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School Budgets getting cut so sharply....school systems may have to resort to....

futbolking

By futbolking,
in SWVA Football

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hhstigerfan    12

hhstigerfan
Posted
Many years ago a friend of mine at UT worked on a thesis on extra-curricular participation. In rural counties in Tennessee he found a direct correlation between school proximity and turnout. In five mile increments (as I best recall) you could calculate a fixed drop off in participation. Most of our school systems in this area are rural and single schools in big counties usually do not draw well from outside their core areas in activities. Very large rural schools do well for a period- especially by concentrating on one or two sports- but prolonged success in a wide variety of competitions is very difficult.

 

Some people in the TSSAA must have looked at that report as well. A while back they threw around the idea of making classifications made up of rural and city schools. Two classes for rural schools and two classes for city schools. I thought it was an interesting idea, their data showed pretty clearly that schools from high population density areas had more success in athletics, i.e. smaller AAA schools from the city did much better than much bigger schools that were the only school in a rural county.

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hoard    18

hoard
Posted
Some people in the TSSAA must have looked at that report as well. A while back they threw around the idea of making classifications made up of rural and city schools. Two classes for rural schools and two classes for city schools. I thought it was an interesting idea, their data showed pretty clearly that schools from high population density areas had more success in athletics, i.e. smaller AAA schools from the city did much better than much bigger schools that were the only school in a rural county.

 

That's definitely true in Virginia--just look at the Group A schools and the smaller AA schools in either independent cities or suburbs of larger cities that are highly successful in multiple sports:

 

JI Burton (Norton)

Radford

Galax

Virginia High (Bristol)

Glenvar (suburban Roanoke Co)

RE Lee (Staunton) AA

Martinsville AA

George Mason (Falls Church)

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Deleted Account    5,203

Deleted Account
Posted
This may not make sense but im almost never in favor of closing elementary schools. I personally like having very small classes and local schools at that level. I just think its better for the kids, kids that are behind or ahead get recognized earlier and the curriculum can be custom tailored easier. Now by the time kids are 11-12 im pretty sure they can handle going to a consolidated school. In DCs case I wish we were going to have 2 middle schools instead of one.

 

I completely agree with you. Very well stated.

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RichlandsAlum    678

RichlandsAlum
Posted

One of the biggest problems with school budgets is the incredible bureaucracy associated with public education that has mushroomed and has become a major drain on resources.

 

Check your local public school system and look at the staffing and funding levels for administration. If you can get it, that is. Superintendents are very adept at hiding the numbers.

 

Add the dynamic of (generally) inept school boards who are either afraid or unqualified to challenge the authority of the Superintendent -- who is their only employee -- and you've got the recipe for what's cooking now.

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GMan    3,569

GMan
Posted
One of the biggest problems with school budgets is the incredible bureaucracy associated with public education that has mushroomed and has become a major drain on resources.

 

Check your local public school system and look at the staffing and funding levels for administration. If you can get it, that is. Superintendents are very adept at hiding the numbers.

 

Add the dynamic of (generally) inept school boards who are either afraid or unqualified to challenge the authority of the Superintendent -- who is their only employee -- and you've got the recipe for what's cooking now.

 

And one thing they all seem to forget is, they work for US...

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eagles99trd    10

eagles99trd
Posted

The largest expense for sports is the refs/coaching stipends. I'm not 100% on this but I'm pretty sure that travel expenses comes out of the schools budget. Many schools in this area schedule in such a way so multiple teams are on the bus together (Varsity Baseball and JV Softball both travelling to same destination on 1 bus)

 

In Montgomery County, each secondary school is given a little over $4,000 from the county budget to fund their schools. They must use gate money to make up the rest.

 

There are two "A" high schools and two "AA" high schools in the county.

 

Both of the "A" schools spend out over $60,000 per year on their sports programs.

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V-Cats    472

V-Cats
Posted
thought the lotto went to the schools...wheres all the money going? sounds like they need to spend more on the kids and teachers and less on other stuff.

 

Especially with the lotto money, Virginia ends at Roanoke...

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GMan    3,569

GMan
Posted
Im all for succession from the commonwealth, we can just call it Dixie and put the Capitol in Bristol

 

Southern WV, southwest VA, and eastern Kentucky...the State of Appalachia...

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Hacker    82

Hacker
Posted
Southern WV, southwest VA, and eastern Kentucky...the State of Appalachia...

 

Actually has been done. 3 counties in VA, 3 counties in TN and 3 counties in KY "seceded" in the 1990s to create the State of Cumberland to promote tourism.

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Deleted Account    5,203

Deleted Account
Posted
The state of Virginia doesn't claim us anyway. They take taxes from us and we don't see any of that put into place. SWVA or (SWOVA), NETN, Northwest North Carolina, Eastern Kentucky. That'd be a fine state.

 

Actually, counties west of Roanoke see a higher percentage of the state's tax dollars flow in than counties east of Roanoke. The numbers back this up, too. And if you're ever in NOVA and just so mention the words "tax dollars", they will assault your ears for a good hour on the topic.

 

Don't shoot the messenger.

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gcdevils47    10

gcdevils47
Posted
Actually, counties west of Roanoke see a higher percentage of the state's tax dollars flow in than counties east of Roanoke. The numbers back this up, too. And if you're ever in NOVA and just so mention the words "tax dollars", they will assault your ears for a good hour on the topic.

 

Don't shoot the messenger.

 

I haven't saw it go to anything...

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VHSLhelper    571

VHSLhelper
Posted
Montgomery County sort of got themselves in a bigger jam than they had to be in....they weren't as proactive as some of the other school systems, who began planning for this (stimulus money running out) a few years ago. Many school systems have not been filling positions when teachers retire....doing away with instructional aid positions....some programs..... Montgomery County was banking on the economy to turn around....and continued to hire new employees....not make budget cuts...etc... Poor planning on their part.

 

School systems have needed to "trim the fat" in the past....but, now they're scraping bone...

 

http://blogs.roanoke.com/theburgs/opinion/2012/02/05/montgomery-schools-6-2-million-deficit/

 

"Thank Gov. Bob McDonnell for this mess. The governor’s proposed budget shortchanges schools by capping the state’s share of some expenses while mandating greater local contributions to the Virginia Retirement System for teachers. Montgomery County is being hammered especially hard — to the tune of $1.9 million — by changes to the Local Composite Index.

 

Add in a local increase to textbook spending for matching funds, and McDonnell can take credit for $5.2 million of Montgomery County’s headache."

 

The LCI will also hammer Wise Co. in the next few years. Property values in NoVa fell with the housing market collapse, while the Burgs are booming and Wise is about to put a $1.5 Billion power plant online, boosting their property value total.

 

Add in their unexpected costs from the closing of BHS after the gym roof collapsed (busing kids to C'burg) and the overall (unexpected) increase in gas prices, and I don't think MCPS is doing to bad of a job.

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Deleted Account    5,203

Deleted Account
Posted
I haven't saw it go to anything...

 

You drive on them every day.

 

The roads, and infrastructure by large, in SWVA are leaps and bounds better than anywhere else in the state. Ever driven on 66 once you get into Prince William and Fairfax Counties? Nightmarish.

 

A big plus in SWVA? Coal severance taxes.

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