Youth participate in the Caddo Parish Youth Football Skills and Drills Clinic at Lee Hedges Stadium in Shreveport, La., Saturday, July 13, 2024.
Youth participate in the Caddo Parish Youth Football Skills and Drills Clinic at Lee Hedges Stadium in Shreveport, La., Saturday, July 13, 2024.
The cost for our children to participate in school sports seems to be rising at a rate that is outpacing a rise in income for the average family. This leads some parents to ask questions like: “Doesn’t the school get funds to operate? Why am I paying to enter sports games when I already paid a sports fee?”
According to usnews.com, the Caddo Parish Public School System generates approximately $500 million annually. This translates into $6.6 million on instructions, $4.8 million on support services and $434.6 million on “other” expenses. I’d hope that some of the “other” includes bus maintenance and school building maintenance. According to caddoschools.org, there are approximately 37,000 students in the system. We charge most of them $20-$40 annually for “school fees,” and for those in sports there is an additional fee and for the thousands of family members that attend games, an additional $7-$10 per person per game.
I will say that I am very appreciative of Caddo Superintendent Keith Burton’s willingness to address my correspondence. A good leader is a reachable and responsive leader. While I have reached out to my school board member and city council member with no response, the superintendent seems to have a pulse on the problem and is even conducting listening tours now.
If the first time that you hear from a leader they are seeking your vote, don’t vote for them.
So where do we go from here? Contact your elected officials. Education is more than just lectures and memorizing data for tests. We need an environment for learning to surpass the school walls. Sports and extracurriculars are part of the learning process and educational experience.
TONY WILLIAMS
Shreveport
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