It is really unfortunate that this is the case all over America (hopefully our non-American FIRST family can chime in as well!). There are a few exceptions, and those communities "get it".
I'll say from my experience that some school systems don't understand what FIRST is. They see it as a robotics competition where you build a robot and try to beat the other teams. The problem is that this is true and it's usually the first explanation given by participants to explain the program. This one sentence can change the outlooks of the entire program. Part of what Dean was explaining by "FIRST is not about the robot" is that we need to explain to others that FIRST is a program that builds an exceptional skill set of creative, real-world problem solving that is transforming the workforce of tomorrow (and today).
As you pointed out, there are some political reasons (SkillsUSA was a huge impediment and seen as competition for the team I mentored the past 4 years. It shouldn't have been, but it was.
One thing to remember is that FIRST is just about to come into a second generation of FIRSTers (FIRST baby pics!). The largest FIRST student population is just starting college. Change will come, but it takes time - we are talking about a culture shift by the way
The FIRSTers that are entering the school systems as teachers, industry as engineers, researchers in academia, accountants, small business owners, marketing professionals, media content creators, innovators (and all the others) are just starting to make strides as they transform into industry leaders, school administrators, and highly-sought-out employees. This is one of the reasons why Dean's message this past year was that FIRST needs to do a better job of tracking its participants. You'd be amazed at how powerful one email asking for help and support can be.
On the topic of school support, your voice is important. Make it known by the community that the school needs to support its
other teams. Get parents involved. Parents are extremely important and their message only reiterates what the students demand. If there is anything I regretted as a student, it was demanding excellence and more education from my education system. I felt I was being forced into a box of conformity. Don't be silent and don't be pressured into conformity. Demand change, but always be respectful and understanding of the school system's viewpoints (remember that GP and that teachers need a life outside of FIRST too).
Achieving a goal by merely finishing, or reaching mediocrity is not acceptable; Excellence is the only satisfactory result. - AdamHeard [more] 
29-11-2014, 11:03
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