Thursday, June 23, 2011

CMS: Middle school sports are back

Here's the memo CMS officials sent to principals and board members today announcing that middle school sports won't vanish next year, as originally planned.


MEMORANDUM

TO:                 All Middle School Principals
                       
THRU:            Hugh Hattabaugh, Chief Operating Officer
                        Sue Doran, Interim Athletic Director

FROM:           LaTarzja Henry, Executive Director, Communications

DATE:            June 23, 2011

RE:                 Update on Middle School Athletics

ACTION:       Communicate middle school sports changes

Funding for middle school athletics was cut from the 2010-2011 budget. However, we were able to fund it in 2010-2011 using high school and middle school participation fees, a $1 surcharge on high school ticket sales and community donations. In the spring, it again appeared that middle school athletics would be eliminated because a portion of the participation fees in high schools were needed to pay for high school sports. This did not leave enough money to fully fund middle school sports.

Since then, the district has identified a way to fund selected middle school sports for the 2011-2012 school year. We will share our plans with the CMS community on Wednesday, June 29. The hybrid model offerings are:

o        Fall Season 2011:
§         Boys football
§         Girls cheerleading
§         Girls volleyball
o       Winter Season 2011-2012:
§         Boys basketball
§         Girls basketball
§         Girls cheerleading
o       Spring Season 2012:
§         Boys track & field
§         Girls track & field
These sports were selected based on high participation in recent years. They also meet Title IX requirements. For the 2011-2012 school year, softball, baseball, soccer and golf will not be offered. In order to ensure that principals and executive staff are informed, attached to this memo you will find:

  • Frequently Asked Questions: Please share this document with your athletic directors.

  • Sample Parent Letter from Principal: This letter may be tailored and distributed by principals to alert parents to the changes with back-to-school communications materials. Parents should not be informed of this change until the announcement is made on June 29.

  • Sample ConnectED Message: Principals are responsible for sending a ConnectED message at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29. A sample ConnectED message is attached.

In addition, principals need to:

·        Hire athletic directors and coaches, who are generally 10-month teachers receiving stipends but may also be non-faculty members receiving stipends only
·        Update the school website no later than July 14 to list only the sports to be offered 
·        Send a ConnectED message to families at 7 p.m. on June 29
·        Include a parent letter detailing changes to athletics in back-to-school communications material
This information will be released to the public at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29.

Thank you.

c:                      Executive staff
                         

15 comments:

CMSTeacher said...

No soccer?!?! It's one of the cheapest sports! All you need is a ball, some uniforms, and a field. Football is expensive (lots of equipment). This is ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Funded some but not all. How did they decide that volleyball was better than soccer? There will be much discussion about this one for sure.

Larry said...

Short term solutions to long term problems.

Not what we need to do.

This is a time for a real Education to take place in our schools and country.

Anonymous said...

GREAT!!! Cut my salary, make me work 5 extra days and now I will be on the 70/30 health insurance plan unless I begin to pay an insurance premium. Still get to see MIDDLE school sports.GREAT!!!

Anonymous said...

Glad to see, especially since bright beginnings was added back, but disappointed soccer not on the list.

Anonymous said...

2 opportunities for cheerleaders each year, but no opportunity for girls' soccer or girls' softball. How about some respect for the girls that want to get dirty and play a competitive sport. Not impressed with their cuts. How will all this play out with the late dismissal at many of the middle schools now....my MS will dismiss at 4:15 beginning this year.
I just assume they cut it all if this is how it is going to be.

Anonymous said...

My son can't play baseball for school, my daughter can't play softball for school.....but you cheerleader can have 2 opportunities to represent their school in a year....rah rah!
Just cut the MS sports right now. School Board will play this game every year

Anonymous said...

Gotta have those girls in their sexy skimpy uniforms cheering on the BOY'S Football and Basketball teams. Title IX should have 2 more boy's sport included since Cheerleading covers 2 seasons. Just thought they should KNOW the LAW!!

Anonymous said...

CHEERLEADERS .A high school athletic director may at the most teach TWO classes ,

Anonymous said...

I am a big proponent of the value of sport, but this is not justified in light of continued teacher lay-offs and high class size.
Ann, You should further research whether these choices comply with Title IX - a football team is much larger than volleyball or cheerleading unit for example.
Agree that no soccer or softball but 2 cheerleading units is absurd.
Who picked the sports??

Anonymous said...

Two is a grand fasade at some schoools. The A.D. is part of the A.P. position at schools across our country.This is a mute point with the reference to TITLE IX.It is no differenent than corruption in the FRL lunch program. Pick an choose now brings up another can of worms. GO CMS GO CMS GO CMS. What a MESS

Wiley Coyote said...

You get what you vote for and if you keep voting for the likes of Rhonda Lennon and the rest of her ilk, this is what you'll keep getting over and over again.

Pathetic how all of the angst over pay for performance is nowhere to be seen related to the fraud continuously perpetrated by Rhonda Lennon and the rest of the BOE regarding the school lunch program and how that fraud continues to translate into the pay to play scheme.

God forbid pay for performance but defrauding the government of which the BOE is a part of and a minority of parents who are forced to pay AGAIN for their kid to play a sport is somehow OK?.

Yeah yeah Rhonda, we know. You lamely said you know there are "problems" with the lunch program but like the rest of your cronies, you don't have the guts to put forth the effort your predecessor, Larry Gauvreau did to try and force the rest of the BOE (excluding McGarry) to vigorously pursue getting the USDA to allow CMS to conduct a full audit of the program.

Anonymous said...

It's funny to hear you all complaining about the sports program. I pay $8,000 a year in property taxes with no kids in public schools. Now I'm willing to pay to educate your children, but to listen to you all complain about not having your desired sports programs and extra-curriculars is over the top. Pay your own way if soccer and other sports are more important to you. I'm tapped out.

Anonymous said...

We complain about every decision the school board makes.We were outraged when they said no sports. Now we are fussing because it's only certain sports. Middle Scool student need sports!!!! My question for this is how will K-8 students participate. They don't have felds, tracks, or gyms that are equipped for Basketball or Volleyball games.

Anonymous said...

i must say there is many people upset about no soccer. but soccer is a VERY large sport and i cost alot to move the teams to other schools. they did volley ball and cheerleading because not many other sports girls play. they kept football because it feeds largley into high school sports and there are MANY soccer clubs around our area so they can play there if you want soccer