Editorial: Start anew on school cutbacks

Friday, April 20, 2001 | 10:10 a.m.

It is an understatement to say that the Clark County School District needs to rethink some of the budget cuts that are being bandied about. One ludicrous proposal has been the suggestion that students be forced to pay to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports and band. Some of the students who need such positive outlets the most also come from families who may not have the means to pay for their child's involvement.

Athletics, music and other extracurricular activities are incredibly important for children. Indeed, in a nation where children are much more out of shape than they were in the past, it's inconceivable to reduce spending on athletics. It's bad enough that physical education during school hours has been scaled back dramatically from its role in previous decades, but requiring children to pay for after-school sports adds insult to injury. For that matter, making students pay for band, which would lead to less participation, also would be wrong. Music not only teaches an appreciation for the arts -- which hardly gets enough support in our schools as it is -- but the ability to read music also can translate into better math skills since many of the same comprehension concepts are used.

Allowing just the students of parents who are financially secure to participate in extracurricular activities strikes at the heart of what public education is all about. Public education is supposed to be for all children -- not just for the well-off. Besides, common sense tells us that all children who are involved in supervised after-school activities are less prone to get into trouble.

Admittedly, the Clark County School District has been put in a tough spot since the Nevada Legislature so far hasn't shown the leadership to provide enough funding to allow the schools to offer the kind of quality education that students deserve. The Clark County School District already has cut $50 million over a two-year period, but trying to save $7.6 million by eliminating extracurricular activities should be avoided.

While the School Board should go back to the drawing board regarding these proposed cuts, more importantly the Nevada Legislature should stop sitting on its hands and provide enough new funds for our schools. This doesn't mean, however, that legislators should just shift funding from social service programs, which provide vital services, to restore the education budget. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not an option.