Early votes greatly favored allowing the special schedules, but an outpouring of votes over the weekend turned things around, making the total 84 percent against granting the special schedules.
Comments on the matter, on the other hand, were more evenly distributed.
“With these tough budget times, we can’t afford to pay people not to teach,” one readers wrote. “Each class a coach gets out of teaching will have to be taught by somebody else, and we’ll have to pay that somebody.”
Another reader felt such an action would not be appropriate for the high school level.
“It’s bad enough that college sports is all about money these days,” the reader wrote. “Is high school sports next? Teams need to be led by teachers who coach, not coaches who don’t want to teach.”
Another reader felt there should not be any high school sports programs.
“The purpose of our schools should be to teach people, not create sports stars,” the reader wrote. “If you cut out all the new sports facilities being built in the school district’s building project — facilities that will just be replicas of what is already available in the community — you could save millions of taxpayers dollars.”
Others felt a good sports program is part of a high school education.
“People who don’t believe in high school sports simply are not being realistic,” one writer said. “I know personally of several young men who stayed in school just to keep playing sports. They have their high school degrees now — they’re not sports stars — but they wouldn’t have stayed in school without the sports program.”
Another reader felt it to be an issue of fairness.
“Our kids deserve the best,” the reader wrote. “If other districts in the state can afford to give their coaches special schedules, then why shouldn’t we?”
Jane Williams you may use my comments.
“The load of a coach is way too heavy,” wrote Jane Williams. “He should have a special schedule of no classes. You want a good team, give the coach time to do his work and help his players.
“I have 32 years teaching experience and I have a right to an opinion,” Williams continued. “All teachers need access to secretarial help. A coach has so many things relating to his work that he also need someone to perform routine tasks. A coach is usually a person who understands students and their needs, if he or she does not understand the needs he should not be hired. When he sees academic need of students, he should have time to encourage and listen to them.
“For all the money that the athletic program brings in I think that an alternative schedule should be provided. Other teachers have opinions and needs. That deserves a couple of pages in your newspaper.”
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