It was nice to see the Maine Principals Association come to its senses this week and reject a series of recommendations that would have dramatically impacted high school sports programs.
While we always applaud proposals to save money, there is something to be said for saving money wisely. In this case, it was obvious from the outset that the proposed changes would have proved problematic.
Not the least among the potential drawbacks would have been the effective elimination of such community builders as the annual alumni games, the financially successful events like the Matt Budrow Memorial Basketball Tournament at Lincoln Academy, and the annual Holiday Classic at Medomak Valley.
The MPA decision means that decisions on local athletic programs revert to where they rightfully belong, with the local school officials.
We submit that any athletic director worth his or her whistle can look at their individual budgets and decide for themselves whether long road trips and extra pre-season games are worth the expense.
Ultimately, it should be up to the local school officials to make the recommendations and the affected local taxpayers to have the final say.
If this effort proves anything, it reinforces the concept that government of the people is actually best left to the people.
Sweeping proposals that sound good, but allow little consideration for local variables are rarely helpful, even when they are advanced with the best intentions.
Seems like there should be an object lesson in there somewhere.
