News: More on Proposed Athletic Budget Cuts

(Apr. 10, 2010) - Within the next several days, athletics could be dramatically affected in Loudoun County depending on how school board members vote on Tuesday regarding proposed cuts in the budget.

Here is a letter from one of the county's athletic directors, outlining the situation:

The Board of Supervisors has cut the LCPS Budget by $25 million. The proposed Tier 1 cuts that pertain to athletics are:

*ELIMINATING FRESHMEN SPORTS and JV LACROSSE--This is perhaps the most critical time to transition students into high school life and set them up for success throughout high school and beyond.

*ELIMINATING ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTORS--This will have a huge impact on every team at every level and every individual athlete. Athletic directors and assistant athletic directors currently work 12 hours days on average each (60 hours/week each). The impact of losing the assistant athletic director will be immeasurable.

*REDUCTION IN TRANSPORTATION FUNDING FOR ATHLETICS--Simply, we will not play as many contests as we currently do, cutting games by 33% on average.

*INCREASE IN ATHLETIC FEE
*ELIMINATION OF ASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINERS

The complete proposed budget reduction list is available at here.

Public Hearings are scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the School Administration Building. I would encourage you to speak to your school board concerning what matters to you. These two hearings are the communities' opportunity to speak regarding the budget. If you cannot attend, you are able to email the school board at lcsb@loudoun.k12.va.us.

Thank you for your support of athletics in Loudoun County.