House Bill Would Limit UIL Athletic Programs

[hanginangus]

Why does the government need to tell the school district how to spend their money?

 

Until districts decline the $12 billion dollars the state provides public schools, they will have to continue to follow state directives and mandates.

[Coach Rab]

Why does the government need to tell the school district how to spend their money? We elect a school board to make those decisions for our district. If our school decides our kids need new uniforms, then they can authorize that expense. If the school decides that the athletic budget needs to be cut in order to keep more teachers employed, then so be it. I don't need some jerk who visits my town twice a year to tell my district how to spend our dollars. They already make us give it away to other districts, stop telling me how to spend it.

 

 

The school boards and supt.s are failing. That is why.

 

But this legistlation wouldnt hold up against the Texas Supreme Court if it went that far. It takes the Obama method and forces independent "buisnesses" such as the schools and tells them what to do with their money. I think for anything like this to happen, the "Independent" part will have to vanish and we start having Texas School District Region 1-A, etc etc. Which can be done if we keep with our socialist laws etc. And as someone mentioned above, go out and vote and know what you are voting for. We voted in a Democrat as president... That I'm not upset about. But we voted in a Democrat with views that mock Socialist leaders and ideals. Now these same views are creeping down into our state governments? Get these people out of office!

[dobiegillis]

it is the republican controlled texas legislature and governor that got us into this mess, in texas. put the blame where it belongs

[Dawgman]

Mavgrad you do realize you are talking about TX and most of our Reps. and Senators, Gov and Lt Gov are Reupblicans. This is not a Democrat or Republican problem. I would say a common sense problem.

[StaggerinSam]

Sorry, this was meant for SHSUgrad. Not you Big orange.

 

Just so everybody knows I was joking if they cut sports I'll be picketing in Austin right along with many others!

 

 

The problem is not really with anyone getting mad. The problem lies with your moronic view. Yet another person blaming athletics for budget shortfalls. Have you considered the ramifications if we allow non-certified people to come in a coach our kids like a rec league?

 

A couple of points:

1. Most coaches already coach another sport some even coach 3
2. Anyone who is in favor of #9 is an absolute idiot. A volunteer can not offer the same dedication and time it takes to prepare kids to play. Plain and simple. We don't allow non-certified teachers in chemistry class and they should not be allowed on the field/court either.

[Coacher25]

[A couple of points:

1. Most coaches already coach another sport some even coach 3
2. Anyone who is in favor of #9 is an absolute idiot. A volunteer can not offer the same dedication and time it takes to prepare kids to play. Plain and simple. We don't allow non-certified teachers in chemistry class and they should not be allowed on the field/court either.

Well put

[Eagleborn]

Anyone who is in favor of #9 is an absolute idiot. A volunteer can not offer the same dedication and time it takes to prepare kids to play. Plain and simple.

 

Well then Im an absolute idiot because I think our "volunteers" do a pretty darn good job.

[76827]

The biggest problem with volunteers in public schools will be student safety. If it happens it will be a liability issue for the school district, the state and that individual. There will be lawsuits. There always are.

How will a school district be able to defend an uncertified volunteer when someone gets seriously injured?

[hanginangus]

Currently you do not have to teach or be certified to coach in Texas. You simply must be a full time employee of the district.

[StaggerinSam]

Well then Im an absolute idiot because I think our "volunteers" do a pretty darn good job.

 

 

Thought better of you Eagleborn. So your telling me that volunteer coaches would be just as good as what we have now? Forgive me but "pretty darn good job" doesn't cut it. I don't think I'm alone here.

[StaggerinSam]

Currently you do not have to teach or be certified to coach in Texas. You simply must be a full time employee of the district.

 

And there in lies the problem. This needs to be changed.

[Eagleborn]

Thought better of you Eagleborn. So your telling me that volunteer coaches would be just as good as what we have now? Forgive me but "pretty darn good job" doesn't cut it. I don't think I'm alone here.

No... Not saying that volunteer coaches are just as good...

 

Saying our two more than hold there own as coaches.. They may be the only ones though..

[Guest 4to3]

And there in lies the problem. This needs to be changed.

 

 

I doubt my summer baseball coaches would have agreed with you on this. They certainly knew more about the game than my HS coach did. That might be more of a problem than being certified is. How can you coach the game, in this case baseball, if you never played it? Just because your certified?

[StaggerinSam]

I doubt my summer baseball coaches would have agreed with you on this. They certainly knew more about the game than my HS coach did. That might be more of a problem than being certified is. How can you coach the game, in this case baseball, if you never played it? Just because your certified?

 

 

I think your missing the point. Coaching goes a lot deeper than just knowing the game, albeit very important. Being a certified entails health and safety of the kids, properly dealing with parents and administrators, UIL rules and regulations, and a ton of other stuff that takes time and experience.

[Guest 4to3]

I think your missing the point. Coaching goes a lot deeper than just knowing the game, albeit very important. Being a certified entails health and safety of the kids, properly dealing with parents and administrators, UIL rules and regulations, and a ton of other stuff that takes time and experience.

 

 

On the contrary. BTW, you help make my point when you talk about safety. If you never played the game, how do you teach the safety mechanics of the game?

[StaggerinSam]

On the contrary. BTW, you help make my point when you talk about safety. If you never played the game, how do you teach the safety mechanics of the game?

 

That I did. However, on the subject of allowing volunteer coaches into the school system we are going to have to agree to disagree. I feel the negatives far out way the benefits......if there are any.

[KarnackKing]

That I did. However, on the subject of allowing volunteer coaches into the school system we are going to have to agree to disagree. I feel the negatives far out way the benefits......if there are any.

 

 

I've always thought that if volunteers want to coach, just bring your degree, get certified, teach a couple of classes and coach. This allows you to see your athletes during the day, teach them a lesson or two in the classroom, and then work them in practice after school. Creates respect and builds lasting relationships. I hope it's not a degree, money or being certified that keeps amazing volunteers away from our profession. If so, they aren't doing it for the kids.

 

 

Living the Dream

[Coach Rab]

Mavgrad you do realize you are talking about TX and most of our Reps. and Senators, Gov and Lt Gov are Reupblicans. This is not a Democrat or Republican problem. I would say a common sense problem.

 

 

I wasn't throwing this at democrats. I was throwing this at our government trying to be Socialists.

 

(1) You can't allow school districts to be "independent" then attempt to control their money, even if you give it to them.

(2) This legistlation looks like one of those smoke screen bills thrown out there where his people complain about something, so I'll write this and when it gets rejected I'll say "I tried" and get re-elected.

 

The solutions are easy from an educators point of view. Give education enough money to run properly. But the TX government can't look at it that way... if we take away to money we have for roads, limos, airplanes, and personal escorts, what would we do then?

 

Dallas ISD is doing something perplexing to me. They are laying off 1-3rd year teachers. But keeping the older ones. Why?

Fire the ones that don't teach. Fire the ones that are only there to coach a sport. I had coaches as teachers in schools that I did not learn a single thing, well I did learn alot about Braveheart, Shrek, and Pochahontas. I had an English class in High School where we were assigned to read a book, but our tests were only over the movies. For Shakespeare, we watched the Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio. Why aren't these teachers being laid off?

 

Whatever, I could go on about this for days... but education doesn't really matter right?

[TheLastWord]

So you would rather have kids be fat?

 

 

i dont think cutting sports would make kids fat...they wouldnt be cutting p.e. just sports. and no, i do not think they need to cut sports.

[Coach Rab]

So you would rather have kids be fat?

 

 

i dont think cutting sports would make kids fat...they wouldnt be cutting p.e. just sports. and no, i do not think they need to cut sports.

 

There has been talk in the past about cutting PE and keeping all sports after school to save money. But most Coaches are PE teachers so it is a fail idea, although it wouldnt be a bad idea to give them a year or 2 to get certified to teach something else.

 

The way we are going, music, pe, health, and almost all electives will be cut at some point. So schools will be reduced to learning what we "have to know".

[tappy]

I've always thought that if volunteers want to coach, just bring your degree, get certified, teach a couple of classes and coach. This allows you to see your athletes during the day, teach them a lesson or two in the classroom, and then work them in practice after school. Creates respect and builds lasting relationships. I hope it's not a degree, money or being certified that keeps amazing volunteers away from our profession. If so, they aren't doing it for the kids.

 

 

Living the Dream

 

What is your "profession"? Teaching or coaching? If you are a teacher then teach during the day and you "volunteer" as a coach. That would be the perfect situation. Save the state money and keep "certified" coaches on the court or field. After all you are doing this for the kids.

 

How many Head Coaches out there that doesn’t teach a class? What lesson or two are they teaching in the classroom?

 

First time I have seen "volunteers" used with such negative overtones.

 

 

[KarnackKing]

What is your "profession"? Teaching or coaching? If you are a teacher then teach during the day and you "volunteer" as a coach. That would be the perfect situation. Save the state money and keep "certified" coaches on the court or field. After all you are doing this for the kids.

 

How many Head Coaches out there that doesn't teach a class? What lesson or two are they teaching in the classroom?

 

First time I have seen "volunteers" used with such negative overtones.

 

 

 

 

I am a teacher/coach. Played in high school,played in college and got a degree and certification that would allow me to do what so many others inspired me to do. I worked my tail off to get to the position that allowed me to do what I love, and I get paid well for doing it. I'll never be a rich man, but I make enough to provide for my family and for "my kids". I go to clinics, listen to speakers, study the game and try to improve my coaching abilities everyday, so that kids can be successful and I can hopefully do for them, what a coach did for me years ago. So, if we are talking about cutting coaches and allowing volunteers that get off work somewhere and attempt to do the job I do, replace my passion and dedication, then I have an issue with that. What is your "profession"? Can I do it for free? I like what you do, I can save your employer money, let me take a swing at it. I may do okay at it, and besides if I mess up, no big deal, didn't cost you anything. And besides, if I'm not very good at it, I can always go back to my real job and not lose a thing. So, until you are in my position, don't take money out of my pocket, make my children suffer, and make me work 65-75 hours a week and get paid for 40 of them. There's a ton of head coaches that don't teach. They don't need to. They do their work for the district every minute they are there. I've seen what they do everyday and they have loads to do.

[GetEmGetEm58]

I am a teacher/coach. Played in high school,played in college and got a degree and certification that would allow me to do what so many others inspired me to do. I worked my tail off to get to the position that allowed me to do what I love, and I get paid well for doing it. I'll never be a rich man, but I make enough to provide for my family and for "my kids". I go to clinics, listen to speakers, study the game and try to improve my coaching abilities everyday, so that kids can be successful and I can hopefully do for them, what a coach did for me years ago. So, if we are talking about cutting coaches and allowing volunteers that get off work somewhere and attempt to do the job I do, replace my passion and dedication, then I have an issue with that. What is your "profession"? Can I do it for free? I like what you do, I can save your employer money, let me take a swing at it. I may do okay at it, and besides if I mess up, no big deal, didn't cost you anything. And besides, if I'm not very good at it, I can always go back to my real job and not lose a thing. So, until you are in my position, don't take money out of my pocket, make my children suffer, and make me work 65-75 hours a week and get paid for 40 of them. There's a ton of head coaches that don't teach. They don't need to. They do their work for the district every minute they are there. I've seen what they do everyday and they have loads to do.

 

Thank you sirr.. Someone finally made a real knowledgable post without talking about kids getting fat or the government political parties destroying everything.. Coaches coach for the kids no doubt, but they also coach because they get extra money to support their families while doing something they love.. Everyone knows that teachers and coaches will never be "rich" so why would you ask a coach to put in all those hours away from his family as a volunteer and take even less money for it.. It's about the kids, but at some point your own family and financial situation has to come into play..

[Coach Rab]

Can I do it for free? I like what you do, I can save your employer money, let me take a swing at it. I may do okay at it, and besides if I mess up, no big deal, didn't cost you anything. And besides, if I'm not very good at it, I can always go back to my real job and not lose a thing.

 

I love this. It simplifies what volunteer coaches think. I've actually heard many of this said by volunteers in the past.

 

So, until you are in my position, don't take money out of my pocket, make my children suffer, and make me work 65-75 hours a week and get paid for 40 of them.

 

This is my chance to say that as an athletic trainer, this is how we get paid. We get teachers pay + a small stipend at most schools. At Marshall, we got hosed by being forced into administrative pay. We work 65+ hours a week, as do most coaches, for pay that doesn't really compensate what we really work. And we are forced into 12 month contracts in most cases. Coaches, well the good ones, are up at the school 11 1/2 months of the 12 each year. They only get paid for 10 of them plus 10 days in most cases. Do they do it because they have to? Heck no, they do it because they love it. They want to be good at what they do. You break down the days and hours a teacher/coach works, as well as an athletic trainer, compared to a teacher and the pay per hour is significantly in favor of the teacher. "Oh, but I have papers to grade at night!" Well, so does the coach who teaches anything but PE.

 

Just my dollars worth :)

[StaggerinSam]

I love this. It simplifies what volunteer coaches think. I've actually heard many of this said by volunteers in the past.

 

 

 

This is my chance to say that as an athletic trainer, this is how we get paid. We get teachers pay + a small stipend at most schools. At Marshall, we got hosed by being forced into administrative pay. We work 65+ hours a week, as do most coaches, for pay that doesn't really compensate what we really work. And we are forced into 12 month contracts in most cases. Coaches, well the good ones, are up at the school 11 1/2 months of the 12 each year. They only get paid for 10 of them plus 10 days in most cases. Do they do it because they have to? Heck no, they do it because they love it. They want to be good at what they do. You break down the days and hours a teacher/coach works, as well as an athletic trainer, compared to a teacher and the pay per hour is significantly in favor of the teacher. "Oh, but I have papers to grade at night!" Well, so does the coach who teaches anything but PE.

 

Just my dollars worth :)

 

 

Any teacher that "has to grade papers at night" isn't doing their job efficiently.