Youth Sports Lose Funds to Machine

Ask me to choose between a kid or a computer, and I’ll take the kid every time. Having been one, raised five and the grandmother of two, I understand kids. Computers, I don’t understand.

At the meeting of the Montebello Unified School District board on Sept. 29, kids and parents alike pleaded for the district to restore after-school recreational programs to the intermediate level. They were listened to very politely and very politely turned down. The district has made a $7.5-million-dollar cut, and among those items chopped was this program, which costs approximately $250,000.

Where does the computer come in? After the tearful audience had left, the board approved the purchase of a new computer for approximately $240,000.

I believe that the school board has a responsibility to the kids and their parents. It seems to me that sometimes the main objective is forgotten in our desire to be modern and efficient. The main objectives in this case are the education and well being of our children.

These students who are on the losing end will never forget the traumatic experience of being deprived of team sports. These team sports are important because they are part of the educational process. It teaches them discipline, teamwork, sharing, friendship and a healthy respect for themselves and their schools. They have a lot of energy, and team sports helps channel that energy into positive behavior. Isn’t there a computer firm or a group of businesses out there that could donate a computer to our district and help restore our athletic program to our kids?

When discussing this item, a question was asked about the longevity of the computer. Well, because of modern technology, computers change yearly. Kids last longer than that!

BOBBIE ODOU

Montebello