superman7515
March 16th, 2011, 04:48 PM
For football talent in Florida this could come as a significant blow...
High School Sports Finished in Jacksonville (http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-03-12/story/no-money-available-duval-high-school-sports-says-board-chairman)
For athletics in Duval County’s public schools, the end isn’t near.
It’s here.
No more Friday night football. No more sports of any kind.
That’s the harsh reality, according to Duval County School Board Chairman W.C. Gentry. Budget cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Scott make it a virtual certainty that the upcoming school year will be one without sports at any level, he said.
The Duval County School Board faces a $97 million shortfall. Gentry says that even with a substantial reduction in that figure, the days of the 51-year-old Gateway Conference are over.
This latest cut comes on the heels of three years of budget reductions.
“It’s a horrible situation,” Gentry said. “There’s no question we’ll have to do away with sports. We’re fighting just to preserve the accreditation of our schools. There’s no good news right now. We’ve been cutting for the last three years, so this isn’t a one-time hit. There simply isn’t anything left to cut that isn’t part of the core curriculum. It’s an ugly picture.”
Duval appears to be the only county in the state facing such dire circumstances, but the elimination would be felt statewide. Florida High School Athletics Association executive director Roger Dearing confirmed new district assignments in the majority of sports would have to be adjusted to reflect the loss of Duval schools.
“I haven’t heard of any other county considering the elimination of its athletic programs,” Dearing said. “I was a school superintendent for 16 years, so I understand the trauma schools are going through. My guess is that if Duval is losing $97 million this year that over the last four years, it has probably lost around $150 million. The classroom has to come first, but there’s so much value in athletic programs. This will really hurt the region there.”
High School Sports Finished in Jacksonville (http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-03-12/story/no-money-available-duval-high-school-sports-says-board-chairman)
For athletics in Duval County’s public schools, the end isn’t near.
It’s here.
No more Friday night football. No more sports of any kind.
That’s the harsh reality, according to Duval County School Board Chairman W.C. Gentry. Budget cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Scott make it a virtual certainty that the upcoming school year will be one without sports at any level, he said.
The Duval County School Board faces a $97 million shortfall. Gentry says that even with a substantial reduction in that figure, the days of the 51-year-old Gateway Conference are over.
This latest cut comes on the heels of three years of budget reductions.
“It’s a horrible situation,” Gentry said. “There’s no question we’ll have to do away with sports. We’re fighting just to preserve the accreditation of our schools. There’s no good news right now. We’ve been cutting for the last three years, so this isn’t a one-time hit. There simply isn’t anything left to cut that isn’t part of the core curriculum. It’s an ugly picture.”
Duval appears to be the only county in the state facing such dire circumstances, but the elimination would be felt statewide. Florida High School Athletics Association executive director Roger Dearing confirmed new district assignments in the majority of sports would have to be adjusted to reflect the loss of Duval schools.
“I haven’t heard of any other county considering the elimination of its athletic programs,” Dearing said. “I was a school superintendent for 16 years, so I understand the trauma schools are going through. My guess is that if Duval is losing $97 million this year that over the last four years, it has probably lost around $150 million. The classroom has to come first, but there’s so much value in athletic programs. This will really hurt the region there.”