The last Elmore County Board of Education roadshow presenting education funding issues and priorities brought questions in Eclectic.
While parents were supportive of a new high school and understood how it might take a while because of funding, their issues were more immediate. Parents questioned superintendent Richard Dennis about support of band uniforms and instruments, an adequate wrestling practice space and coaches who do not teach.
Dennis said the system can aid in issues such as uniforms and equipment, it can’t fully fund them.
“You have the largest band program in the county here at Elmore County High School,” Dennis said. “Costs are a huge factor there. So what we're trying to do is provide funding to buy instruments that individual families can't afford to purchase for themselves.”
He pointed out the band program at Stanhope Elmore High School was the last band to get new uniforms in Elmore County. Dennis said the system aided in fundraising by the band program and its booster program to raise necessary funds. He said similar things can happen in Eclectic. Dennis said state funding only provides for one music teacher and the board of education most often supplements with extra funding to provide additional personnel.
Parents noted new fields were built for softball, baseball and football, which were completed mostly with funding from the Elmore County commission. He said between the projects in Eclectic and Holtville, the commission put in $10 million in funding and the school system only $1.25 million.
One parent questioned the condition of the old new gym used for practice by the ECHS wrestling program among other teams. She said the floor is covered with an old artificial turf that is covered in tobacco spit stains.
“They are wrestling on that,” the parent said.
Dennis said that is more of a maintenance issue and would have staff look at removing the material.
Another parent said some coaches are not available for their real job teaching.
“There is one who has taken on four or five things,” the parent said. “They are hardly in the classroom teaching. They are hardly available for education. What is the first mission of the school?”
Dennis asked the parent to take the issue up with principal Jason Eason and if necessary secondary schools director Dr. Jamie McGowan. Dennis said in eight years supplements have increased tremendously for athletics, fine arts and more, but getting more teachers is a state issue as well.
“We can only fund so many from the local level,” Dennis said. “It is the reason we have started looking at contract positions for some of the coaching.”
Taking coaching responsibilities off teachers could free up some teachers in coaching slots to have more time dedicated to classroom duties.