School Budget

[workman45]

Are you satisfied with the way the budget is spent at your childrens school or would you change it if you could. For example say more of a focus on academics and less on sports.

[workman45]

Sorry, just realized this should have been placed under education. I guess if it doesn't wither and die on the vine someone can move it later.

[Midtowner]

I think extracurricular activities are very important to schools. Sports, fine arts, etc. teach kids more than the "3 R"'s do often. When it comes to sports and fine arts, I don't think they get enough funding -- especially fine arts.

Originally Posted by workman45

Are you satisfied with the way the budget is spent at your childrens school or would you change it if you could. For example say more of a focus on academics and less on sports.

I honestly believe that more money should be spent on academics, and less on sports. I would much rather see my son graduate with honors, and go to college on an academics scholarship, than to have him barely graduate and go to college struggling to get his grades up so that he can play sports.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is great to be involved in extracurricular activities, however, I feel that getting a good education is the most important, so more money towards academics is the way it should always be.

[workman45]

Now why do I find it easy to believe that sports will get the lion’s share of the extracurricular activities budget?

When I was in school there were no chemicals or equipment for chemistry and we didn’t have enough typewriters, but we could afford an expensive new gym floor. Then there were all the years reading newspapers with letters complaining about academic funding stealing their child’s certain chance at a sports scholarship.

I originally wrote the question just to start a conversation but now realize it was prompted by a stronger feeling which asks, has this situation changed here in OK? So has it?

[Midtowner]

I've subbed in Edmond schools, and my mother teaches there, she teaches French and Spanish. They have internet computers in every classroom hooked up to TV sets, up to date computer labs, etc. My girlfriend teaches in the Mid Del system in what would be termed an "inner city" school. She teaches Humanities and Band in a mid-high. While her band program is very lacking in decent instruments, and the building is in horrible shape due to neglect, she also teaches humanities in a classroom, where not only does she have an internet computer, she's been given an Apple Powerbook to help develop her curriculum (end of large run-on sentence).

I don't think that academics are really underfunded. I think sports get plenty of $.

I think our fine arts programs are hurting though. In Mid Del, they don't even have strings programs in every school (something we had in Edmond). If you want to take a strings class, they bus you into one of the other Mid Highs from all of the other ones. It's still a small and underfunded program. I believe that's a different story here in OKC though. I'm told that they even have school-owned violins for some students. I had to rent, and later bought my instruments.

[workman45]

Thanks for the info Midtowner.