Who Cares If They Can't Read The Playbook?
Kanawha County Passes All-Sports School Bond, Gains Sufficient Support By Promising None Will Go To Academics
(Charleston) After four failed school bonds over the last eighteen years, Kanawha County School Superintendent Carl Edmonds finally came up with a winning strategy for getting public support: no academics, all sports.
"I realized that what the people really love is our sporting events," Edmonds said, "so we just cut out the academics."
Among the projects funded, the bond will build auxiliary gyms at county middle schools and high schools, new Astroturf football fields at all high schools, and new elevated baseball stands at four schools. The total amount raised by the bond will be $72.6 million.
"In previous bond efforts, we tried to preach the importance of making upgrades for improved academic achievement and future student success," Edmonds said. "But no one really cared about that as much as a really cool new football field."
