Editorial

Cool heads need to prevail when the school board meets Wednesday to hear a report from a committee charged with looking into the feasibility of adding football and volleyball to the curriculum in our school district.

The parents who are spearheading this effort have my admiration and respect. They have a passion, a goal, and they are pursuing it. Cheers to them!

Kudos to the school board for appointing a committee to look into the various aspects of the proposal so an intelligent decision can be made.

Champions on both sides of this issue have emerged and have spoken fairly eloquently through letters to the editor; my hat is off to each of them.

All viewpoints must be listened to and respected. We must agree to disagree agreeably– that is the bedrock of this community. Anything else is not acceptable.

It appears that not a soul on either side of the issue wants to do anything to jeopardize the programs already offered in this school district, whether academic or athletic. So, let’s keep that as the focal point.

The proponents of adding football and volleyball have the burden of proof on their shoulders. They must demonstrate that these programs can be added at no expense to existing academic and athletic programs and at no expense to already overburdened taxpayers. That’s a tall order.

It is rare to see a school district that hires, say, an English, history or math teacher, who can also coach (name your sport). So there is a precedent – but it makes at least some sense. Why would a district spend thousands of dollars, thousands of teacher/coach and student-athlete hours and thousands of taxpayer dollars on athletic programs led by individuals not qualified to coach those sports?

So we have to ask the question: Why would a district spend thousands of dollars and thousands of teacher/coach and student hours and thousands of taxpayer dollars on academic programs led by individuals not qualified to teach those courses?

There is a balance, and we must find it. If we do, it may be a first.

We are going to have to make choices. I don’t think it’s a matter of being able to have your cake and eat it, too – that’s the stuff of fairy tales and puppy dog tails.

So, let’s bring reason and cool heads to the table next Wednesday and in the days to come, and do what’s best for the students and taxpayers of this school district – whether that means adding football or volleyball, or not.

Mary Henkel Judson is editor and co-publisher of the South Jetty. Contact her at southjetty@centurytel. net, (361) 749-5131 or P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.