Budget Cuts, Concussions, Registrations, Oh My!!!

[Arbitrator]

Well the schools have enough money to send their AD's to a resort for a conference...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/7462961.html


Budgetary struggles highlight THSADA conference
By JOSHUA BUCKLEY
LEAGUE CITY- With school districts across the state facing major budget cuts, members of the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association met for their annual conference with a focus on finding ways to limit expenses.

The attending athletic directors said it was nice to see they weren't alone in their budgetary struggles.

"It's not that misery loves company by any means," Houston ISD athletic director Marmion Dambrino said. "But it is good to know and listen to ideas of how others are dealing with these budget issues. It's all about how creative we can become with what it is that we are doing."

The THSADA concludes its five-day conference today at the South Shore Harbour Resort Conference Center in League City. Items on the agenda included sessions with speakers from the American Athletic Institute, the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and the University Interscholastic League.

There were also leadership training classes, as well as appearances by Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak and Texas A&M football coach Mike Sherman.

Clear Creek ISD athletic director Bill Daws helped host this year's conference, along with CCISD Coordinator Debbie Fuchs. He said along with providing a few days of relaxing and entertainment, the hosts also wanted it to be an productive trip.

"We want everyone to get something from the conference, as well as relax and have a good time," Daws said. "We tried to get some interesting presenters and help come up with ways to conquer budget cuts."

Dambrino, attending her first THSADA conference since taking over as the athletic director of Houston ISD, said the sessions were informative for both new and experienced athletic directors.

"We have a tough road ahead," Dambrino said. "In this day and age, with budgets what they are, it is important for all of us to get thoughts and ideas from one another. Everyone here is extremely passionate about their jobs. We want to do the very best for the kids all the time, so we are figuring out ways to do that."

Among the solutions discussed were the purchasing of equipment, transportation, staffing and different ways of scheduling games and events.

UIL executive director Dr. Charles Breithaupt spoke on Tuesday about the attention athletics receive during budget cuts because of the publicity the programs receive. School boards also debate the stipends coaches receive when expenses have to be cut.

"I want to give them the message of hope," Breithaupt said. "Why things are bleak financially across the state and across the national, parents and kids still want to participation in athletic programs. Really, athletics are the biggest bang for your buck that a school district can get. Research shows that students who participate in athletics attend school more regularly, focus in the classroom and have fewer discipline referrals.

"Knowing all of that, what better program can you have than that at a school?"

 

Sounds as if  the  Good UIL Dr. is offering up commentary to primarily justify his own existence. It really makes one truly wonder if he got the AD's to pay for his green fees(among other things) at the Country Club there, much like he got TASO to shell out for it when he was on "friendly" terms with them? In any event, the monies used to pay for this ultra nice conference is no doubt taking away from the school districts and the teachers that they'll soon be forced to layoff!   

[James]

You guys get a nice gas subsidy there!
I finally got around to calculating $4 per gallon
That's $1.07 per liter - exchange rate today to Euro is $1 to 0.7206 Euro
so
1 liter costs 0.77Euro

My gas station this morning was 1.57Euro per liter - more than double.
To translate back for all you in the USA:
I pay
$8.25 per gallon

AND I can't get good BBQ here...

[MunichRef]

You guys get a nice gas subsidy there!
I finally got around to calculating $4 per gallon
That's $1.07 per liter - exchange rate today to Euro is $1 to 0.7206 Euro
so
1 liter costs 0.77Euro

My gas station this morning was 1.57Euro per liter - more than double.
To translate back for all you in the USA:
I pay
$8.25 per gallon

AND I can't get good BBQ here...

Well you could if you came to the right place.  got to come to Bayern (Bavaria) for your ribs/steaks/burgers... I make them just like I used to at home in Texas....

[504coach]

GEEZ Coby,

I thought putting every crew members picture in the book was the best idea the board has come up with in years.  PM me what I am missing.  Seems like a good idea to me.

[Cooter]

What kind of information is put with the official's photo?  Name, when started or just Division?  Any personal info like "real" job - just curious...

[Getting Fat]

"real job"?  My boss says I work as a hobby and officiate for a living...

[Welpe]

What kind of information is put with the official's photo?  Name, when started or just Division?  Any personal info like "real" job - just curious...

Name, Division, Experience, Education and Occupation

[Cooter]

Name, Division, Experience, Education and Occupation

Thanks! 

[BP1911]

On top of this my local chapter has decided to force every person on a crew to go take a freaking picture.  Not send in a picture but go across town to the meeting location on a Monday that was assigned to us and take a picture.  If you are too incompetent to take a quality picture and email it in then you should not be officiating.  It is going to be bad next year with pay and getting paid.  Get ready for it.  Please respond the discussion board has been dead and no one ever posts to my chapters board.

Yes a lot of the pictures looked awful.  My crew did not.  I went to each of their houses to take the picture with my good camera.  The point is if the crew does not care enough to take a quality photo that is on the crew.  Now I get to waste my first Monday of Spring Break traveling to the Campbell Center.  The whole process is what I am most upset about.  Throwing it at us with little time to adjust our schedules.  Who exactly thinks these pictures are a good idea?  If a crew does not care enough to buy a quality uniform it is on the crew.  Is the next thing going to be mandated uniforms supplied by the chapter?  

Not every chapter in the state has to deal with getting photos from 400+ Varsity officials like Houston for photos, so it maybe alot easier for them to do at their monthly meetings.  Yeah it may have been inconvenient but it was FREE!    If your time was more important than your money, then everyone had the option of pay from their own pocket and go to the photographer at their convenience.  

The problem that occurs is that when you view photo on your computer in Bitmap, Paint, etc it may look perfectly fine for those that took it by themselves last season, but when it goes to publishing it was totally distorted b/c the resolution was not correct.  So please don't seem as if officials are not professional enough to take proper photos, but with 400+ varsity officials you can not expect everyone to know how to use Adobe Photoshop in the correct resolution.  Maybe everyone doesn't have a "GOOD CAMERA" like yours.

And who thinks these photos are a good idea?......YOUR ELECTED BOARD.  If you don't like it run for a position next year.

Photos will be used for Roster Book, Uploads into ZBW, and talks of using same photos for TASO ID Cards.  There will be no need to every take photos again, unless you somehow get prettier next season and want retakes.