So, anyone else get their bill for $100 from Gatehouse yesterday for their kid's fall sports? I knew it was coming, but it still torques me off. This money is going to the General Fund, so that means you and I, parents of athletes, are subsisidizing FCPS's inability to manage a budget and the parents of the fat lazy kids get off scot free. Call it what you will, it's still a tax. And yes, I know, I could avoid it by pulling my kid out of sports, but that's not the point. I know these activities cost money and times are tough--I would have glady written a check to my son's school athletic department, beacuse at least then, I know I would be directly supporting sports, it's just the notion of having to send it to Gatehouse that really bother me.

Anyone know what would happen if you didn't pay it?

AnotherFrustratedFCPSParent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Anyone know what would happen if you didn't pay
> it?





Your son doesn't get to be turned into a jock douchebag.

We've been told it will come out of the school's activities budget, so not paying it will cost your school athletics budget in the end.

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AnotherFrustratedFCPSParent Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Anyone know what would happen if you didn't pay
> > it?
>
>
>
>
>
> Your son doesn't get to be turned into a jock
> douchebag.

LOL. Sounds like someone was always picked last in gym class.

Based on emails I got from the kid's schools in the past I imagine that it will be put on your kid's account which means that he won't be able to participate in graduation until it is paid off. What ticks me off isn't that Fairfax is charging for participating in sports, its that you have to pay the blasted fee and still have to participate in those idiotic fund raisers as well.

What's wrong with asking parents or the students to help pay for the costs of having athletic teams? Seems fair to me. You play--you pay. If the family cannot afford to pay, the school provides assistance to those families.


Most of these parents pay a lot of money for private coaches, etc. They can afford it.

Capt. Obvious Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> eesh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > AnotherFrustratedFCPSParent Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> >
> > > Anyone know what would happen if you didn't
> pay
> > > it?
> >

> > Your son doesn't get to be turned into a jock
> > douchebag.
>
> LOL. Sounds like someone was always picked last
> in gym class.



LOL HAHAHAHA LMAO HAHAHAHAHAHA You were probably one of those useless douchebags that got into college with an athletic scholarship and thought a 2.0 in business admin was going to land you a six figure job.

I agree, these whining parents can suck it. I don't have kids at all in public schools and yet I still pay for that. 53.5% of my real estate tax will go to schools in 2011, of which I get zero benefit. I pay many many times their paltry fee into the school system every year. The complainers can suck it, and after hearing the whining of this thread starter I'm not paying jack into boosters either.

It's only $100. Be glad your kid is playing sports,instead of sitting around texting and playing video games like most of the overweight, mindless kids today.

Parents have to pay the fee because of the dire state of the budget.

Except for the fact that half the schools pay announcers at football games. So basically your fee is going to pay announcers at games.

Sure they could get a dad to do it for free-but heck they have money to blow.

I get AnotherFrustratedParent. Knowing this County, any money that goes to the "Gatehouse" or the "General Fund" might as well be money thrown down a dark hole and never seee, much less accounted for, again.

I haven't gotten the bill yet but I'm waiting for it. I'm not happy with paying the fee. My taxes are high enough that there should NOT be a fee, aka...TAX. There are so many services in the schools yet I feel like the schools are only forcing a fee on some of the services like athletics and a few others. If there is no way around these "fees" then lets make it fair, charge a $100.00 fee to every student that gets enrolled in school. In addition to that, reduce Dr. Dale's $400.000+ salary and put the money where it belongs, w/ the students. These salaries are ridiculous that the exec's and school board members in FCPS are getting!!!!!

Why should they charge every kid $100 when not every kid gets to be on these teams? If any kid who wants to be on the team gets to be on it, then I would say, yes, every kid pays the $100! As it is, my taxes have to pay for YOUR kid to be on the team while my kid gets ZIP. My kid can't go out and play on the field because YOUR kid is monopolizing it! And I pay the same taxes that you do! How is that FAIR????

$100 is a bargain by the way!! It costs WAY more than that for other activities in the school---like marching band (hundreds of dollars). It costs $75 just for the band class fee (and that doesn't include the $50 tux rental fee for performances). You athletic parents are real whiners. In most countries the teams are not associated with the schools---they are club sports outside of school and school is for (gasp) learning academic subjects.

They should reinstate the payment for the AP/IB exams before they even begin to think about sports fees. At least those classes are academic in nature (and I think that's why schools exist).

Get over yourselves.

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LOL HAHAHAHA LMAO HAHAHAHAHAHA You were probably
> one of those useless douchebags that got into
> college with an athletic scholarship and thought a
> 2.0 in business admin was going to land you a six
> figure job.


The scars run that deep, eh? Get over it. It was high school. Move on. And no, no athletic scholarship for me.

This is a pretty dumb post. What FCPS should do is to publicize how much money they spend on these sports. Then they should show how much the $100 fee covers as a percentage of the money they spend on sports. I bet it is not covering even half. In fact, a lot of people would be appalled at how much money is spent on sports. That means that "Gatehouse" is still ponying up for your beloved kids to play sports (taxpayers that is). So stop complaining. Your kid is still being heavily subsidized by taxpayers. Just call it welfare for jocks. How long do you think the taxpayers will want to pay for your sports? When the trade off is sports or laying off teachers, I think most people will want to keep the teachers (which benefit all the students---not just some). Start saving.

"The scars run that deep, eh? Get over it. It was high school. Move on. And no, no athletic scholarship for me."

I'm sure you'll get over this fee soon enough. Move on.

teachers, books or sports? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a pretty dumb post. What FCPS should do
> is to publicize how much money they spend on these
> sports. Then they should show how much the $100
> fee covers as a percentage of the money they spend
> on sports. I bet it is not covering even half.
> In fact, a lot of people would be appalled at how
> much money is spent on sports. That means that
> "Gatehouse" is still ponying up for your beloved
> kids to play sports (taxpayers that is). So stop
> complaining. Your kid is still being heavily
> subsidized by taxpayers. Just call it welfare for
> jocks. How long do you think the taxpayers will
> want to pay for your sports? When the trade off
> is sports or laying off teachers, I think most
> people will want to keep the teachers (which
> benefit all the students---not just some). Start
> saving.

Here is what the county pays for and it's a short list: Transportation to and from away games. officiating crews, and coaches' salaries. That is it. The teams themselves raise money for everything else. Trust me , nobody pays for announcers or anything else; it is all done by volunteers. You people that whine because your kids can't play sports shouldn't whine about the money. I'm sure the band, theater, and chess club heads get paid too.

"Here is what the county pays for and it's a short list: Transportation to and from away games. officiating crews, and coaches' salaries. That is it. The teams themselves raise money for everything else. Trust me , nobody pays for announcers or anything else; it is all done by volunteers. You people that whine because your kids can't play sports shouldn't whine about the money. I'm sure the band, theater, and chess club heads get paid too."

The band pays for its own transportation to and from festivals and competitions. The theater likely does not have much transportation. I am pretty sure the chess club has to pay their own transportation. There are no "officiating crews" or "coaches' salaries". I am pretty sure they would be happy to pay their own way fully (if they are not close to that now) if you sports people would pay your own way. You see---your way is expensive---do you get that? That's why they put the fee on you and not on the band or chess club or theater!! Duh! If those other activities cost the taxpayers so much, why didn't they put a fee on them? Oh, now don't tell me that those people have more political clout than athletic parents. Band and orchestra actually saves the county money because they have 70 or 80 kids in a class and that helps the teacher:student ratio (they don't have to hire an extra teacher for an elective). They are not extra curriculur---they are actual classes during the day.

Paid announcers at these schools:

Centreville, Chantilly, Fairfax, Falls Church, Hayfield, TJ, Lake Braddock, Langley, Lee, Mt Vernon, Robinson, South Lakes and Woodson.

Just ask the school's AD

Just about every president the last 70 years played college sports. Well, Clinton didn't he was a band wally - you can have him. Like it or not sports is pretty important in developing young people.

I heard the money is collected by an outside source so I am sure about a fourth of the money goes to them . I am going to pay it but I will not have any extra money for fundraising or buying food at the game.

"Just about every president the last 70 years played college sports. Well, Clinton didn't he was a band wally - you can have him. Like it or not sports is pretty important in developing young people."

Aaah. That explains why "W" was such a bad president. No sports in college. Or was he a golf star?

Just about every president in the last 70 years came from a family that could afford to pay athletic fees (maybe except for Clinton, but I guess his family could afford the band fees so they must not have been too poor).

The total FCPS budget for all high school activities is about $20 million. Almost all of it goes to pay for bus transportation to and from games, coach stipends, compensation of high school Directors and Assistant Directors of student activities and their secretary, plus 4 or 5 people at Gatehouse who supervise these activities.

In FCPS, teachers who sponsor the non-athletic activities rarely receive stipends for their time, and the students involved in these activities usually pay all or almost all of the costs associated with their activity. Model UN, for example, can be very expensive. The teams need a teacher sponsor, who generally is not paid for his or her time. When the teams participate in a conference, they generally don't get FCPS transportation and the students' families pay for the registration fees, which can be as high as $100 per student for a weekend. On top of that, the families pay travel costs to and from away conferences, for both their student and for a portion of the teacher sponsor's travel costs.

It wasn't possible to save much money by cutting the FCPS budget for non-athletic activities, because they get almost no money now. And, it's worth noting that FCPS is stingier than some other school districts in this regard, or at least that was true in past years. For example, Loudoun and Arlington County public high school debate teams received enough money to pay coaches, while FCPS debate teams generally received no money from FCPS and the coaches, if any, were teacher volunteers.

But, FCPS also isn't particularly generous with its high school sports programs. Parents write checks for team spirit packs, which are fundraisers for their children's teams to pay for uniforms, equipment, etc. Parents write checks to pay for the cost of their child to travel to away meets. Parents write checks and sell food at concession stands or sell other merchandise to raise money for their high school athletic boosters, which buy athletic equipment, pay for field maintenance, and more.

Now here is the kicker. Many of the teams get little or no financial support either. When one of mine played on the Freshman team (not football), they had hand me down uniforms from JV, they provided their own equipment, coaches salaries were paid by JV and varsity coaches taking a salary cut, officials were volunteeers and parents provided transportation. The kids participated in the fund raisers just like the others on JV and varsity, as did the parents. I figure the team made money on us that year.

However the scraps provided in sports were more than what that kid got from the other activities.

Before there was a participation fee, each of my kids paid $200-300 dollars every season for every sport they played for overpriced but cheaply made t-shirts, shorts, sweats, hats, away jerseys. warm-up suits, shoes, etc., etc., etc.

How can the SB expect families on low wages to afford these seasonal fees and the $100 per season.

Oh, I'm sorry, participation in extra-curricular activities is only for the very rich. I get it now.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2010 12:31AM by Thomas More.

Thomas More Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Oh, I'm sorry, participation in extra-curricular
> activities is only for the very rich. I get it
> now.

If a family can't swing $100, junior should be concentrating all efforts to academics anyway if there is any hope for a scholarship. I've got news for you... if here-and-there fees for $100 bother you, the here-and-there $1000 fees in college aren't going to be better, just sayin'.

Even without the $100 fee, there were few "poor" kids on these teams. Those kids have to get part-time jobs to help out the family---no time for sports. I would not cry too hard for those kids---they may be the ones who end up on top anyway because they are learning very important life lessons that the sports kids are not learning---how to survive and thrive on "real teams".

The public does not have to support sports teams on top of everything else that taxes need to pay for. If you look at what is going on, you will see that soon we may not have enough money to fix the roads that the kids travel on to get to these events. The Post today had a story about a dam that failed in Kingstowne. They are not planning to fix that dam. What other infrastructure is not being maintained while kids play sports? Sorry, but we are in "hard times". My dad lived through the Depression and he had to work to pay for his books. Yeah, it was tough I am sure, but he probably could have been president anyway---even without sports. I think he learned a lot. We all think money and brand new uniforms are everything.

The way to get rid of this new fee(tax) is get rid of the Board that has mismanaged the budget for the last 4 years. The election is November 2011. Show up and vote them out. Complaining here will do no good.

My guess is the schools will be going the way of the airlines, as that model seems to be doing very well generating revenues. Implement one fee, then add another, and add another. The $100 athletic fee and AP/IB fees are probably just the start. If only we had some idea and control over where the extra money went.

This thread started because someone asked what would happen if they didn't pay their fee. Although the fee is supposed to go into the General Fund, if they don't pay it, the amount not paid comes out of the school's activities fund, therefore making less available to fund the athletics. In essence, you pay into one budget line item, but the costs of not paying come out of another.

The $100 athletic participation fee probably wouldn't irritate parents if it went to cover the costs of athletics - those able to pay would be willing to do so. But this fee goes to the General Fund - and there is no guarantee that any of it will come back to specifically cover any part of the costs of athletics. And if you have a couple kids in high school playing a couple of sports each, you're not talking $100 - it's $400 extra dollars going into a black hole.
And then we have the AP/IB test fee of $100. So if you have a couple of kids in sports with a couple of AP courses each, you can tack on another $400 in fees, for a total of $800.

When my child entered high school, I had no idea how much WAS NOT covered for athletics - I just thought it was like when I was in high school many moons ago in another state. I wasn't aware that the teams had to buy their own uniforms, helmets, equipment. We have teams that have used the same uniforms for 12 years and are finally getting new ones - through their fundraising and donations - the school budget is not covering it. And sometimes teams are forced to buy things, as when helmet or uniform standards change, and they need to replace all these items for the freshman, JV and varsity teams because the league requires the new standard - I know these standards have affected at least 3 sports at our school in the last 3 years.

Buying food at the concession stand, spirit wear and participating in fundraisers helps teams operate by helping to provide new uniforms, updated helmets, and equipment for the teams. It helps to pay to operate and replace things like refrigerators and grills in the concessions stands and to provide donations to the activities office to help cover things like lights, field maintenance, scoreboard and sound system repair and replacement, and install new gym floors. And probably much more. The payment of the fee doesn't support any of these things.

There are many other activities at schools where parents have to provide money for their kids to participate - athletics is not alone in this. But at least those parents know their fees are going directly to support their activities.
Although our finances are very tight, I'm willing to pay the fee - just would like to know that some (not necessarily all) part of it comes back to benefit the athletes.

I support this fee. Why shouldn't the groups/kids who essentially hog the fields pay for use of them? I can't count how many times I would walk up to the elementary school field to play catch or whatever game with some friends when I was a kid and some team was using the field. Theyre using it when others can't so they SHOULD pay.

Oh, it's just a short itty bitty list Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Here is what the county pays for and it's a short
> list: Transportation to and from away games.
> officiating crews, and coaches' salaries. That is
> it. The teams themselves raise money for
> everything else. Trust me , nobody pays for
> announcers or anything else; it is all done by
> volunteers. You people that whine because your
> kids can't play sports shouldn't whine about the
> money. I'm sure the band, theater, and chess club
> heads get paid too."
>
> The band pays for its own transportation to and
> from festivals and competitions. The theater
> likely does not have much transportation. I am
> pretty sure the chess club has to pay their own
> transportation. There are no "officiating crews"
> or "coaches' salaries". I am pretty sure they
> would be happy to pay their own way fully (if they
> are not close to that now) if you sports people
> would pay your own way. You see---your way is
> expensive---do you get that? That's why they put
> the fee on you and not on the band or chess club
> or theater!! Duh! If those other activities cost
> the taxpayers so much, why didn't they put a fee
> on them? Oh, now don't tell me that those people
> have more political clout than athletic parents.
> Band and orchestra actually saves the county money
> because they have 70 or 80 kids in a class and
> that helps the teacher:student ratio (they don't
> have to hire an extra teacher for an elective).
> They are not extra curriculur---they are actual
> classes during the day.


I am a retired professional musician. Some of my bona fides: played in Army Band, played with a symphony orchestra, played in jazz bands, dance bands, ensembles, taught privately (all paying gisg). I was also in a high school band. I have to say that public shcool band had the absolute least to do with my professional career, if anything it was detremental. As a class in school it was a waste of time. My modest success was only because I took private lessons from exceptional teachers and practiced on my own for hours a day. And, don't get me started on the idea of a "marching band" playing symphonic music! That is an abomination, it sounds terrible and has nothing to do with performance excellence. The amount of money devoted to band programs is greatly disproportionate to the benefit derived. I know, the school does not shell out the money for uniforms, band trips, etc. But the resources devoted to that endeavor are resources that could be put to much better use.

I firmly believe the benefit that students get from organized athletics is much greater than any band program. Granted, there are a lot of jocks that are jerks, but look music programs there is an inordinate number of real whackos involved, both the kids and adults.

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> LOL HAHAHAHA LMAO HAHAHAHAHAHA You were probably
> one of those useless douchebags that got into
> college with an athletic scholarship and thought a
> 2.0 in business admin was going to land you a six
> figure job.

It WILL land you a six figure job. You just have to realize that some of the figures are to the right of a decimal point.

Keep in mind that as more and more schools get the turf fields, their field maintenance budget will also go up.

They cost about $750,000 and last for 10 years. The annual maintenance is about $35k which boosters and/or school's activities funds have to pay for.

Is it worth it?

Look into the "untouchables" Dr. Dale keeps glossing over in the budget. Teachers get one heck of a double retirement in Fairfax (State & County).

And by the way, some kids don't play organized sports but aren't fat or lazy.

Your argument is always better when you don't throw in an (ignorant) insult for those that might have listened to you/agreed with you/took your argument seriously otherwise.

"This thread started because someone asked what would happen if they didn't pay their fee. Although the fee is supposed to go into the General Fund, if they don't pay it, the amount not paid comes out of the school's activities fund, therefore making less available to fund the athletics. In essence, you pay into one budget line item, but the costs of not paying come out of another."

And where does the money that is in the school's activities fund come from? Isn't this all county taxpayer money anyway?? It makes sense that the county would charge the school for kids who don't pay. That way the school can later collect that money and keep it (the school is basically the collection agency). The school is the level at which things can be withheld based on nonpayment (like withholding a locker or eventually a diploma until fees are paid). The county can't do that. This is simply the only way that payment can be forced. The money is all county money anyway and the school will eventually get it because people do want their lockers and diplomas. This argument is not going to make the fee go away.

A few words on the Athletic Fee:
* To Taxpayers/Home Owners - One of the biggest factors affecting the value of your property/real estate investment is the local public schools. The first question home buyers typically ask; whether they have kids or not; is how are the local schools. School quality impacts local home values. Your tax dollars are at work whether you currently have children in school or not.
* Benefits of Athletics - Student Athletes typically have higher GPA's than non athletes. In a study regarding the benefits of High School Athletics by the Wharton School, it was found that 15 years after participating in high school sports, athletes earned on average 15-19% MORE than their non-participant peers. That figure held true regardless of race, sex or socio-economic circumstance.
* What does Fairfax County contribute to sports? Not much! The county pays for transportation, stipends and officials. Everything else is paid for by those fundraisers.
Attachments:

While high school athletics are nice to have, I doubt that house values will be affected much by these fees. These fees are being put in place all over the area and throughout the whole US as the economy deteriorates. There is no place for people to move where the costs they pay for public services are going down. School quality is going down in many other ways that have much more impact than athletics.

I would also submit that school athletics in and of themselves may not be the reason for the 15-19% increase in earnings of people who participated in high school sports. It may very well be that those who participate in sports may earn more for other reasons that cannot be controlled for in such a survey. They may be healthier to begin with (you are comparing them to everyone else---people born with physical disabilities and so on) and their state of increased health may be the reason they were chosen to be on teams in high school to begin with (and why they earn more later---health is a factor in ability to work). Such a survey is not scientific by any means. It does not mean anything. Maybe they should be compared to people who did not play sports, but who were on debate teams or went on foreign exchange programs or whatever else (and see who makes more money).

The memory of playing high school sports lasts a lifetime. I say pay the money and be happy that your kid is athletic enough to play high school sports. I do howver agree that the money should go to the sports program and not the general fund

>* Benefits of Athletics - Student Athletes typically have higher GPA's than non athletes. In a study regarding the benefits of High School Athletics by the Wharton School, it was found that 15 years after participating in high school sports, athletes earned on average 15-19% MORE than their non-participant peers. That figure held true regardless of race, sex or socio-economic circumstance.<




If your kid is going to make 15-19% more in the future because of the benefit he/she got from playing sports in high school, just ask him to repay you that $100 fee (add interest of course). If you can afford a computer and high speed internet each month---which I assume you have since you are on this forum---you can probably afford the $100 fee anyway. It costs way more to be in Babe Ruth or SYC sports.

Anybody notice the trends here? Most of the posts here can be divided into two groups.

Group #1 has no problem with the athletic fee.

Group #2 objects to having to pay a fee that goes into the general fund, arguing that it should go into an athletic fund.

Bill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anybody notice the trends here? Most of the posts
> here can be divided into two groups.
>
> Group #1 has no problem with the athletic fee.
>
> Group #2 objects to having to pay a fee that goes
> into the general fund, arguing that it should go
> into an athletic fund.

Group #3: Fuck high school sports.

So now you are paying a fee for your kid to play. Should it be like youth sports where everybody plays?

We get charged to use toll roads in this society. Some people can pay and others have to use the "less nice" roads. School sports is sort of the same. Some people can use the nice fields and be on the team and some will have to jog around the neighborhood and play "pick up" games in the 'hood. Plenty of great players have come out of the 'hood so I wouldn't dismiss their ability to move up. Don't worry. We'll be okay. If someone from the 'hood is a great player, a sponsor will be only too glad to pay the fee.

I saw a kid a few years back who was the star player of the high school soccer team---he was a refugee from Sierra Leone and had nothing. The other kids' parents had bought them the $200 (and up) fancy soccer shoes. This kid was in Salvation Army shoes and making the goals. The other kids were so embarrassed that they collected $ and bought him a new pair of expensive shoes. If they were against putting out money for their sport, I don't think they would have helped him. Sports will not die.

If you can't afford it get a real job! You have to pay more than that to play SYA or CYA sports................

Re: FCPS Athletic Participation Fee
Posted by: Get A Job ()
Date: October 10, 2010 03:16PM


If you can't afford it get a real job! You have to pay more than that to play SYA or CYA sports................

I am thinking if you take into consideration how much you pay in taxes, lets say a 2 income family with 2 children making between $120,000-$150,000 a yr. (which I think might be on the high side) for a normal middle income family...you probably are wondering why the county needs more money. I dont see it being a problem with most people if the money went into a sports fund rather the general fund where it is rationed out for god only know what. At least if you knew that the money was being put towards the athletics, even if it is just a drop in the well it would not be such a tough pill to swallow. So I think it is a tad bit more than your youth sports.

If the sports fund helps pay for SYA, CYA, Babe Ruth, Little League, etc. sports, I'm all for it. If we can just put $100 in there too and all of our kids get to play for only $100, then yes, let's do that. Let's have a countywide sports fund that is separate from the FCPS funds and is used for sports for all kids in the county. This would include school sports and intramural type sports as well. Let's do it!! Get FCPS out of the sports business entirely. This would be a very fair system.

Change is good Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the sports fund helps pay for SYA, CYA, Babe
> Ruth, Little League, etc. sports, I'm all for it.
> If we can just put $100 in there too and all of
> our kids get to play for only $100, then yes,
> let's do that. Let's have a countywide sports
> fund that is separate from the FCPS funds and is
> used for sports for all kids in the county. This
> would include school sports and intramural type
> sports as well. Let's do it!! Get FCPS out of
> the sports business entirely. This would be a
> very fair system.


All youth sports have there own fees. How could you even begin to attempt to rationalize the inter-mingling?

Wouldnt have to pay the fee if government could manage money, but they cant, that is why you have to pay a 100 bucks, crappy management.

Fairfax County is one of the wealthiest counties in America and the tax revenue should be able to cover these costs if properly managed. I have 2 boys playing high school football. Not only is there the athletic fee, we have been asked to contribute $120 per child for pre-game meals, sell mulch and spirit wear and write letters to family and friends soliciting donations.

I was an athlete in high school and college (walk on – no money involved). My parents basically just showed up for the competitions and paid for concessions if they wanted a drink or snack. Times have changed …for the better???

whatever is good for a president is good for everyone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Just about every president the last 70 years
> played college sports. Well, Clinton didn't he was
> a band wally - you can have him. Like it or not
> sports is pretty important in developing young
> people."
>
> Aaah. That explains why "W" was such a bad
> president. No sports in college. Or was he a golf
> star?
>
> Just about every president in the last 70 years
> came from a family that could afford to pay
> athletic fees (maybe except for Clinton, but I
> guess his family could afford the band fees so
> they must not have been too poor).


He played baseball in college. Try again

justsayin Wrote:

> If a family can't swing $100, junior should be
> concentrating all efforts to academics anyway if
> there is any hope for a scholarship. I've got
> news for you... if here-and-there fees for $100
> bother you, the here-and-there $1000 fees in
> college aren't going to be better, just sayin'.


Good point but I dont think thats what most people dont like. Its seems that most peoples problem with the fee is that the money goes to the general fund instead of to their kids sports team or even the athletic department in general. By putting it in the general fund its just a way to beef up the budget as opposed to a legitimate athletic fee associated with playing the sport

You are ignorant Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Here is what the county pays for and it's a short
> list: Transportation to and from away games.
> officiating crews, and coaches' salaries.


I guess the fields and maintenance on them are free? The bleachers were free? $100 is joke compared to the actual costs. Schools need to figure out how much ANYTHING non-academic costs and send the parents a bill. That's sports, band, everything.

Wake up Fairfax.

We pick up the tab for the illegals---it costs twice as much for ESL instruction.

Of course those of us here legally and paying taxes should pay the sports fee.