In response to the article "Bigger cut for schools wanted" [March 1], if the Spotsylvania County public school system wants public support for added funding for schools, it should think carefully about how it responds to the public's requests for use of school dollars.

Recently, the Virginia public school system saw fit to oppose HB 1442 in the Virginia legislature to allow local school districts to decide whether home-schooled students could compete for spots on middle-school and high-school athletic teams. This bill would have been revenue-neutral since home-schooled students would have been required to pay fees to cover the costs of their participation.

Also, this change would have involved such a small number of students that it would have been unlikely to affect the participation of public-school students in any significant way, and it was supported by over 67 percent of Virginians, according to a VCU poll.

Therefore, if the Spotsylvania County school system is to receive any increase in funding, it should be conditioned on the following:

From this year forward, the school system will account separately for all expenses related to athletics in its budget and financial statements.

All middle-school and high-school principals in the county will write letters to the Virginia High School League indicating their school's support for allowing home-schooled students to participate in their school's athletic programs and urge the VHSL to change its policy on this issue.

If the school system is unwilling to do this, I would submit that significant cost savings could be achieved by transferring the school system's athletic-related funds to Spotsylvania County's Parks and Recreation Department. Parks and Rec could consolidate duplicative expenses for athletic facilities and staff, and the programs would then be open to all of the county's children.

Anne Briggs

Spotsylvania