As I blogged about a few weeks ago, we voted yesterday for a school levy to provide $850 per child. The vote came in last night and the levy was defeated. As a parent of two elementary school age children, I am disappointed, but as a member of the community, I am not surprised. When you look at the break down of the wards, I unfortunately live in ward 1. Of the 1,556 voters 967 of them voted no that is 12% of the vote. I understand why our area voted no. It is mainly older residents who do not have children at home who are in school. Our superintendent today stated that they will have to look at what/where to cut. I know that they are talking about teachers and programs. How can they say that one program is a lesser program than another. Our district offers Spanish Immersion (K-5). It is one of the most expensive programs that they offer. Parents have a choice if they want to put their child into it (I did not put my children into it). This program has not taken a hit at all. They did not lose any teachers due to cuts while the rest of the district did. Their class sizes are significantly lower then the regular classrooms. With teachers and programs being cut, I feel that our Spanish Immersion should also. It is a privilege not a right. It is a right for an appropriate education; I guess a class size of 30 is appropriate in elementary and up to 45 in the high school. Is it fair that music, arts, and other electives take a hit while Spanish Immersion does not?
I do feel that if the district administrators would have been honest with how the money was used the last time the levy passed (where did the money go, how it was spent etc), and had a detailed plan on how the money would be used this time, I think that it could have passed. I do feel that if they would have let the students have a voice (many that I have talked to today are very upset that it did not pass) in the public it would help to pass the levy, it is the students that it really hurts.
So how does one or two people say that one program is more benefical than another. How has other districts made cuts without cutting everything to the bare bone?
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16 years ago
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry your levy did not pass. I think that sometimes when people don't have school-aged children, they don't want to raise taxes. It doesn't affect them other than taking money away from them.
However, I do have some questions for you? Do you live in an area where there is a high percentage of Spanish-speaking people? Why did your district feel the need to have a Spanish Immersion program? You say that this program is optional. Could it be something that if parents want their children to participate that they pay a fee?
I do agree with you, though, that if districts are going to make cuts, it should be equal among ALL programs and areas.
Moreover, I believe this is an issue that all districts across the United States are facing, especially in today's economy.
Good luck!
Any programs implemented within a school should be the first to go if cuts need to be made. Not classroom teachers or increased class size. I, too, live in a community where the majority of the population has grown children, therefore any positive approaches we bring forth gets vetoed. Our townspeople need to be more informed about what is important to our school and why we may need some of these things.
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that your school did not receive the levy. Many schools around the nation are in the same situation. Does your school have a high volume of spanish speaking students or is this a program to learn Spanish?
Kimberly, We do have some of our population that speaks spanish, but the majority of the students in Spanish Immersion are white, not spanish speaking famlies. I do feel that if parents want their children in that program, they should pay a fee. If the district does not want to do that, it should also take the same hit as the rest of the district.
ReplyDeleteThanks