In response to “Balls or Books” I really have to wonder why bloated school budgets get passed by the public. Schools do not need to provide all the extracurricular activities they do and in tough times like these, should provide none! The word extra seems to have been forgotten, I think. Sports, music, arts, etc. are extra. There are plenty of organizations outside the schools that can provide these things better and a lot cheaper than the schools and school unions know how to do. Unions alone eat up 30 percent or more of every school’s operating budget, statistically. I question whether it’s not a lot higher for many of our schools. Let the union get their own meeting places, equipment and peripherals they need. Just think of the amount they garner from the dues the teachers and personnel are forced to pay in each paycheck.