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Jdarg

SoWal Expert

Ugh.  But nothing surprises me anymore.:(  

I have told this story numerous times, but I will never forget it, and it seems appropriate to go with this latest news.

When we went to freshman orientation at SWHS (2007), we were looking forward to hearing about academics, and a small presentation of sports and extra-curricular.  Instead, we got about 5-10 minutes of an academics presentation ( and it was not a spectacular or motivating presentation), then Coach Barron took the stage and discussed the football program for over 20 minutes.  I almost walked out.  It was a slap in the face to the good teachers at SWHS who are really trying to create a learning atmosphere.   Cutting reading coaches is another slap in the face.

Ugh. But nothing surprises me anymore.:( 
 
I have told this story numerous times, but I will never forget it, and it seems appropriate to go with this latest news. 
 
When we went to freshman orientation at SWHS (2007), we were looking forward to hearing about academics, and a small presentation of sports and extra-curricular. Instead, we got about 5-10 minutes of an academics presentation ( and it was not a spectacular or motivating presentation), then Coach Barron took the stage and discussed the football program for over 20 minutes. I almost walked out. It was a slap in the face to the good teachers at SWHS who are really trying to create a learning atmosphere. Cutting reading coaches is another slap in the face.

GoodWitch58

Beach Fanatic

[quote="jdarg, post: 667162"]Ugh.  But nothing surprises me anymore.:(  

I have told this story numerous times, but I will never forget it, and it seems appropriate to go with this latest news.

When we went to freshman orientation at SWHS (2007), we were looking forward to hearing about academics, and a small presentation of sports and extra-curricular.  Instead, we got about 5-10 minutes of an academics presentation ( and it was not a spectacular or motivating presentation), then Coach Barron took the stage and discussed the football program for over 20 minutes.  I almost walked out.  It was a slap in the face to the good teachers at SWHS who are really trying to create a learning atmosphere.   Cutting reading coaches is another slap in the face.[/quote]

It is so depressing...our priorities are so backwards.  I believe sports are important, but not at the expense of reading.

I see college students everyday who are struggling with everything in their lives...all because they do not know how to read well; think well; study well; organize well; manage time well...they have no background in the classic literature, so they can not make the connections necessary for understanding many of the assignments in history, or literature, or even news stories. Their vocabulary lacks depth...how many of them manage to graduate high school is beyond me.

The adults in charge of education priorities (and too many parents who don't speak up) do a great disservice to these students and to our society in general IMO.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="jdarg">Ugh. But nothing surprises me anymore.:( 
 
I have told this story numerous times, but I will never forget it, and it seems appropriate to go with this latest news. 
 
When we went to freshman orientation at SWHS (2007), we were looking forward to hearing about academics, and a small presentation of sports and extra-curricular. Instead, we got about 5-10 minutes of an academics presentation ( and it was not a spectacular or motivating presentation), then Coach Barron took the stage and discussed the football program for over 20 minutes. I almost walked out. It was a slap in the face to the good teachers at SWHS who are really trying to create a learning atmosphere. Cutting reading coaches is another slap in the face.</blockquote> 
It is so depressing...our priorities are so backwards. I believe sports are important, but not at the expense of reading. 
 
I see college students everyday who are struggling with everything in their lives...all because they do not know how to read well; think well; study well; organize well; manage time well...they have no background in the classic literature, so they can not make the connections necessary for understanding many of the assignments in history, or literature, or even news stories. Their vocabulary lacks depth...how many of them manage to graduate high school is beyond me. 
 
The adults in charge of education priorities (and too many parents who don&#039;t speak up) do a great disservice to these students and to our society in general IMO.

[quote="goodwitch58, post: 667166"]It is so depressing...our priorities are so backwards.  I believe sports are important, but not at the expense of reading.

I see college students everyday who are struggling with everything in their lives...all because they do not know how to read well; think well; study well; organize well; manage time well...they have no background in the classic literature, so they can not make the connections necessary for understanding many of the assignments in history, or literature, or even news stories. Their vocabulary lacks depth...how many of them manage to graduate high school is beyond me.

The adults in charge of education priorities [B](and too many parents who don't speak up) [/B]do a great disservice to these students and to our society in general IMO.[/quote]

This is a huge part of the problem around here.  Plenty are willing to gripe and remain dissatisfied, but few are willing to speak up.  Another parent and I met with Mrs. Anderson earlier this year, and when she told us that we were the only parents that came to her with concerns about the learning environment at SWHS, I wanted to cry.  I have heard so many parents complain.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="goodwitch58">It is so depressing...our priorities are so backwards. I believe sports are important, but not at the expense of reading. 
 
I see college students everyday who are struggling with everything in their lives...all because they do not know how to read well; think well; study well; organize well; manage time well...they have no background in the classic literature, so they can not make the connections necessary for understanding many of the assignments in history, or literature, or even news stories. Their vocabulary lacks depth...how many of them manage to graduate high school is beyond me. 
 
The adults in charge of education priorities (and too many parents who don&#039;t speak up) do a great disservice to these students and to our society in general IMO.</blockquote> 
This is a huge part of the problem around here. Plenty are willing to gripe and remain dissatisfied, but few are willing to speak up. Another parent and I met with Mrs. Anderson earlier this year, and when she told us that we were the only parents that came to her with concerns about the learning environment at SWHS, I wanted to cry. I have heard so many parents complain.

Andy A

[quote="jdarg, post: 667167"]This is a huge part of the problem around here. Plenty are willing to gripe and remain dissatisfied, but few are willing to speak up. Another parent and I met with Mrs. Anderson earlier this year, and when she told us that we were the only parents that came to her with concerns about the learning environment at SWHS, I wanted to cry. I have heard so many parents complain.[/quote]
I am sure that told you something right off the bat.  Many parents evidently do not care enough to complain or are incapable of presenting a case for improvement, much the same as Goodwitch58 stated about many of the students she is receiving.
If this is indeed the case, the school administrators and teachers have little they can do about the situation.  It seems somewhere it has been lost on many parents that they bear a great responsibility for the education of their children.  The school system is only an infintesimal part.  It is too bad but I do think knocking the athletic program is the wrong way to go.  My kids are all raised and I must now leave to pick one of them up at VPS.  Also, I note with interest only two people have been involved in this discussion.  That, in itself, is telling.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="jdarg">This is a huge part of the problem around here. Plenty are willing to gripe and remain dissatisfied, but few are willing to speak up. Another parent and I met with Mrs. Anderson earlier this year, and when she told us that we were the only parents that came to her with concerns about the learning environment at SWHS, I wanted to cry. I have heard so many parents complain.</blockquote>I am sure that told you something right off the bat. Many parents evidently do not care enough to complain or are incapable of presenting a case for improvement, much the same as Goodwitch58 stated about many of the students she is receiving. 
If this is indeed the case, the school administrators and teachers have little they can do about the situation. It seems somewhere it has been lost on many parents that they bear a great responsibility for the education of their children. The school system is only an infintesimal part. It is too bad but I do think knocking the athletic program is the wrong way to go. My kids are all raised and I must now leave to pick one of them up at VPS. Also, I note with interest only two people have been involved in this discussion. That, in itself, is telling.

Yzarctoo

Parents should be willing to pay a little to have their students play sports...Education in Schools should be for learning...math, reading, science, history etc. As a former teacher I have seen an annual school athletic  budget 3 or 4 times larger than that for an academic budget...one of the reasons I have been given from my superiors..."sports bring in money." (I always thought if they bring in the money why do they need to pull from the limited school budget that most School Boards give to schools...why not let them pay for themselves.)

Parents should be willing to pay a little to have their students play sports...Education in Schools should be for learning...math, reading, science, history etc. As a former teacher I have seen an annual school athletic  budget 3 or 4 times larger than that for an academic budget...one of the reasons I have been given from my superiors...&quot;sports bring in money.&quot; (I always thought if they bring in the money why do they need to pull from the limited school budget that most School Boards give to schools...why not let them pay for themselves.)

lms47

Beach Lover

Many parents, for whatever reasons, do not feel they can change a school with their input. As a former teacher, I really wish parents were more educated as to the positive effect they can have by participating in discussions about the curriculum and instruction in the schools. As a teacher, I always welcomed parental involvement and constantly wished for parents to step forward to take a more active role in their child's education.

Many parents, for whatever reasons, do not feel they can change a school with their input. As a former teacher, I really wish parents were more educated as to the positive effect they can have by participating in discussions about the curriculum and instruction in the schools. As a teacher, I always welcomed parental involvement and constantly wished for parents to step forward to take a more active role in their child&#039;s education.

ShallowsNole

[quote="goodwitch58, post: 667155"]I just read in the WZEP News Summary that at the School Board meeting, the recommendation was to reduce the reading coaches, but not any athletic cuts...
 
 
 
Interesting priorities..wonder if any member of the public will be concerned enough about reducing the reading coaches to contact Mr. Laird.[/quote]
 
Unfortunately, Bill is correct.   And news of cuts in athletics travels like wildfire, while news about cuts for reading coaches rarely goes beyond those who use the reading coaches, unless it is picked up by WZEP or other members of the local media.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="goodwitch58">I just read in the WZEP News Summary that at the School Board meeting, the recommendation was to reduce the reading coaches, but not any athletic cuts... 
 
 
 
Interesting priorities..wonder if any member of the public will be concerned enough about reducing the reading coaches to contact Mr. Laird.</blockquote> 
Unfortunately, Bill is correct. And news of cuts in athletics travels like wildfire, while news about cuts for reading coaches rarely goes beyond those who use the reading coaches, unless it is picked up by WZEP or other members of the local media.

[quote="lms47, post: 667332"]Many parents, for whatever reasons, do not feel they can change a school with their input. As a former teacher, I really wish parents were more educated as to the positive effect they can have by participating in discussions about the curriculum and instruction in the schools. As a teacher, I always welcomed parental involvement and constantly wished for parents to step forward to take a more active role in their child's education.[/quote]

Do you happen to know why this county does not have a Parent Involvement Program?  I went online looking for some info; and discovered there is quite a robust program available--but the only District in Florida that seemed to be actively involved in such a program was Flagler....seems strange to me that schools would not participate.

Why do you think the parents think they can not make a difference?  I once lead a 300 member parent group to save a school program; and we not only saved the program, but we got rid of the superintendent too...we did not start out with that as our intent, but once we got started, all kinds of things came to light and many parents became active.

I don't understand why people in Walton County feel as though their voice doesn't count...the children deserve better IMO.

Sports are nice, but why can't the parents whose children play sports contribute something toward a sports program?  The tee ball program here is paid for by the parents --at least a portion of it. For that matter, why not split the revenue between the reading coaches and the sports programs, and let the parents make up the difference.

Did anyone ask the parents if they were okay with eliminating 4 of the reading coaches, in order to completely fund the athletics?  What about the students, did they have a say?

Reading should have more priority than sports IMO But, then maybe it's okay to have athletes who are unable to read?

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="lms47">Many parents, for whatever reasons, do not feel they can change a school with their input. As a former teacher, I really wish parents were more educated as to the positive effect they can have by participating in discussions about the curriculum and instruction in the schools. As a teacher, I always welcomed parental involvement and constantly wished for parents to step forward to take a more active role in their child&#039;s education.</blockquote> 
Do you happen to know why this county does not have a Parent Involvement Program? I went online looking for some info; and discovered there is quite a robust program available--but the only District in Florida that seemed to be actively involved in such a program was Flagler....seems strange to me that schools would not participate. 
 
Why do you think the parents think they can not make a difference? I once lead a 300 member parent group to save a school program; and we not only saved the program, but we got rid of the superintendent too...we did not start out with that as our intent, but once we got started, all kinds of things came to light and many parents became active. 
 
I don&#039;t understand why people in Walton County feel as though their voice doesn&#039;t count...the children deserve better IMO. 
 
Sports are nice, but why can&#039;t the parents whose children play sports contribute something toward a sports program? The tee ball program here is paid for by the parents --at least a portion of it. For that matter, why not split the revenue between the reading coaches and the sports programs, and let the parents make up the difference. 
 
Did anyone ask the parents if they were okay with eliminating 4 of the reading coaches, in order to completely fund the athletics? What about the students, did they have a say? 
 
Reading should have more priority than sports IMO But, then maybe it&#039;s okay to have athletes who are unable to read?

[quote="ShallowsNole, post: 667343"]Unfortunately, Bill is correct.   And news of cuts in athletics travels like wildfire, while news about cuts for reading coaches rarely goes beyond those who use the reading coaches, unless it is picked up by WZEP or other members of the local media.[/quote]

and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ShallowsNole">Unfortunately, Bill is correct. And news of cuts in athletics travels like wildfire, while news about cuts for reading coaches rarely goes beyond those who use the reading coaches, unless it is picked up by WZEP or other members of the local media.</blockquote> 
and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?

scooterbug44

I think athletics should be a part of schools, but am constantly appalled at how high of a priority they are given - especially at the expense of education.

Even IF your child becomes a college varsity athlete, the odds of them becoming a pro are around 7%.

Sports are an extracurricular activity - there should not be practices during the school day, academic credit should not be given for participating in them, and only students with a certain GPA, attendance, and good behavior record should be allowed to participate.

I don't know what exactly a reading coach is, but IMO learning to read properly is a hell of a lot more important than anything else going on on a school campus.

I think athletics should be a part of schools, but am constantly appalled at how high of a priority they are given - especially at the expense of education. 
 
Even IF your child becomes a college varsity athlete, the odds of them becoming a pro are around 7%. 
 
Sports are an extracurricular activity - there should not be practices during the school day, academic credit should not be given for participating in them, and only students with a certain GPA, attendance, and good behavior record should be allowed to participate. 
 
I don&#039;t know what exactly a reading coach is, but IMO learning to read properly is a hell of a lot more important than anything else going on on a school campus.

wrobert

[quote="goodwitch58, post: 667362"]and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?[/quote]


Less than 50% of 10th graders are reading at grade level last time I looked.  Has been that way for quite a while.  No one seems to mind.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="goodwitch58">and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?</blockquote> 
 
Less than 50% of 10th graders are reading at grade level last time I looked. Has been that way for quite a while. No one seems to mind.

how sad is that...and not just for those young people who will suffer for it for a long time, if not all their lives; but, sad for the rest of our society because it affects each of us.

Do you have any suggestion about how to make a change?  Isn't someone in your family a teacher...how frustrating that must be.

how sad is that...and not just for those young people who will suffer for it for a long time, if not all their lives; but, sad for the rest of our society because it affects each of us. 
 
Do you have any suggestion about how to make a change? Isn&#039;t someone in your family a teacher...how frustrating that must be.

Teresa

SoWal Guide

I wonder what the decision was based on? was it not effective? do they have something else planned for improving reading education? Everyone knows the importance of reading so I wonder what the school system is doing to make sure all students have every opportunity to develop good reading.  well, hopefully the teachers are skilled in teaching reading, but they need all the resources they can get. including, for example, child development specialists who can consult with kids, parents and teachers about normal, but varied developmental milestones regarding eyes/vision/neurological processes at various stages as the child grows. lots of kids are quickly put in the learning disability category when its just a developmental/eye thing that a good consultant can test for in two seconds.  presentation of the material needs a little adjustment and then the kid can get (properly see) what you are trying to teach.

we've learned these "little" things about reading through parent education classes at our montessori school.  these are the little things that truly make a big difference.

so maybe coaches are critical (we use volunteers - parents or anyone in the community who has an interest in working with kids on a one on one basis with reading).  and maybe other aspects of reading are also critical to continually look at, evaluate, and bring into the schools.

I wonder what the decision was based on? was it not effective? do they have something else planned for improving reading education? Everyone knows the importance of reading so I wonder what the school system is doing to make sure all students have every opportunity to develop good reading. well, hopefully the teachers are skilled in teaching reading, but they need all the resources they can get. including, for example, child development specialists who can consult with kids, parents and teachers about normal, but varied developmental milestones regarding eyes/vision/neurological processes at various stages as the child grows. lots of kids are quickly put in the learning disability category when its just a developmental/eye thing that a good consultant can test for in two seconds. presentation of the material needs a little adjustment and then the kid can get (properly see) what you are trying to teach. 
 
we&#039;ve learned these &quot;little&quot; things about reading through parent education classes at our montessori school. these are the little things that truly make a big difference. 
 
so maybe coaches are critical (we use volunteers - parents or anyone in the community who has an interest in working with kids on a one on one basis with reading). and maybe other aspects of reading are also critical to continually look at, evaluate, and bring into the schools.

TechPyle

[quote="Yzarctoo, post: 667202"]Parents should be willing to pay a little to have their students play sports...Education in Schools should be for learning...math, reading, science, history etc. As a former teacher I have seen an annual school athletic budget 3 or 4 times larger than that for an academic budget...one of the reasons I have been given from my superiors..."sports bring in money." (I always thought if they bring in the money why do they need to pull from the limited school budget that most School Boards give to schools...why not let them pay for themselves.)[/quote]
 
 
Is there any way to get the total outlay of sports programs to compare it to the total income generated by the programs? That would include the cost of coaches and support personell. Maybe the taxpayers association could look into this?

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Yzarctoo">Parents should be willing to pay a little to have their students play sports...Education in Schools should be for learning...math, reading, science, history etc. As a former teacher I have seen an annual school athletic budget 3 or 4 times larger than that for an academic budget...one of the reasons I have been given from my superiors...&quot;sports bring in money.&quot; (I always thought if they bring in the money why do they need to pull from the limited school budget that most School Boards give to schools...why not let them pay for themselves.)</blockquote> 
 
Is there any way to get the total outlay of sports programs to compare it to the total income generated by the programs? That would include the cost of coaches and support personell. Maybe the taxpayers association could look into this?

momof2kids

[quote="Tootsie, post: 667665"]I wonder what the decision was based on? was it not effective? do they have something else planned for improving reading education? Everyone knows the importance of reading so I wonder what the school system is doing to make sure all students have every opportunity to develop good reading.  well, hopefully the teachers are skilled in teaching reading, but they need all the resources they can get. including, for example, child development specialists who can consult with kids, parents and teachers about normal, but varied developmental milestones regarding eyes/vision/neurological processes at various stages as the child grows. lots of kids are quickly put in the learning disability category when its just a developmental/eye thing that a good consultant can test for in two seconds.  presentation of the material needs a little adjustment and then the kid can get (properly see) what you are trying to teach.

we've learned these "little" things about reading through parent education classes at our montessori school.  these are the little things that truly make a big difference.

so maybe coaches are critical (we use volunteers - parents or anyone in the community who has an interest in working with kids on a one on one basis with reading).  and maybe other aspects of reading are also critical to continually look at, evaluate, and bring into the schools.[/quote]

From what I have heard it is based on cutting money from everywhere in the district.  There are 6 coaches for the entire district which are shared throughout the district.  They are getting cut down to 2 coaches to share throughout the district.  I believe the coaches are the coordinators of the reading programs in the schools and there are people under them that help the students.  I could be wrong, but this is how it sounded to me. 

There are also cuts being made to the supplemental positions as well.  (yearbook, web site maintenance on school levels, math, science, language arts - staff gets extra pay to take care of extra things at the school).

These are just a few things that will be cut.  It's scary the changes that are being made.  Unfortunately parents don't know how to get involved to make changes.  In my case I work nights so I am never able to make the drive to the School Board Meetings which are an hour away from my house anyway so I always feel like I can't do much because my participation in the meetings in non-existent.  I do what I can at the school level to help though.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Tootsie">I wonder what the decision was based on? was it not effective? do they have something else planned for improving reading education? Everyone knows the importance of reading so I wonder what the school system is doing to make sure all students have every opportunity to develop good reading. well, hopefully the teachers are skilled in teaching reading, but they need all the resources they can get. including, for example, child development specialists who can consult with kids, parents and teachers about normal, but varied developmental milestones regarding eyes/vision/neurological processes at various stages as the child grows. lots of kids are quickly put in the learning disability category when its just a developmental/eye thing that a good consultant can test for in two seconds. presentation of the material needs a little adjustment and then the kid can get (properly see) what you are trying to teach. 
 
we&#039;ve learned these &quot;little&quot; things about reading through parent education classes at our montessori school. these are the little things that truly make a big difference. 
 
so maybe coaches are critical (we use volunteers - parents or anyone in the community who has an interest in working with kids on a one on one basis with reading). and maybe other aspects of reading are also critical to continually look at, evaluate, and bring into the schools.</blockquote> 
From what I have heard it is based on cutting money from everywhere in the district. There are 6 coaches for the entire district which are shared throughout the district. They are getting cut down to 2 coaches to share throughout the district. I believe the coaches are the coordinators of the reading programs in the schools and there are people under them that help the students. I could be wrong, but this is how it sounded to me. 
 
There are also cuts being made to the supplemental positions as well. (yearbook, web site maintenance on school levels, math, science, language arts - staff gets extra pay to take care of extra things at the school). 
 
These are just a few things that will be cut. It&#039;s scary the changes that are being made. Unfortunately parents don&#039;t know how to get involved to make changes. In my case I work nights so I am never able to make the drive to the School Board Meetings which are an hour away from my house anyway so I always feel like I can&#039;t do much because my participation in the meetings in non-existent. I do what I can at the school level to help though.

[quote="momof2kids, post: 667727"]From what I have heard it is based on cutting money from everywhere in the district.  There are 6 coaches for the entire district which are shared throughout the district.  They are getting cut down to 2 coaches to share throughout the district.  I believe the coaches are the coordinators of the reading programs in the schools and there are people under them that help the students.  I could be wrong, but this is how it sounded to me. 

There are also cuts being made to the supplemental positions as well.  (yearbook, web site maintenance on school levels, math, science, language arts - staff gets extra pay to take care of extra things at the school).

These are just a few things that will be cut.  It's scary the changes that are being made. [B] Unfortunately parents don't know how to get involved to make changes.  [/B]In my case I work nights so I am never able to make the drive to the School Board Meetings which are an hour away from my house anyway so I always feel like I can't do much because my participation in the meetings in non-existent.  I do what I can at the school level to help though.[/quote]

IYO are there enough parents interested enough to get involved if they knew what to do?  
I'd be willing to do a workshop on advocacy for free if parents would show up and then follow through on making a difference in the reading, writing, arts, etc.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="momof2kids">From what I have heard it is based on cutting money from everywhere in the district. There are 6 coaches for the entire district which are shared throughout the district. They are getting cut down to 2 coaches to share throughout the district. I believe the coaches are the coordinators of the reading programs in the schools and there are people under them that help the students. I could be wrong, but this is how it sounded to me. 
 
There are also cuts being made to the supplemental positions as well. (yearbook, web site maintenance on school levels, math, science, language arts - staff gets extra pay to take care of extra things at the school). 
 
These are just a few things that will be cut. It&#039;s scary the changes that are being made. Unfortunately parents don&#039;t know how to get involved to make changes. In my case I work nights so I am never able to make the drive to the School Board Meetings which are an hour away from my house anyway so I always feel like I can&#039;t do much because my participation in the meetings in non-existent. I do what I can at the school level to help though.</blockquote> 
IYO are there enough parents interested enough to get involved if they knew what to do? 
I&#039;d be willing to do a workshop on advocacy for free if parents would show up and then follow through on making a difference in the reading, writing, arts, etc.

[quote="goodwitch58, post: 667362"]and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?[/quote]
 
That is not what I said. 
 
However, this is where the parents of the students who need reading coaches need to get the word out, because the rest of us have no other way of finding these things out.  I am glad that WZEP reported it, and even more proud that someone heard/read it and posted it on SoWal.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue.
 
As far as parents contributing toward the athletic programs, what leads people to believe they don't already?

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="goodwitch58">and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?</blockquote> 
That is not what I said. 
 
However, this is where the parents of the students who need reading coaches need to get the word out, because the rest of us have no other way of finding these things out. I am glad that WZEP reported it, and even more proud that someone heard/read it and posted it on SoWal. Otherwise, I wouldn&#039;t have a clue. 
 
As far as parents contributing toward the athletic programs, what leads people to believe they don&#039;t already?

[quote="ShallowsNole, post: 667813"]That is not what I said. 
 
However, this is where the parents of the students who need reading coaches need to get the word out, because the rest of us have no other way of finding these things out.  I am glad that WZEP reported it, and even more proud that someone heard/read it and posted it on SoWal.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue.
 
As far as parents contributing toward the athletic programs, what leads people to believe they don't already?[/quote]

SN,  I didn't say you did say that.  there was a ? at the end.  I was asking for your opinion, or for some reason why this happens.
Do parents contribute to the school athletic program?  
I am trying to get enough information to understand why cutting 6 reading coaches who apparently work with the entire school district down to 2 for the entire district, is okay, but cutting anything from the athletic program is not okay!

Just as not using volunteers to staff the Coastal Branch library so some of those students might go do their homework and research and writing reports on Saturdays...was okay too.

I just think the priorities are misplaced.  But...

The info I have is about the reading coaches is from WZEP, and I have no idea whether it's accurate or incomplete...trying to find out from the school system is difficult. and takes forever..so, if you have more information that can shed some light on the matter, can you share it with us and maybe some effort could be made to help keep the reading program more active.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ShallowsNole">That is not what I said. 
 
However, this is where the parents of the students who need reading coaches need to get the word out, because the rest of us have no other way of finding these things out. I am glad that WZEP reported it, and even more proud that someone heard/read it and posted it on SoWal. Otherwise, I wouldn&#039;t have a clue. 
 
As far as parents contributing toward the athletic programs, what leads people to believe they don&#039;t already?</blockquote> 
SN, I didn&#039;t say you did say that. there was a ? at the end. I was asking for your opinion, or for some reason why this happens. 
Do parents contribute to the school athletic program? 
I am trying to get enough information to understand why cutting 6 reading coaches who apparently work with the entire school district down to 2 for the entire district, is okay, but cutting anything from the athletic program is not okay! 
 
Just as not using volunteers to staff the Coastal Branch library so some of those students might go do their homework and research and writing reports on Saturdays...was okay too. 
 
I just think the priorities are misplaced. But... 
 
The info I have is about the reading coaches is from WZEP, and I have no idea whether it&#039;s accurate or incomplete...trying to find out from the school system is difficult. and takes forever..so, if you have more information that can shed some light on the matter, can you share it with us and maybe some effort could be made to help keep the reading program more active.

Busta Hustle

With all due respect I truly can not figure out how the school board is out of money after how much they collected from 2000 to 2007 alone. 
 
Where does it all go? free lunches? transportation? lost by bad investments? over spent on building? paying for legal defense?

With all due respect I truly can not figure out how the school board is out of money after how much they collected from 2000 to 2007 alone. 
 
Where does it all go? free lunches? transportation? lost by bad investments? over spent on building? paying for legal defense?

I just read in the WZEP News Summary that at the School Board meeting, the recommendation was to reduce the reading coaches, but not any athletic cuts...

[QUOTE]reduce the number of reading coaches from 6 to 2 and reduce the amount of summer pay by 30%...

 Board member Bill Laird said they can?t cut the summer athletics positions without hearing from the public.[/QUOTE]

Interesting priorities..wonder if any member of the public will be concerned enough about reducing the reading coaches to contact Mr. Laird.

I just read in the WZEP News Summary that at the School Board meeting, the recommendation was to reduce the reading coaches, but not any athletic cuts... 
 
<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="">reduce the number of reading coaches from 6 to 2 and reduce the amount of summer pay by 30%... 
 
 Board member Bill Laird said they can?t cut the summer athletics positions without hearing from the public.</blockquote> 
Interesting priorities..wonder if any member of the public will be concerned enough about reducing the reading coaches to contact Mr. Laird.

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Schools to Reduce Reading Coaches

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