Once again I stand before you, the School Committee, pleading my case. As a parent and a strong advocate for my children, I am outraged at the cuts that will take place. This is unacceptable from all of you. Not only did you vote for the renaissance school, you failed to ask the most important questions, which is how much is this school going to cost. How can you vote for a school when we are already facing a deficit? It makes no sense. Our teachers are not going to be able to provide the level of service that our kids rightfully deserve — especially if we lose 52 positions at the high school level.
I am most concerned with our music department, along with the fine arts department. I have a daughter at New Bedford High School in the chorus, concert band, drama club, marching band and show choir — and a straight-A student to boot — and a son at elementary level in band, as well. Cutting any one of these programs will not only hurt our students but our community, as well. The students in these programs are your finest kids! And I can say through this whole year with all the concerts, plays and competitions, there were only two School Committee members present, and I know as I don't miss anything that my children are involved in. So I thank Mr. Shea, Dr. Fletcher and Mr. Oliviera for being present. How can you cut any of these programs when you are not present and see how hard these kids work and that this is their passion?
Finally, our slogan "Where are you heading?" will no longer exist if these cuts are made. Our students will lose interest quicker than before. I always felt that you, as the School Committee, were to have the students' best interests at heart. That is your job and that is why we voted some of you in — and once again you have failed each and every one one of our kids. You all should be ashamed and embarrassed.
In closing, I will keep fighting for my kids along with other parents and our great teachers because apparently you continue to fail at this. It is time that we as parents and a community stand together and in 2016 when we can vote again. Remember, change is needed!
7 comments:
Arts arts arts. Forget ela, forget math, forget science.
Math, ELA, and Science are all vital. So are the arts. There are many intelligences. We need to grow them all. Children who have exposure to the arts are better all around students. They are disciplined and have increased neuropathways stimulated which in turn helps them to learn concepts in core subjects. Read the research.
If our arts programs create better outcomes, where are the outcomes? Why arent the neuropathways gelling? shouldnt we address core cotent failure by addressing core content? shouldnt we address weekday, school day problems by addressing school day classes, not saturday matinees? and....Educators doing neuro research is a joke. What next ....landscapers doing heart surgery? You might fool the elected officials but you're not fooling everyone. What tune will be sung when we are taken over? Funeral march?
Wow. I think you need to do some yoga. I hope you are not a teacher. If you are, open your eyes and your mind. For most of our city kids, the only exposure to the arts is in school. There are no family trips to the museum, no instrumental lessons, no trips to the Zeiterion. There is poverty, violence,and hopelessness. Some of our most academically challenged students have incredible artistic ability. Shouldn't they have an opportunity to shine? If we talk about drop out rate, shouldn't students want to come to school? We need to give them a reason. Would you want to go to work if you were always told you were a failure? How many sick days would you use? No, I am not an Arts teacher. I don't have family members who are Arts teachers. I do believe in kids. I do believe they all possess a talent that needs to be recognized and fostered. This is not a contest about what program is best. They are all equally as important for many students in many ways. We only fool ourselves when we believe that we are going to make a difference by supporting only one type of learner. The landscaper doesn't have to do the surgery. The landscaper could just make sure the garden provides healthy food alternatives, so that the heart damage doesn't progress, perhaps reverses, and increases the chances of heart surgery being successful.
I am an Art teacher. I want to talk about keeping our students in school. I look at my class attendance everyday. There is never anyone out unless there is some important reason. Our curriculum is very important. We realize that most of our students are visual learners. We can reach the students that are just learning English along with many special needs children. This keeps them interested and the learning goes hand in hand with their academic courses. It reinforces the skills needed to get through school and beyond. There is also the social aspect in which students need to grow. The school committee needs to visit our schools and see for themselves how much the fine arts are needed desperately.
One thing that is VERY sad is that it is obvious that these cuts are creating a "them" and "us" mentality. Yes, there are multiple intelligences, and yes, some kids are "reached" by the Arts and other disciplines that are not "reached" by the normal academics. Are Core subjects important? Obviously, yes!! Circling our wagons around our own domains is not the answer here! A good education is a WELL ROUNDED education! Our students deserve the whole gamut of experiences!!! And that includes academics AND all the other experiences that USED to be part of a good education - Art, Music, technology, languages, and all the rest!!!
Just wondering...... Should there be a vote of no confidence against our school committee? Should we be looking into the city council underfunding the budget? Isn't that against the law?
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