HILO, Hawai'i — Neighbor Island athletic directors are decrying a proposal to cut junior varsity sports across the state to meet a proposed 25 percent budget cut for public school athletics.

Waiakea athletic director Tom Correa says his school had 600 athletes last year, about half of them freshmen and sophomores in junior varsity.

He says the proposal would save money, but it would also mean the Big Island community would have 300 more unsupervised kids on the street looking for something to do.

Maui High School Athletic Director Scott Soldwisch says junior varsity programs are important because they serve as a feeder to varsity sports.

He says they also help students through a critical age in their development.