Montville — All levels of education are voyages of self-discovery, perhaps none more than in middle school, where minds are developing and bodies are changing, thus creating dizzying levels of inner conflict.

This is why middle school sports bear such significance, surely belying their frequent perch on so many budgetary chopping blocks. Ah, but 13-year-olds are mostly voiceless in the cosmic scheme, thereby making the choice to save a few pennies rather easy.

A more cynical fellow would look at the town of Montville's decision to reincorporate middle school sports into its recent budget presentation as a pathway to ask the following question:

Why were they ever removed in the first place? A $36,000 expenditure for a program of inestimable value in an otherwise $39 million budget doesn't even amount to the apocryphal deck chair off the Titanic.

But then, that would be a more cynical fellow. Me? Nothing but mad props and bon mots for superintendent Laurie Pallin and the Board of Education for allowing their kids the opportunity to participate again.

Once again with feeling: This is middle school. Puberty. More standardized testing. Higher academic standards. It all underscores the value of sports in middle school, provided we believe that developing social and communication skills, regular exercise, and quick decision-making surrounded by people with varying engagement, motivation and interest levels bears significance to kids that age.

Then there's this: Have you any idea the difficulty of running a high school sports program with no feeder from the middle school? Every aspect of a high school program relies on skill development and team concepts happening at lower levels. Without the middle school experience, high school coaches are left to rely on travel teams and other programs that may or may not have the proper teaching and structure.

The Montville basketball programs did exceptionally well this season, given the handcuffs given to coaches Becky Alfonso (girls) and Derek Wainwright (boys). Alfonso even got her team to the league Division II championship game. She'd get my vote for ECC Coach of the Year. You know how hard it is to win at a school with very little basketball tradition — and no feeder program as well?

Happily, this is about to change, provided the budget gets passed.

No reason why it shouldn't.

This is about doing what's best for kids. In this case, doing it for a pittance of the overall budget.

Middle school sports at Tyl — and all of our middle schools — provide our kids an opportunity to compete, learn and glean the requisite values and lessons sports teach. I'd hope that a few of our politicians understand that, by extension, regionalization would deny many kids the same opportunities.

Regionalizing schools means fewer kids get to play sports and participate in other extracuriculars, too. There are only so many spots on the team, in the band and on the school newspaper. Regionalizing denies more kids the chance at a more well-rounded education, all in the name of saving a buck.

And spare me the moral outrage of the aggrieved taxpayer. Tired act. Funny how all these people thought school budgets were just swell when their kids were in school. But now that they have no more reason to care, they sound as though funding education is a bigger chore than coal mining. Just stop. You personify J.D. Salinger's concept of a phony.

No one's denying many school budgets have more fat than "My 600 Pound Life." But it's got zero to do with the kids. And taking opportunities away from them is counterproductive.

Congrats to Montville for giving kids the opportunities they deserve. They'll be better for it. So will the high school programs. It's called win-win. For not a lot of money.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro