Stafford County schools are facing significant challenges, including inadequate funding and aging infrastructure. In order to address these issues, the district is considering charging student-athletes to play sports. The superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools, Dr. Thomas Taylor, has stated that the school district is currently 68th out of 132 in terms of SOL-test performance and has gone from being the 79th worst-funded school system in Virginia to being the 111th worst-funded school system in Virginia.
To tackle these challenges, the district is exploring different options to infuse more money into the schools. One such option is charging students who participate in sports at least $200 per season. The money collected from student-athletes could go toward aging school buildings in need of repairs, renovations, and in some cases HVAC systems. This problem has intensified over the last decade and has become a major issue for many families in Stafford County.
Dr. Taylor believes that the school district may have to take swift action to navigate several challenges, including declining performance and insufficient funding. However, one Stafford County parent we spoke with hopes that this doesn’t mean more money from her family’s pocketbook. Juliette Schweiter says that she wants to ensure that all kids can compete and be part of sports teams without having to pay additional fees.
It is not yet clear when these changes concerning students paying to participate in sports will go into effect, but FOX 5 has learned that it could be as soon as next season or next year. Dr. Taylor states that the district is going “day by day regarding some of these issues,” including what can be fixed and what the district can afford to fix.
