Athletic Participation and the 1/2 Cent Sales Tax

GARY SHIFFRIN: This author cannot think of a more important vote than the recommendation to vote for a 1/2 cent surtax to benefit education.

Once again the voters of Brevard will have a choice to make regarding funding our public schools.

In November a referendum will be on the ballot to determine if the Brevard School System will receive much needed monies to promote the outstanding quality of excellence that takes place in our schools.

Of course, we recognize that there are two distinct sides as to whether the monies being considered are even needed.

This author is convinced that we cannot give our schools enough money to do the work they do and the mission they are entrusted to fulfill. One of those missions is provide a comprehensive education that not only includes the academics but also includes the arts, technology and extracurricular activities.

The purpose of this article is to focus on the value and importance of prep athletics, and the necessity to properly fund our athletic programs for our schools and athletes.

Before the voters step into the voting booth I would like to think they should be knowledgeable about what they are voting for. So as part of that knowledge knowing how athletics impacts our young people is important as one of the cuts due to lack of funds could very well be our athletic programs.

First of all, athletics contributes to the overall education of students.

Research indicates that prep athletics benefits our young people in so many ways. It enhances functioning and health of cardiovascular and the muscular system. It improves flexibility, mobility, and coordination. It increases stamina and strengths as well as improving the ability to maintain weight. Regular athletic participation will decrease the risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other related diseases.

Non participants are 49 percent more likely to use drugs and 37 percent more likely to become teen parents than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities. Participants have higher GPAs than non-participants.

Participants have lower absenteeism than non-participants and 75 percent of those who compete in athletics are “A” and “B” students in high school. The average dropout rate for athletics is approximately .6 percent compared to 10.32 percent by non-athletes.

Students who take part in more vigorous sports like soccer or football or skateboarding, do about 10 percent better in math, science, English and social studies classes. The mean graduation percentage for athletes is about 7 percentage points higher than non-participants. And 95 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs participated in high school athletics.

And so the voters of our county will go to the polls in November to cast ballots for many willing citizens who vie for public office. In addition, they will vote for many referendums that have been placed on the ballot.

This author cannot think of a more important vote than the recommendation to vote for a 1/2 cent surtax to benefit education.

As we found out a few years ago when the sales tax initiative was not successful, we had schools close down and programs were impacted. A list of potential cuts have already been drawn up and on that list is a recommendation to charge athletes to Pay to Play.

This could only be the beginning of cuts to athletics as less monies are available to maintain our facilities, pay our educators with salaries that they deserve for the amazing work they do, and to keep our programs which our awesome students need to compete in the world market.

With all this said, I hope that the importance of the value of athletics will compel enough people to go into the voting booth and mark YES for the 1/2 cent sales tax for our schools. A very small amount of money but the impact can have such a monumental impact on the lives of our young people!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Shiffrin retired in 2013 after a long and outstanding career with the Brevard County Public Schools that spaned 42 years, and several schools.

He was the principal of Merritt Island High for 10 years, and before that Shiffrin spent 14 years, 10 of them as principal, at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Merritt Island. For six years, he was assistant principal at Cocoa Beach High School.

Shiffrin served at Stone Junior High School for a year just after he had left Melbourne High School, where he started his teaching duties as an educator and coach.

Also a coach and athletic director, Shiffrin served as the commissioner of the Cape Coast Conference for 23 years and was the Space Coast’s representative on the FHSAA assembly. He was inducted in the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame last April.

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