An Open Letter to the UIL from San Angelo Central

[natlib]

Dear Friends at the UIL:

Now that reallignment is over, I would like to thank you once again for punishing the fine football players from San Angelo Central by leaving us in District 2-5a.

The past few years have been absolutely lovely for our students as they travel between 4 to 6 hours to football games in Amarillo and Lubbock. Our JV and Sophmore teams love leaving school at 9 am on Thursdays for the trip north and love getting home at 4 am to catch a couple of hours of sleep before class on Friday.

I'm sure their teachers appreciate their coming into class with 2 hours sleep as well. Regarding the games, there are probably some parents who would love to watch their children play away games, too.

Our district administrators appreciate the extra wear and tear on our buses and the added fuel costs it takes for us to play in the panhandle. Gas is so cheap these days the district is now getting thank you notes from Exxon among others.

While the task of realligning Class 5A was a challenge, to do nothing and leave us in the great white north is unbelieveable. For future reference, there is a 4a school in Amarillo called Palo Duro. Their enrollment is slightly below the 5a level but above other 5a schools. It might make sense to move the Dons back up to 5a and allow Central back into the LSWC.

The continued shaft job of San Angelo Central because the Amarillo ISD can't align their attendance zones is unfair and ridiculous. Please pay attention to West Central Texas during the next reallignment (by the way, San Angelo is located in West Central Texas, NOT the Panhandle) and put the Bobcats back where we belong or furnish a charter flight for our away games.

Thank you

[jtk1519]

Dear SAISD,

If you would have made Lakeview a 5A size school a few years ago when their new campus was built, Central would not be getting screwed the way they are and the LSWC would be a perfect 8 team district. You made your bed... sleep in it and hush or we will lump you in with the El Paso schools next time.

Sincerely,
The unsympathetic UIL

[mad_fan]

Dear UIL,

We refuse to rezone. We are working on our long range plan of having a separate campus for each grade that makes up San Angelo Central.

Board of Education
San Angelo Independent School District

[mad_fan]

PS Our new freshmen campus has their own website...you can visit here... http://www.saisd.org/schools/schooldisplay.asp?school_id=36 :D

[natlib]

Dear SAISD,

If you would have made Lakeview a 5A size school a few years ago when their new campus was built, Central would not be getting screwed the way they are and the LSWC would be a perfect 8 team district. You made your bed... sleep in it and hush or we will lump you in with the El Paso schools next time.

Sincerely,
The unsympathetic UIL

Very funny jtk1519. I believe the fine people of Abilene have set an example for all of us on how to deal with declining enrollment and redrawing district lines. I seem to remember a few thousand posts on the message boards and a few heated school board meetings regarding shifting kids from A High to Cooper or vice versa. Was that ever resolved???

Lakeview was rebuilt because it burned to the ground. Moving kids from Central to Lake View would go over about as well as moving kids from Abilene High to Cooper. Therefore the problem is not a unique one to San Angelo. With 95% of the city growth on the southwest side of town, shifting kids to the Northeast side is stupid at best. A new Central is being planned with construction taking place on the Southwest side of town in next few years. When that is done, the lines will be redrawn in some fashion. That is still no reason to make the current players travel the way we do now.

So with your obvious ignorance to whats going on and lack of experience in the costs and time spent on 12 hour round trips for a football game, you would be better served to keeping your comments to yourself.

[BigArab]

And San Antonio is how far from San Angelo??....

[natlib]

And San Antonio is how far from San Angelo??....

Only 2.5 to 3 hours.

[BigArab]

Exactly my point. Last I heard, there are over 25 high schools in this city. Maybe more. Just move them in here with us.

[cougardude]

Exactly my point. Last I heard, there are over 25 high schools in this city. Maybe more. Just move them in here with us.

That makes sense, but I still think they should be back in the LSWC for all sports - including football.

[SanAngeloBobcat]

Dear SAISD,

If you would have made Lakeview a 5A size school a few years ago when their new campus was built, Central would not be getting screwed the way they are and the LSWC would be a perfect 8 team district. You made your bed... sleep in it and hush or we will lump you in with the El Paso schools next time.

Sincerely,
The unsympathetic UIL


Not sure how having two 5A schools in San Angelo would have resolved the REAL problem, which is that there are only five schools with 5A enrollments in the Lubbock-Amarillo area. Apparently the UIL does not want to have just the 5 schools up there for football, so even if SA had two 5A schools, somebody would still be forced to join the Lubbock-Amarillo schools for football.

Interestingly, Amarillo High is the 5th smallest school in 5A in this realignment, so perhaps the Lubbock-Amarillo area will be down to four 5A schools during the next realignment? What happens then?

I do wish there were a couple of rules regarding the extreme travel district 3 teams must endure

1. JV games should be scheduled on Saturdays instead of Thursdays, or perhaps played at neutral sites where the host stadium isn't being used by the hometown team that night.

2. The ticket sales proceeds should be used to pay all of the travel expenses for the visiting school, instead of splitting the proceeds 50/50. Sometimes 50% of the gate doesn't leave much left over after paying travel expenses.

[Dawg Fan]

Can't Central file some kind of appeal? I agree with them that is out of line to make them play schools 200 to 300 miles away in district especially when they have 6 schools within 130 miles (LSWC). :mad:

[natlib]

Can't Central file some kind of appeal? I agree with them that is out of line to make them play schools 200 to 300 miles away in district especially when they have 6 schools within 130 miles (LSWC). :mad:

Central could appeal but it would do no good as we appealed when we were originally put into the district and lost. I think until Palo Duro, or Frenship moves up we're screwed as long as the LSWC stays the same.

[KattTx]

When it comes down to it, they UIL is putting an amazing burden on the kids and their families from Angelo in order to complete a district in the panhandle. It ain't right no matter how you spin it. They essentially are having to drive right by us to get to their district games. It's unreasonable... bottom line!!! :mad:

How much pressuer has been put on PaloDuro to play up??? What pressure can be put on them?? Why can't exceptions be made for a 5 team district, take one playoff spot from them. Surely there is some alternative here. And even if the last appeal was unsuccessful... APPEAL AGAIN!!!

[natlib]

When it comes down to it, they UIL is putting an amazing burden on the kids and their families from Angelo in order to complete a district in the panhandle. It ain't right no matter how you spin it. They essentially are having to drive right by us to get to their district games. It's unreasonable... bottom line!!! :mad:

How much pressuer has been put on PaloDuro to play up??? What pressure can be put on them?? Why can't exceptions be made for a 5 team district, take one playoff spot from them. Surely there is some alternative here. And even if the last appeal was unsuccessful... APPEAL AGAIN!!!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[RocklandDragon]

[QUOTE=SanAngeloBobcat]Not sure how having two 5A schools in San Angelo would have resolved the REAL problem, which is that there are only five schools with 5A enrollments in the Lubbock-Amarillo area. Apparently the UIL does not want to have just the 5 schools up there for football, so even if SA had two 5A schools, somebody would still be forced to join the Lubbock-Amarillo schools for football.

Interestingly, Amarillo High is the 5th smallest school in 5A in this realignment, so perhaps the Lubbock-Amarillo area will be down to four 5A schools during the next realignment? What happens then?

Odessa, Permian, Midland, and Lee would definitely be moved with the Lubbock and Amarillo schools. Travel issues be damned for SAC, OHS, PHS, Lee, and MHS. San Angelo Central would still be traveling to Lubbock and Amarillo (only this time it is in EVERY sport). The UIL might want to have an 8 team district, so SAC could easily be moved to the San Antonio or Del Rio region. Not likely, but don't put anything past the UIL. Abilene and Cooper would move to the Metroplex (in a 5A or 4A district).

If the Amarillo area grows more, than maybe Palo Duro will go to 5A levels again. They still would have to fight for students with Amarillo Caprock, Canyon Randall, and Amarillo High. Wollforth Frenship will take awhile to go to 5A (but schoolboard candidates have ambitious plans for expansion). Until that happens, SAISD will have to keep those buses prepared for long trips.

:eek:

[KattTx]

Am I mistaken, or did I read somewhere that Wol-Fren wants to play up and have discussed asking for that the next go-round with realignment??

[RocklandDragon]

Haven't heard anything about Wol. Frenship opting to move up to 5A, next realignment. I believe the UIL may not allow it because they are not near 5A numbers yet. Amarillo Palo Duro and Planview High are closer to 5A numbers than Frenship. Also, it wouldn't do Frenship much good when it comes to playoff time. It's almost a certainty that they would not go as deep in the playoffs if they decide to go to 5A. This year, they had a great run in D-II 4A and lost to eventual state champion Lewisville Hebron. Now they would face schools with much larger enrollments and fierce Area round games with the little SWC.

However, I have heard people from Frenship trying to draw more students in and have ambitious plans of expansion. If they can pull this off within 4 years it would be great. In two years, unlikely. Of course, by that time Palo Duro could be up in 5A again and 2-5A will have 6 (maybe 7 with Frenship)and 3-5A should get SAC back.

:cool: