Posted: June 2, 2009

South Milwaukee — - South Milwaukee - Seniors Alysha Rendflesh and Brianna Vivian shared an opportunity - learning to help athletes and others with injuries - that other students may not be able to share in a tightening school budget.

In the high school's Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries class, Rendflesh considered it an awesome opportunity to be able to tape an ankle. Vivian often references her final project - a large binder brimming with information on how to help people. Both learned from a college-level textbook and were certified in first aid and CPR.

It was an elective course, and such offerings are endangered by the school's current financing problems that impact staffing.

Less staff, fewer electives

The preliminary budget for next school year calls for reducing the number of full-time equivalent teachers at the high school from 4.0 to 3.33.

Dave VanDuser, K-12 coordinator for physical education and Rawson gym teacher, said the cut will most affect the high school's ability to offer elective classes.

"In the last five years, over a thousand kids have taken our electives," VanDuser said. "Now what are kids going to take? What's left?"

This year, the department was able to offer 38 sections - equivalent to a quarter of the school year - of required physical education classes and 10 sections of electives.

Under the 2009-10 preliminary plan, 38 sections of required physical education classes will be offered, so class sizes won't increase, but there will be only two sections of electives.

"These are the things that take the kids above and beyond," VanDuser said.

An unhealthy loss

Beside the athletic injuries class, other electives currently offered include athletic and sports management; fitness and wellness conditioning; and strength and conditioning application and coaching.

The classes can help prepare students for careers in sports medicine, athletic training, physical therapy, exercise physiology, human bio mechanics and nursing.

"The fitness and wellness field is just exploding," VanDuser said. "(The classes) open the door and let kids see what's out there."

VanDuser hopes the department will still be able to offer the courses on the rotating basis, but the classes won't come around as quickly with just two sections of electives a year.

"It's one thing in a physical education class to get kids active, but the real plus is to get kids active on their own, get kids to make those choices," he said. "When we get kids to realize that these are things that they have to do … cutting these electives like we have, we've taken a big step into taking that away from kids."

VanDuser added that studies have shown that a child would is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80 percent change becoming an obese adult.

Students in Term 1 of this school year had their body fat content measured in physical education. Results showed 50 percent of the 190 girls tested where in the overweight and obese categories while 25 percent of the 205 boys tested were in those categories.

School Board members have indicated they are not in favor of any cuts. However, current state law requires them to balance the budget and work within a revenue cap.

"We undertake budget cuts with heavy hearts," said board member Brett Briesemeister, adding that eliminating the necessity for cuts will only come from changing a broken school funding mechanism.