Turf more important than teachers?

I couldn't help but be saddened by the word last week that the Quincy School District was cutting 66 jobs/duties due to budget shortfalls as reported by our friends at KHQA-TV.

I'm no budgetary genius (although I do somehow have a Rain Man-like ability to add up grocery prices in my head with tax as I'm shopping), but it was surprising to me that these cuts were made after upgrades to the turf at Flynn Stadium were done somewhat recently thanks to the Quincy Public Schools "Dream Big" initiative.  I doubt you'll find many Quincy parents that are sad when the schools get technology and/or sports facility upgrades...but why not an initiative to find a way to keep teachers?

I'm not sure what it says about our society that a guy like me can keep his job when my main achievement every day is to put pictures of farm animals on Facebook and then describe that on the radio.  Yet, a teacher who is directly influencing our kids can't keep a position.

I have to wonder what kind of outcry you'd hear if the school district announced that it was cutting the football program...or...dare I say it...the basketball team?!?

Hard choices have to be made by our schools and I don't envy the administrators that have to make these decisions.  What would you cut if you were them?  I'm not sure I have an answer to that myself, but I can guarantee that turf would be cut before teachers.

What do you think?