Osceola parents and coaches raise concerns about rapid cuts to some district sports

On Saturday, some parents in Osceola County met for a town hall meeting to voice their concerns and work together to find solutions to restart several sports programs at Osceola middle and elementary schools.

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The meeting was hosted by Jon Arguello, a member of the Michigan Avenue Elementary District 3 school board. Coaches, teachers and parents discussed the recent elimination of some sports in the district and how district leadership handled the issue.

“We need some transparency and open lines of communication so we can know in advance whether this is a good or bad decision for the people who will ultimately be affected by it,” said Brennon Chambers, a teacher and wrestling coach in Osceola County.

In May, the district posted on social media that it had canceled some elementary and middle school sports programs due to declining participation numbers.

The Osceola School District also posted the following on social media:

“Please be assured that this decision was not made lightly. We understand the important role that sports and physical activity play in the development and well-being of our students. We are committed to continuing to offer seven additional sports for the middle school level (cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, track and field, and flag football), three sports for the elementary level (cross country, soccer, and track and field for both genders), and a wide range of extracurricular activities to keep our students physically active. We encourage our students to participate in the remaining sports and extracurricular activities offered, and we will work to enhance these programs to meet the increased interest.”

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The district said the budget savings were a side effect of the eliminated sports programs and not the sole reason for the reduction from 10 to 7 teams.

The district said the savings would be based on the cost of grants, officials, transportation and awards, and the majority of the costs would be for transportation for team sports.

According to the district, cutting sports programs at the middle and elementary schools would result in cost savings of about $42,000 per year.

Parents and coaches said the cuts should have been announced earlier so more problem solvers could be at the table to help fix the problem.

“There are parents who are committed to their children, and there are people who might waive some fees if you ask them. Ask if any parent would be willing to come and coach the kids for free, because money is the issue,” said Christina Karandreas, Osceola sports mom.

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The district said the decision was made by the district’s athletic department and district leadership, and that athletic programs are evaluated annually.

The parents intend to address the issue at the next school board meeting.

Middle School Athletics Breakdown:

**13 middle schools in the 2022/23 school year and 15 in the 2023/24 school year**

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The following sports teams will be removed:

• AUTUMN: Golf

• Winter: Wrestling

• Spring: Softball

Golf – (36 athletes in 2023, 92 in 2022)

i. In 2023, 9 schools participated.

ii. In 2022, 10 schools participated.

Softball – (118 athletes in 2024 and 116 in 2023)

i. 8 schools participated in both 2023 and 2024.

Wrestling – (127 athletes in 2024 and 150 in 2023)

i. 6 schools participated in 2024

ii. In 2023, 7 schools participated.

Middle School Athletics Breakdown:

Elementary adaptation:

• Remove B/G Golf (32 participants)

• Abolition of final rounds in cross country, football and athletics

• Removal of the Olympic fitness final

The cost savings would be $10,300.00.

• Savings include subscriptions, medals, trophies, officials, XC and track timekeepers, course rental and transport.

• Two new K-8s will be added. It is not yet certain what sports they will offer.

i. Adding more Elem soccer games costs approximately $1,000, so the cost savings is more like $9,300.00.

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