IOLA ISD CUTTING SPENDING FOR MULTIPLE ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
Facing major budget cuts, Iola ISD is cutting spending for many of its athletic programs.
Several came forward during a recent school board meeting, complaining that the school’s budget isn’t allowing the school band to participate with the football team in September.
While Iola Superintendent Scott Martindale says the school band isn’t suffering cuts, parents were recently informed by the band director that the band will not be travelling to the football team’s three away games in September. This is to save on fuel and meal costs.
The Iola school board has offered to pay for fuel for those games, if parents can provide for meals.
According to Martindale, the proposed budget actually has an increase in band fees, but that does not take the band’s potential absences into account.
Martindale said this year’s budget has had every athletic program making sacrifices, with spending cut by around $95,000. He also noted every team pulls from the same fund for travel and meals.
Bottom Line – SCHOOLS are institutions of LEARNING – with LUXURIES like Athletic programs OK only IF the constituents can AFFORD them. Athletics are usually a PASSION of some individuals with little connection to actually getting an EDUCATION. Taxpayers have always unfairly been made to fund Athletics, even though many COULD NOT CARE LESS, about Athletics.
Agree, well said.
Just the beginning of these type of cutbacks for small town pubic schools. And if the current Texas legilature gets its way in using public school funds for private ( for profit) school vouchers, Friday night football will go the way of the dinosaurs.
Burton is on the path of going through the same thing if they don’t change and soon.
Lost Hope, I disagree based on what I’m seeing expand in academics. The buses they got are larger too, which will seat the band and team if needed.
And part of the reason the board rushed stuff was because of others throwing in distractions that took away from time to do More in-depth budget. (I thought timing odd, but likely coincidental).
It seems you and others have to find SOME reason to blame the superintendent, board or AD in every post regarding schools. I’m seriously wondering what your agenda truly is.
Our schools, especially the students,will be much better served with parents that have bought into the education and upbringing of their own children instead of the ISD (property tax payer) providing all. Iola’s a school with leadership that’s showing some wisdom with the fortitude to back it up.
Iola has an A in the school rating system.
My point exactly – thank you.
Not sure I can agree about the wisdom part here — is this the same leadership that installed a great big shiny new football stadium and sports complex for an itty-bitty school in an itty-bitty ‘town?’ And they’re having trouble finding money now, ten years later? The football stadium they had was nearly identical to the one Brenham currently enjoys, minus the field houses and the aluminum bleachers didn’t go up as many rows. Maybe an expensive new stadium complex wasn’t the best idea.