jason- another good point. Just like the millions they spent on the lunch room and now talking about open campus for more kids than just Sr's.
Anatomy, GYM ,home-ec,art-woods classes etc,language,and music-sports are all important to make your kids a well rounded adult. If they added some basic money skills this could help as well so we don't have so many dead beats and to stop the dead beat trend. They were speaking of adding more tech classes which I don't agree with because that is what Blachhawk is for!

I don't want to point out the obvious, but both high schools just received very large influxes of money from local tax referendums to upgrade - many parts of the school - including the gyms. They darn well better use them now.

TCB,
Officially, none.

However has run unsuccessfully as a Republican for state Assembly and state Senate.

Even if he is a true believer in the tea party Walker mythology, his loyalty to the agenda is appararent, and led to the assumption that his motives are political first, rather than serving the district.

Koch,

What state office is Sodemann running for?

Beautiful Sodemann! Your aspirations of using the school board as spring board for state offices may be realized. Keep up with the Patriotic demagoguery.
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." The goal of any educator - teacher OR coach - is to help the student develop skills to become a productive and responsible adult."

A goal is a goal but results are much better. Obama had many goals but look where he has taken this country.

In your case,I would advise my daughter not to take anatomy and physiology unless she plans to pursue medicine or any other health field. Too much forced curriculum on our kids by people who think they know everything.

I would say the goal of many educators is to dump/deposit as much trivial facts and events into students minds to help the principals make AYP (annual yearly progress) on WKCE testing, nothing else. That is the main goal.

Yet another well-meaning, ignorant idea proposed by non-educators. Extracurricular and school curriculum are separate things. They are rightfully treated as such. To the non-educator, they are one and the same. Educators know otherwise. We need to trust those who study their profession. What a waste of time with this idea that won't save a dime or improve the lives of young people.
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Recall Walker...this is where our energies should be.

I read books at home: can I get credit for english? I balance my mom's check book! can I get credit for math? I visit a museum once a month!!! Give me credit for social studies. Janesville = welcome to Alabama education.

I didn't think anyone would actually take me seriously

Great concept-for a generation that will get nowhere. Being an expert a social media, wikipedia, and online forums will not translate good into the workforce. Aside from the general academic gains learned at school, social skills and competitive nature are learned.

zdog - You are correct, school is an ancient practice of learning. Now with the internet we can learn anything, anywhere, anytime, and free. Of course there are some in depth things school should probably remain for...doctors for example.

Zdog-your theory is acctually somewhat valid. They exercise that in a few european and some former USSR countries. I know Cech is one that has something like this. Basically, students are tested from an early age. As they progress, students are filtered in classes and eventually into occupations that they are best suited for vs. Exposing them to new ideas and concepts and giving them free choice. It is ver economical and practical for their society and government. Unfortuanatly, I detest all socialism, communism, etc... So I would much rather stick with our current educational model.

Vatoloco...a conclusion or theory without supporting evidence is rubbish. Sadly there are lots of people like you out there that are out of touch with reality.

I don't care if you're an athlete or not, take the class. Big surprise, some kids like it some don't. Then they grow up and make up reasons why the see or don't see a value in having it and complain on a message board.
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there's arguments we could make that says kids don't like math, reading, science or English for that matter, let's just get rid of them.
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join the military as one suggested, at age 6 and STFU.
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or parent's enroll your kids directly in trade schools, learn a trade, and get in the work force.
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school has no place in society any longer, it only exposes kids to things in life we might not want them to learn or experience, we should be able to limit those experience down to nothing and everyone will have their futures mapped out for them by their parents pocket books.

Bad arguement on the miltary thing vatoloco, your taxes pay for that too. and the military is also full of people who don't want to exercise. they join to get money.
and... focus on the essentials? I guess you mean what's essential to you. ever listen to the radio? that artist took music. ever look at a picture, that person took art. ever have your car fixed? your house worked on? that kid took shop. That nice meal at a nice restaurant? some type of cooking etc. get my drift, senior tunnel vision?

"I think there is a definate correlation between people that are anti phys-ed/athletics with people that either had bad experiences/failed to try/never were pushed/never reached their full potential/never succeeded/etc... Phys ed is a fundimental cornerstone of education."

More gibberish and rubbish.

This article has spawned 2 seperate arguments. The first one is non-sense (every school thread on here ends in the cutting programs debate). The second is relative to the article-allowing students involved in sports to opt out of 1/3 of their phys-ed which would allow them to pick up more academic credits.

I think there is a definate correlation between people that are anti phys-ed/athletics with people that either had bad experiences/failed to try/never were pushed/never reached their full potential/never succeeded/etc... Phys ed is a fundimental cornerstone of education. Why stop there, we should get rid of all art and music programs. They are useless in the real world. How bout history? Don't need that to get a job. People that make these arguments either don't have kids, kids have left the house, or generally don't want to contribute anything. I think this idea is great because it will free up teaching time, saving taxpayers money on uneed expense. I'm not sure what schools have now for Phys ed teachers, but we had 3 fulltime teachers and 1 assistant at my highschool. A plan like this would not only have enabled students such as myself to pick up an extra semester credit of something else, but could have probably eliminated one of the full time teaching phys-ed positions, saving taxpayers anywhere between $30k and $60k a year (not including benefits.

Mteg

Nonsense.

All the items you mentioned can be achieved through non physical activities.

"There is more to gym and athletics than just keeping kids in shape. Students learn teamwork, competition, motivation, determination, etc...all of which are essential for survival in the REAL world."

Join the military then.

mteg-well said

To reiterate what I said on the other article:
I personally think that, as a matter of principle, athletes should be required to take all the same classes as everyone else. They are not "special". Treating them as such is the same type of thinking that leads to taking advantage of college athletes so that they graduate without a meaningful education. I saw that first-hand when I worked in education, some athletes were not intelligent enough to register for classes without assistance, yet here they were admitted to college! Few college athletes have the maturity to realize they are there (or should be) primarily to learn. Athletics should be secondary.

goodeeds1970: Clearly you fail to realize that good schools with well rounded curriculums benefit not only the student but the entire community, even self-centered people such as yourself.

Most of the students that would fall into the "exempt" catagory would be ones that play multiple sports. Since only a 1/3 of actual phys ed would be missed (this could be actually physical activities vs. classroom time), more time could be spent on other academics. On average, students involved in athletics perform better than those that don't.
http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/pdf/3...

ridiculous...one more reason to take sports out of the school and put it out at the community level...

There is more to gym and athletics than just keeping kids in shape. Students learn teamwork, competition, motivation, determination, etc...all of which are essential for survival in the REAL world.

I agree 4 bears.

Just like a lot of meaningless classes students have to take. Cut the unnecessary classes and focus on the essentials.

And, we need to start thinking about including philosophy classes in middle and high schools. Students need to start thinking for themselves instead of sitting in front of people who focus on trivial facts and only seek to deposit information into their minds.

good ? vatoloco.. why even have them at all... or athletics. The idea gym keeps them in some kind of shape or teaches them an active lifestyle is ridiculous. My children don't even have gym every semester and their in middle school. As far as athletics, let the parents pay for it all, and let them play AAU. All I hear about know is how the "good" players play AAU. How much money could districts save without the athletics?

I dont get why gym teachers get paid as much as math, science and English teachers.

The last time I checked there isn't an AP gym test.

Two person households with no children, or want of any, are sick of footing the bill for your kids to learn the basics in life.
Try teaching them yourselves. Get off your own asses and take a little more responsibility.
The school system wasn't orchestrated to serve as your own personal baby-sitting service.

why would the pulling guard want to skip the opportunity to throw projectiles at the debate team?

As an Irishman it pains me to see a fellow irishman acting so stupid. It sounds like you ahave been watching too many movies about high school and sports. All the right moves? Seriously get a clue, better yet educate yourself about reality. Do kids party in HS? Um YA! If they get caught they pay a price, in many cases a far steeper price than kids who don't have anything to lose who just get an underage drinking ticket.
Passes on tests? That is completely fabricated by you and born from someone who watches too much TV, OBviously. Get a clue lad!

Doesn't Janesville have only ONE school board?

IrishMafia:Nice job being a frustrated athlete :-). Those letter jackets actually may have belonged to the choir, band, orchestra, thespians and students that earned academic letters. Go back and check the co-curricular activities of the valedictorians at the 2 high schools. Contrary to your moronic thinking, excelling in co-curricular activities and in the classroom are not mutually exclusive. The co-curricular students outperform the students not involved in school activities in the classroom, just the facts! Just like Wisconsin leads the nation in jobs lost for 5 straight months!

Okay, so when I was in school all those kids I saw with letter jackets and pompoms and jerseys who were partying and carrying on was just an illusion?

I stand corrected then. Jocks don't party. Heh.

I do not comment often on the Gazette blogs, but when people post blatant misinformation on a topic about which I have first-hand knowledge, I am compelled to respond.

Irish Mafia - As both a teacher and a coach at a Janesville high school, I assure you, our athletes do NOT "get byes on tests and classes". They take the same tests, write the same papers, and are held to the same due dates as their classmates. They are graded according to the same criteria, and yes, a majority of our athletes carry a full and rigorous courseload. They ARE held accountable for the athletic code, and in fact, the Extra-Curricular Code, which applies to sports, music, drama, and club participants, has provisions that hold these kids to a higher level of accountability than what is required by the WIAA. When a student-athlete does not meet the academic requirements of the code, they sit...end of story. If an athlete (or musician, or club member) is caught at a party where alcohol is being served, or if they are part of other illegal activity, they are suspended from their team. The consequences are enforced by both the school administration AND the individual coach/advisor. In the 13 years that I have been in Janesville, it has been my experience that the coaches at BOTH high schools have the overall well-being of our student-athletes in mind, and they view high school athletics as one valuable piece of the students' entire education. The goal of any educator - teacher OR coach - is to help the student develop skills to become a productive and responsible adult. For you to flippently suggest that our schools adhere to a 1960's stereotype is offensive to those of us who have dedicated our careers to the youth of Janesville, and who work every day in a MUCH different reality than you describe.

Having said that, I am NOT in favor of granting PE credit for athletic participation, for the same reasons that LetsBeHonest outlined above.

Hornet - you state early in your post that it would be beneficial for our students to learn about the effects that a sedentary lifestyle, drugs/alcohol/cigarettes, stress, etc. can have. Have you seen the curriculum that is taught in our Health classes? It seems to me that the exact topics that you cite as 'important' are the same topics that are taught in a course that you seek to eliminate. You also describe "School District Imposed Phys Ed" as "wrestling, shot put, and parallel bars" - none of the three of which are included in Phy Ed at my school. You too are basing your statements on a 1960's stereotype that is simply not true.

I respect that various posters have different priorities and opinions about where money should be spent and what cuts should be made. I too have strong opinions about what is important in our society. I am not posting here to promote my opinion, but rather, to clear up some mistruths that were presented as facts by posters who may not have first-hand knowledge of our schools today.

@Letsbehonest: Ok...you've got a good point. Perhaps voters need to know more. I think I made that point quite clear...

"There are no slow people in this gym class, just the fast, the faster, and the fastest." -Chuck Regez.

This is not a Republican/Democrat voting issue. This note includes remarks for voters and school district members. I specifically ask those individuals to read this, as it's been "bugging" me for decades.
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A better use of some of many students' time would be how to manage a household budget, how to invest, how to apply and ace that job interview; what health issues come from sedentary; dangers of drugs, alcohol and cigarette lifestyles. What about anger management (esp for jocks before colleges turn them into "gods", who do no wrong as long as they perform well for the school's bank book).
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We're not all soaring birds. In this world, some birds fly and some swim, while some run. Penquins would never do well in a soaring class if water wasn't provided. Ostriches would never do well in soaring class, water or not. Wolves and bears never soar.
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ARTICLE: "Modern phy ed seeks to get children into the habit of being physically active and showing them the many ways they can stay active..."
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Americans know what kind of "birds, wolves or bears" they are. School district imposed Phys Ed (wrestling, shot put, parallel bars) has very little impact on life post graduation. Surmised facts about US public school graduates: 90%+/- took Phys Ed. Of those: ??%+ are obese, ??%+ are cardio pts, ??%+ are suffering from sport related injuries. If it's health they are promoting, perhaps if all schools had workout gyms/equipment for individuals, rather than focusing SO much on team sports, the skills learned would transfer into "adulthood".
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ARTICLE: "The National Association for Sport and Physical Education opposes any kind of waiver of phy ed."
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Is this because across the nation they might lose some teacher slots? Is this because schools won't need as much sports equipment? Do they think that everyone benefits from their courses?
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What did I learn from my phys ed?
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How to suffer humiliation! I didn't run as fast, didn't catch baseballs right, kicked soccer balls the wrong direction. Push ups and pull ups were torture, or non-doable. Kids can be cruel and the instructors were just as bad. (Students usually don't ridicule another in academic courses.) I am good at walking and riding bikes, but those weren't courses of study in (my) school.
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"What courses prepared me for life?"
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College prep, math, foreign languages, as well as many after school clubs, working on special projects, learning organization skills and working with groups. Making a very good living, been on many boards and served in many working groups in a very, very large company.
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In my case, I chose my college based on how much phys ed was required, including if swimming test needed to be passed. I crossed off a lot of good schools...in the "good ol' days".

Physical Education has changed drastically over the years. If you haven't been in a PE class in the past 7-10 years, you should really visit a classroom soon. Students learn about their heart, risk factors for heart disease, pedometers and heart rate watches, snow shoeing, rock climbing, setting personal fitness goals, etc. It's not “gym class” anymore. Think of the amazing football player you once knew in high school who turned up at your most recent class reunion weighing 400 pounds; he might have benefitted from a little more information about personal health and fitness. There are many advantages to participating in high school athletics, but they don't perfectly overlap a quality, effective physical education program and curriculum. Obviously education is suffering and cuts are being made, however, I feel they should not come from health and physical education. Wisconsin already has too many inactive, overweight and obese people. I feel badly for all of the people who ever had a terrible experience in "gym class,” but I would hope they wouldn’t base their opinions on outdated experiences without visiting a current, high-quality PE teacher's classroom. I support sustaining high school health and physical education classes.

I think they eliminate phy ed programs entirely.

Athletes get byes on tests and classes... why not gym, too? The pet jockstraps get special treatment since always so this shouldn't be shocking or new.
They don't even have to be accountable for the athletic code.

The ones in sports are probably the majority that like gym class---this seems dumb.

This is news?

This is the kind of stuff that the school board wastes time on?

Who cares? Let 'em skip gym class - so what?!

Questions I have... What about the kid who signs up but doesn't show up? Or the kid who shows up but doesn't try? Or the kid who is on the team but gets kicked off due to attitude or code violation? Are coaches going to give a grade or a pass/fail? What gives a coach the right to do that? Will a student need to take a sport through the district or can a club sport count? Karate? Tumbling? Dance?
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These questions ought be addressed before anything gets voted on. Physical education teachers have expertise in measurement and evaluation, state standards, and their subject area that's coach is not guaranteed to have. Simply being "fit" isn't the goal of the phy ed- the goal of phy ed is teach students how their bodies work, how what they do impacts what they can do, and it offers a breadth of activities that will allow for lifelong movement. Sports are great for what they offer- but they are a poor substitute for the carefully thought out curriculum.