The sole purpose of this blog is my attempt to lucidly shed light on a few of Jurupa Unified School District’s (JUSD) proposed budget cuts and increases for the remainder of 2009 and 2010 school years. And as such, I hope to exemplify the detrimental effects of such plans in order to propel further debate amongst citizens to take action to protect their children – and their wallets! As a result of the approved State Budget headed up by the Governator himself, JUSD is proposing charging fees for bus transportation and cutting certain sports programs.
It is very important that I make the point that I have the utmost respect for the school district, those who work for it, and those who have directly shaped my experience both as a student and a young adult. My notion of the district’s budget crisis is not one of contempt, for I know that the budget cuts are a result of a bigger economic problem that the entire nation is enduring.
Why then is this issue important to me? Is it because I have children in the district? No. Is it because I am going to have children in the district any time soon? I sure hope not. Perhaps then, could it be that my family can not afford to pay for busing me back and forth? Well, it’s quite possible that this could be true if I was still in high school, but I have surpassed that part in my life. Why else? For many reasons I suppose, one being that I am a walk-on coach in the district and have been for the last four years; I also sub a few days a week when it does not conflict with my college courses; all of which have given me first hand experience in dealing with students and family members who would have a very hard time paying for their children to be bused to and from school. Overall, my concern manifests in the very reality that I am a Jurupa citizen who has not only attended K-12 here, but one who cares deeply about the overall high school experience of Jurupa’s youth. And, I am graduating in about three months with an English degree in hopes of conveying to young minds the greatest ideas ever written or said, and I hope, with inconceivable optimism, to do so in Jurupa. So, in the meantime, the days which precede my full time career in the classroom, I have been focused on transfixing teens in the district the realities of college as best I can on the days that I sub and the evenings that I coach. This is only possible if students have a reason, are motivated, and can get to school. The key point here is that our schools have all the intentions of preparing our students for the future – but there is no way that those goals will be achieved unless we can assure that students can get to school.
I have pondered the ways in which I can illustrate how vital free busing and sports programs were to me in high school. Thus, through nostalgic recollections, high school for me was six hours of tedious work that engulfed my life; a Monday thru Friday daunting reality of endless adolescent embarrassment; and – although it was free – a sticky, bumpy, bus ride that propelled all of this every morning. But then there was sixth period, where all that had seemingly gone wrong in my superfluous teenage life was erased for two hours where I sweated it out on the court. To this day, I tell my parents that if it was not for sports, I would not have graduated; I would not have made it to a four-year college; and, I certainly would not have been where I am today. And as such, if it was not for Mr. Tony, who honked every morning to get me out of my house and on that bus, I probably would not be here writing this blog.
Therefore, through a short narrative, I hoped I expressed that oftentimes “school” in of itself is not enough motivation for some students. Who knows exactly where I would be if it was not for free transportation to and from school, or basketball practice everyday after school? I do know that it certainly wouldn’t be a four-year university. Go Coyotes! The same applies to many of my players as well, of which I will discuss as this blog progresses.
I will continue to elaborate on this further in the near future where I can cite examples as to why I think that cutting certain sports and charging bus fees is completely infeasible in our school district. I hope this blog serves to rationally deliberate this topic, or any topic concerning budget cuts at the K-12 level for that matter. Please feel free to calmly state your claim, or rather, lash out if you wish! Stay Posted…
As a future teacher interested in coaching volleyball, I question just what school districts plan to do about the budget cuts in sports. Are they cutting all sports? And if not, who chooses which sports are going to be kept? Also, does the district know how much they are proposing to charge for busing? I know some San Diego districts are charging over $300.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I will tout the necessity of whole-person education. The role of the education system is not to spit out cookie-cutter students. The role of the education system is to impart necessary knowledge to students in an atmosphere where creativity (in all it forms) is fostered and utilized in the process of learning. Sports are integral to this role--as art art, music, home economics (which gives students practical knowledge that is sorely lacking in society), wood shop...the list goes on. Yet, with bureaucrats and NOT educators at the helm of the education system, things will proceed to spiral out of control.
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