Football and Academics

SUMMARY-Submitted to Abilene Reporter NewsHere comes football season as the budget gets reduced for special ed. The recent meetings for AISD faculty announce reducing the number of special ed teachers and special ed students. Football's funding is acquired differently than educational funding, but the Big Country’s support for football over academics is clear. AHS’ 2007 graduation ceremony speaker covered mainly football. AHS grads were going out into the world. Hopefully, they've been given more preparation than pep rallies.CHS football staff has fourteen members, CHS special ed. faculty has only thirteen. CHS’ football motto: "Where we go one we go all" should really include all. We must correct the focus of athletic values. Is it necessary to sacrifice future business executives, government administrators, and research developers for the game? There are other athletic programs, each with faculty. There are numerous learning conditions, yet the number of educational faculty decreases when compared with athletic staff. AISD boasts of ranking seventeenth nationally. Are we celebrating by minimizing education and maximizing athletics? I haven’t heard of changing the football budget. The disproportion of support here is already visible. Our nation already depends on others for producing our consumer's goods. Reports from our national center for education statistics look grim. What effort will we spend on young peoples’ academics? Get football tickets before they’re sold out. Express your academic support at AISD’s board meeting September 08, 5:30pm, AISD One Center (241 Pine Street). Emily BoyettCHS Alumni- Class of 99

BODYGet ready for another great football season! Abilene Independent School District is reducing the budget for special ed this year. The district’s in-service meetings for AISD faculty and staff have recently been about the changes for special ed in Abilene this fall. Among these changes include downsizing special ed faculty. Also, fewer special ed students will be able to have the specialized instruction they need. You guessed it, the number of special ed students allowed in special ed classes is being reduced. Fortunately for the students, there are several local citizens who recognize and are upset by these digressive changes. Unfortunately, the priorities and emphasis of our community, (in particular Abilene and Cooper High High Schools) are pulling far heavier for the athletics as usual. Take our favorite West Texas sport football as an example. Even though football's funding is acquired differently than that of educational funding, its easy to see what the Big Country supports. The administrative speaker at the AHS 2007 graduation ceremony spent the majority of this speech showing a football presentation and highlighting the football accomplishments of the year. These seniors were about to go out into the world, (not the world of football). Hopefully, they've been given a little more preparation than a bunch of football pep rallies. Are we all comfortable assuming our high school students and recent grads know that their chance of making a professional athlete is 20,000 to 1, and the end of that career will be at age 33? Jay J. Coakley is just one of many research sources who has pointed out such realities. But our AHS administration is not the only mislead leader.By going to the CHS website, anyone can find that Cooper High School's football staff alone have fourteen members, while the CHS special ed. faculty consists of only 13 members. It would be such a tremendous benefit to the football players as well as all of our students if the CHS football motto: "Where we go one we go all" really did include all. I appreciate the values that can be taught by athletics when its focus is kept in a healthy prospective. Physical activity is important in a day when our nation's youth are fighting the obesity statistics. But is it necessary to sacrifice this generation of future business executives, government administrators, technological and research developers for our love of the game? So far I have only talked about our overweight obsession with football. There are at least 13 other athletic programs with their own faculty members in each high school. There are hundreds of types of mental disorders, and still the number of special ed faculty keeps decreasing to far fewer when compared with our athletic leaders. I enjoyed athletics in High school here in Abilene back in my day. I support athletics still, as well as academics, ag, fine arts and the many praiseworthy opportunities available to the students here. The AISD homepage boasts a proud national academic ranking of number 17. Let me guess, we’re going to celebrate this next year by minimizing our education and maximizing our athletics. Honestly, I have heard nothing of changing the football budget yet, but the disproportion of funding and support in AISD is already quite visible, as before mentioned. Meanwhile the rest of our nation continues to slacken as well. We all know that the U.S. is not the world power we used to be. It is no wonder we depend on other nations for producing our consumer's goods. Nor should it surprise us that our national center for education statistics shows our 2006 international ranking as number 13. So instead of restating the obvious, I ask, how much energy and effort are we willing to spend supporting our young peoples’ academics and emphasizing the importance of learning for all AISD students (including special ed)? Get your football tickets before they’re sold out, and please express your academic support at the next AISD board meeting September 08, 5:30pm in the AISD One Center (241 Pine Street). Emily BoyettCHS Alumni- Class of 99