County staff are defending a controversial cost-saving proposal to eliminate gymnastics programming and shutter Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center for up to a year.
“We need to make sure that we’re using our funding and resources to serve the most people and those in need,” County Manager Mark Schwartz told County Board members in a March 5 budget work session focused on the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Schwartz’s $1.69 billion fiscal year 2027 budget package, unveiled Feb. 21, calls for eliminating county support for the Arlington Aerials and Arlington Tigers competitive youth gymnastics teams as well as recreational gymnastics programs. It also calls for closing the Barcroft facility in order to assess its physical condition and consider future programming options.
Combined, the reductions are expected to save about $970,000 in the fiscal year beginning July 1, if adopted by Board members.
The five Board members did not give much indication at the March 5 work session whether they would back the proposal.
“No decisions are being made today on this program one way or the other,” Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said. “We will not take up a full proposal until well into April. We have a lot of work to do before then.”
But at one point, de Ferranti seemed to echo Schwartz’s view that gymnastics programming was desirable but not a necessity.
“Our resources should focus on those that are most vulnerable,” he said.
At the work session, county parks director Jane Rudolph said the county’s recreation gymnastics programming had suffered from both a lack of staff and declining enrollment.
“Participation has failed to return to pre-Covid levels,” she said.
The numbers presented at the meeting show about 1,800 recreational-gymnastics participants in the current fiscal year, down from more than 3,300 in fiscal 2019.
In fiscal 2025, the recreational program recouped 57% of its $931,000 in costs, well below the amount desired by county officials. In fiscal 2019, it had recouped 96%.
The lack of trained staff has led to class cancellations, further cutting into the program’s viability, Rudolph said.
“We have had a hard time hiring new staff,” she said. “This is not unique to Arlington.”
The competitive gymnastics program — the girls Arlington Aerials team and the boys Arlington Tigers — has about 150 participants this year. In fiscal 2025, it recouped about 68% of its approximately $984,000 in expenses, Rudolph said.
Advocates for gymnastics programming have hit back at Schwartz’s proposal, questioning some of the financial data and voicing concern about a lack of alternative programs in the vicinity.
Several dozen members of the public turned up to listen at the work session, with advocates hoping for a large turnout at the March 24 county budget public hearing.
Their efforts have attracted local and national attention. In a letter to county officials, USA Gymnastics said it would be shortsighted to cut the programming.
“Communities that maintain strong public sport infrastructure contribute directly to improved public health outcomes and increased community engagement,” wrote Jason Woodnick, vice president of men’s programs for the organization.
Squeezed between a challenging budget year and a vocal advocacy group, Board members seem disinclined to tip their hands at the moment. Generalities were the order of the day at the work session.
“It’s going to require us to roll up our sleeves,” Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said of the situation.
Board members gave some pushback, however, on the prospect of closing the Barcroft facility to assess conditions and plan for future uses.
“Twelve months is a very long time for that,” Board member Takis Karantonis said.
Schwartz’s budget proposal includes a call for a 1.5-cent increase in the county’s real estate tax rate. Board members, however, advertised a rate increase of 2 cents to $1.055 per $100 assessed value.
That extra half cent might be enough to fund the revenue shortfalls in both the recreational and competitive gymnastics programs.
At the meeting, Board members seemed reluctant to eliminate adaptive gymnastics programming, which serves about 115 youths.
Rudolph said the budget includes funding to continue the program in some form.
“We will continue to provide similar services,” she said.
The proposed gymnastics cuts have sparked the largest public controversy over county spending policies since last year’s proposal by Superintendent Francisco Durán to close the school system’s Integration Station program.
The program, co-located with The Children’s School, provides an integrated education program for children ages 2 to 5 with disabilities. After community outcry and a vigorous lobbying campaign, Durán was overruled by the School Board, which restored funding for the program.
