Physical Education, Extracurricular Sports Suffer Under Budget Strains

Poorly maintained baseball fields are one symptom of school district budget cuts that are affecting athletics and physical education programs throughout the state.

By Ryan Hurley
WEAC PR/Communications summer intern

As school budgets suffer under revenue controls and increasing pressure from the ESEA, physical education classes, athletic programs, and extracurricular sports are becoming targets for school boards.

That's unfortunate, said Madison Metropolitan School District spokesman Joe Quick, because athletics and physical education programs in school play an intricate role in a student’s well-balanced education.

“For some students, athletics are the most important thing they do in high school. It is the niche they find to find the success they need to get through high school and get the confidence they need,” said Quick.

But due to the impact of 11 years of revenue caps and, most recently, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – sometimes referred to as the “No Child Left Behind law – the cost of participating in athletics and attending school sporting events is increasing. At a time when the nation is struggling to address an obesity epidemic, some districts are cutting resources for physical education programs.

With its emphasis on getting students to pass standardized tests by bringing low-performing students to proficiency, the ESEA is forcing school districts to divert limited resources away from programs that are not tested, like physical education and extracurricular sports.

“In many cases athletics are a carrot,” said Kenneth Wagner, education consultant in the Department of Public Instruction’s Teacher Education, Professional Development and Licensing Division. “Student-athletes want to perform well in class to maintain eligibility in their sport.”

"Athletics and other after-school extracurricular activities provide a chance for students to spend time with their peers under the supervision of an adult," Wagner said. "Most parents strongly believe in the importance of these activities to a student’s life."

Yet school districts throughout the state are sacrificing physical education programs and athletics.

Under a budget proposal in New Berlin, the fee to play sports will more than double from $35 to $75, and physical education classes will grow to 35 students.

Neenah school administrators have recommended that girls’ gymnastics be cut, middle school football be cut back, and activity fees be raised from $10 to $35.

Administrators in Two Rivers are hoping to raise approximately $40,000 by nearly doubling activity fees for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Both Janesville high schools have proposed charging student-athletes a $50 fee to play sports. Currently there is no fee. Some school board members worry about a possible decrease in participation, especially for families with kids who play more than one sport. Janesville School Board member Tom Wolfe said, “I’d hate to sacrifice somebody’s ability to take a second or third sport.”

In some cases, increased athletic activity participation fees will prevent kids from playing a sport, said Chris Nelson, athletic director of the Madison Metropolitan School District. In Madison and other school districts, students from low-income families can obtain waivers from fees, he said. “Any student who wants to play can play. All the family has to do is say ‘we can’t afford it’.” But this will still prevent some students from participating because of factors such as pride and embarrassment, he said. “We do expect to see decreased participation in athletics.”

State law requires that school districts provide one and one-half physical education credits to graduate. But it does not mandate a class-size limit. The Madison school board recently approved seven teacher layoffs, five of which were physical education teachers. The board also increased the number of sections each physical education teacher teaches to cut costs.

Tom Grogg, a physical education teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Madison, said he is worried about his kids losing valuable instruction time. Physical education teachers have limited time to prepare for classes, he said. Students will also lose at least five minutes of “movement time” a class, and this might affect the health of the students who aren’t active on a regular basis, he said.

Nicole Mueller, health education director at Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, said physical education classes are important to those students who normally aren’t very active and rely on gym class for their exercise.

“Childhood is the time when we can make a big difference in both the child’s health and future health care costs,” Mueller said.

The WSDC’s events – Shape Up Wisconsin Kids and Fit Kids Challenge – work with children to promote a healthy, active lifestyle.

“We are fighting an uphill battle with school budget cuts, and physical education is being overlooked,” Mueller said.

Resource page on school funding
Gifted program cuts leave brightest students behind

Posted June 1, 2004