YMCA, PTO make right move to keep middle school sports
With the Hollister School District so short on funding and
facing continued cuts in the classroom, it makes a lot of sense to
begin the process of transforming the way students are offered
athletic opportunities.
The educational experience for our nation’s students continues
to decline, and San Benito County has been hit particularly hard
due to the state’s fiscal disaster and a local crisis with
enrollments plummeting in the city’s primary district.
YMCA, PTO make right move to keep middle school sports
With the Hollister School District so short on funding and facing continued cuts in the classroom, it makes a lot of sense to begin the process of transforming the way students are offered athletic opportunities.
The educational experience for our nation’s students continues to decline, and San Benito County has been hit particularly hard due to the state’s fiscal disaster and a local crisis with enrollments plummeting in the city’s primary district.
So despite the importance of sports and how they can teach children values about teamwork, commitment and competition, they must take a back seat to classroom activities that have a more direct impact on success or failure.
That is where the YMCA of San Benito County has entered the picture locally, and at just the right time. The YMCA has agreed to run the sports programs for Marguerite Maze Middle School, Calaveras School and Gabilan Hills School. It will function as a pay-to-play model that will cost most participants $100, while less-fortunate families can get breaks in the form of scholarships cutting the costs by 5 percent to 50 percent. Rancho San Justo Middle School, meanwhile, will run its sports programs through the parent-teacher organization there – as the superintendent had allowed each school to decide on the YMCA involvement or look into administering the programs on their own.
While $100 might seem like a lot of money, it is being assessed merely to ensure the YMCA breaks even in the first year. When you consider all of the costs for referees, coaches and janitorial work at facilities – the YMCA must cover that, too – it’s not that bad of a deal.
The bottom line is that despite the economic difficulties of the day, local children and families still have an abundance of opportunities for athletic programs in San Benito County. And the YMCA deserves credit for taking a lead role in ensuring those opportunities continue going forward.
The transition away from taxpayer-funded athletics must start now, as the education sector has a crisis on its hands that reaches far beyond the ability to pay for uniforms and coaches’ stipends.
