in several areas in which parents are choosing travel ball options over middle school teams.  I would hazard a guess that the policy referenced above is at least someway influenced by that.

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I really think this is sad, that this is even being discussed. I read last night that in the State of Texas that there are three stadium projects under way at 60 million plus each. and we are having trouble funding middle school sports. There has got to be a way to fund this and I hope they find it.

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I really think this is sad, that this is even being discussed. I read last night that in the State of Texas that there are three stadium projects under way at 60 million plus each. and we are having trouble funding middle school sports. There has got to be a way to fund this and I hope they find it.

Not three different localities building three different stadiums but one school district building a multi use facility for all three schools to share.  McKinney ISD has more than 24,500 students, 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools and 3 high schools.  The facility will also be a concert venue.  There are other $60+ million facilities in Texas.  With the population base of McKinney, the community could feasibly profit from such a venue over time.  

 

After all, McKinney ISD has a higher enrollment than most SWVA counties have population.  I am not trying to justify such an expenditure but it isn't as ridiculous as it sounds given the population and growth of that area.

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And which one do you eliminate? And how do you draw lines? That just causes a mess.

I think you will see a couple of the elementary schools closed down before the high schools.  I think there are 9 Elementary schools in the County, if I'm not mistaken, a couple of them with very small enrollment.

 

Cedar Bluff, Raven, North Tazewell, Tazewell, Richlands, Dudley / Graham Intermediate, Springville, Abbs Valley... Am I missing any?

 

Each of those schools has operating costs, administrators., utility bills, etc.....I think this will / should be looked at before the High Schools.

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Not three different localities building three different stadiums but one school district building a multi use facility for all three schools to share.  McKinney ISD has more than 24,500 students, 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools and 3 high schools.  The facility will also be a concert venue.  There are other $60+ million facilities in Texas.  With the population base of McKinney, the community could feasibly profit from such a venue over time.  

 

After all, McKinney ISD has a higher enrollment than most SWVA counties have population.  I am not trying to justify such an expenditure but it isn't as ridiculous as it sounds given the population and growth of that area.

 

I was in McKinney TX last week for a special event. 

On Friday, several of us met  for an informal lunch .... then decided to drive over and see the Allen, TX stadium...the 'first' TX mega HS Stadium built, originally costing around 60 million.

 

 Three of us got out of the rental car and the others stayed in the vehicle... they didn't know what would happen later.  :)

 

I had my phone out doing the video thing , as did the other two,  with mouth wide open trying to grasp the enormity of a

high school stadium of this magnitude. We, slowly, moved away from the vehicle   toward the large Athletic building ...still in utter awe of what our eyes and phones were tracking.  We approached some large glass doors at the AD building...they were unlocked and one in our group walked in... we followed. We were in a vestibule viewing an entirely glass enclosed weight room with HUGE players lifting.

 

With our cell phones out taking vids...we attracted the attention of one of the coaches in the weight room and he came out to see who we were.  

 

One in our group explained we were just wide eyed spectators (one being a head FB coach ... it wasn't Mance) just wanting to see this unbelievable stadium.  The Allen coach then introduced us to another Allen coach, who asked if we wanted a tour of the facility....UH, YEAH ... we quickly accepted the offer.  

 

Now for the tour...the weight room was enormous...the equipment in there had to rival what many colleges have...we were told the players lifting that day... the large room was FULL...were only the JR and SR. defensive players lifting...the JR and SR offensive players were  studying game film  down in the bowels underneath the stadium. ( IF,  I remember correctly, the tour coach said the underneath section encompassed 20,000 s.f.)

After leaving the weight room, we entered another glass door off the vestibule...and another WOW...it was a huge indoor turf practice field...from there we proceeded out some doors into the stadium.  My mouth was just gaping open to see a HS football stadium of this size...I'm doing the video "thing" again... slowly panning the stadium while the other two were talking to the tour coach. The scoreboard was ENORMOUS.

 

The tour coach told us the band was approximately 850 members...a high school band!!!

 

As the tour coach was talking...another coach came out of the doors into the stadium...the tour coach introduced him as the Head Coach. 

The coach said they would be playing Hoover AL this upcoming season at Allen and the game would be on TV.  

 

FYI for the Gate City fans...Jeff Herron, GC grad and E&H player...new HC for the Grayson HS Rams  in Gwinnett Co. GA will also be playing Hoover on Oct. 28, 2016 at Hoover.

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I think you will see a couple of the elementary schools closed down before the high schools. I think there are 9 Elementary schools in the County, if I'm not mistaken, a couple of them with very small enrollment.

 

Cedar Bluff, Raven, North Tazewell, Tazewell, Richlands, Dudley / Graham Intermediate, Springville, Abbs Valley... Am I missing any?

 

Each of those schools has operating costs, administrators., utility bills, etc.....I think this will / should be looked at before the High Schools.

You would sooner see me on the cover of SI's Swimsuit Issue before you see any elementary schools closed under the current composition of the TCSB. The only thing remotely likely is consolidating Dudley and GIS.

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You would sooner see me on the cover of SI's Swimsuit Issue before you see any elementary schools closed under the current composition of the TCSB. The only thing remotely likely is consolidating Dudley and GIS.

I think Raven will go soon. There's not many kids in that school and it's a 5 minute drive from Richlands Elem and a 7 minute drive from Cedar Bluff.

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