[Hoot Gibson]

Of all the reasons JCHS gets more of the county kids to stay in-system, this must be the least important of them.

Academic teams are a small group of students who devote a LOT of time to select subject matter for use in competitions (and the amount of time devoted is WAYYY greater than any sports team. I admire the kids who do that, though I wouldn't ask it of mine. IMO, it's TOO much). But, it has little to do with what all students are taught in the classroom.

Paintsville's edge in academics is still "big", as evidenced by the last state test scores. Central's have improved over the years (except for this past year), but the disparity was huge at the beginning.

I never said that the number of academic trophies is why kids stay in the Johnson County system but those trophies have been the result of some of the best classroom teachers in the state working long hours to overcome some overwhelming odds. As for those trophies being the result of a relatively small number of students, the same can be said of trophies won in athletic competition - and parents do choose schools because of sports programs.

The academic team at JCMS was a big factor in my decision to withdraw my children from Paintsville and enroll them at JCMS. Not the only factor, but all of my children have been members of a state championship team and that would not have happened in any sport at Paintsville or Johnson Central during that period.

Test scores are misleading. I am not sure what the current figure is, but a few years ago more than 70% of JCMS students qualified for free or reduced lunches. I doubt that you would find any significant difference between the test scores of Paintsville and Johnson Central students if you compare the scores of students from homes with similar income levels.

I attended both school systems and my children attended both school systems. You can get a great education in either system. It is, however, easier to coast through the county system is you do not have a stable home life and parents who are involved in the school. Paintsville's smaller enrollment makes it harder to "coast" through without drawing attention.

Both school systems desperately need to improve their math curricula at all grade levels. That is the one area where the best Johnson County students, whether from JCHS or PHS still have difficulty competing with the best students statewide. In every other area, both schools do a great job preparing graduates for college and successful careers.

Most parents who might prefer one school over the other one for athletic reasons will not select a school that is clearly academically inferior. Johnson Central (and even more so, Johnson County Middle School) is not clearly academically inferior to Paintsville. That fact does make the decision for county parents to send potential football players to schools located in their home school district.