About 700 coaches, students and parents rallied last night inthe gymnasium at Robinson Secondary School to save Fairfax Countyschool sports from budget cuts.
'Our season is short enough as it is,' declared Joey Beard, anAll-State basketball player at South Lakes High School, inprotesting cuts reducing the sports schedule by 25 percent. 'When wetell other teams how many games we play, it's going to beembarrassing.'
Many at the rally, from high schools across the county, saidthey came out last night out of anger. Many said they thoughtstudents would suffer from what has become a political battle.
'This is a political situation with the kids in the middle,'said Fred Priester, the girls' varsity basketball coach at McLean.'I don't believe any coaches believe this is a choice betweeninstruction and games. This is a battle between the School Board andthe principals.'
The crowd in the gymnasium got a promise from School BoardChairman Kohann H. Whitney (Centreville) to seek a compromise at aboard meeting tonight.
The rally, organized by the Fairfax County Athletic BoostersCommittee, protested a School Board vote to send assistantactivities directors at the 23 high schools back to the classroom toteach full time, thereby saving $450,000 in a tough budget year.
As a result of that vote, which required assistants to give upfree periods they had used to help manage activities, principals inthe Northern Region Council of the Virginia High School Leaguedecided to cut county competition schedules by 25 percent. A schoolwill have eight varsity football games instead of 10 and 15 varsitybasketball games instead of 20. District tournaments are to beeliminated for the next school year.
'What really hurts is the district tournaments,' said MitchSutterfield, who coaches wrestling and football at Fairfax HighSchool. 'Medals, trophies, banners, patches . . . that's whathappens at district tournaments . . . . There's the chance to getsome glory.'
Fred Morefield, the rally chairman, said it was organized 'tovoice our disapproval of the 25 percent cut. We're asking forimmediate reinstatement of assistant activities directors.'
Whitney told the crowd that the School Board has gone throughtwo years of devastating budget cuts and faces a shortfall of morethan $60 million next year.
At tonight's School Board meeting, Whitney said, she plans topropose increasing fees for adults who use school facilities toprovide money that would give assistant activities directors twofree periods to coordinate school activities. She said she also willask that principals consider raising game admission prices and workwith booster club members who might volunteer to help with theactivities.
Whitney said she would ask the Northern Region Council torevisit 'What we need to do is start working together.'
- Chairman Kohann H. Whitney its decision to cut the sports schedule. 'Unfortunately there hasbeen a lot of finger pointing between two decision-making bodies,'Whitney said. 'What we need to do is start working together.'
Fairfax is not alone in cutting school sports programs in thisrecessionary year.
In Prince George's County, school officials say they must cut$150,000 from their sports budget. That will mean eliminating somejunior varsity games and transportation for tennis, scrimmages andcountywide track and cross-country meets.
In Montgomery County, the school board eliminated $250,000 fromsenior high extracurricular activities. Larry Bowers, director ofmanagement, budget and planning for Montgomery schools, said schoolofficials are still trying to determine where those cuts will bemade. Elimination of ninth-grade boys basketball is one possibility,he said.
D.C. and Arlington school officials say there were no cuts madein their athletic budgets.
