Published May 8, 2012 in the Rutland Herald
Springfield $26.9M school budget vote today
By Christian Avard
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD – Voters will head to the polls today for a second vote on the Springfield School District budget.
The school district is asking the town to pass a $26.9 million budget, a 2 percent decrease from the original $27.7 million budget that failed by a 31-vote margin on Town Meeting Day.
At past School Board meetings, residents complained the school district was asking for too much money. In response to voters' concerns, the School Board eliminated $153,892 from the proposed $27 million spending plan. Many of the cuts proposed by the budget committee include programs, funds, school outings and administrative trainings. The biggest proposed cut was $41,392 in administrative travel expenses.
Other cuts included $10,000 in the technology replacement fund for electronic devices such as iPads and Kindles for mathematics instruction. The School Board may consider their usage in the future, they said at a recent meeting.
Officials also eliminated several cellphones from the budget. Springfield School District Business Manager Steve Hier said administrative cellphone use dropped and the school district saved another $4,000 from the budget.
Teaching positions and summer programs were also eliminated from the budget. The cuts included a Gateway Program para educator position and special education summer programs for a total of $49,000 and another $3,000 was cut from the Riverside Middle School athletic director�s budget and transferred to Springfield High School. School district field trips were also scaled back by $3,500, while an additional $43,000 was also cut from miscellaneous administrative and operations costs.
According to a Springfield school budget flier, one third of the school budget, or approximately $9.26 million, comes from local property taxes. The total to be raised from local property taxes next year is less than the amount raised this year.
At prior school board meetings, residents argued the original budget failed due to the alleged use and misuse of seclusion rooms at Elm Hill Primary School. The School Board held meetings on the matter, conducted an investigation at Elm Hill and found no evidence of child abuse.
Regardless of the conclusions, the School Board is reviewing seclusion room policies and making changes where appropriate, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Perotti. The policy discussions are still ongoing.
Ethan McNaughton of Springfield attended several School Board meetings dealing with budgetary issues. He thought the board did a satisfactory job in handling residents' concerns over seclusion rooms but stressed that education would be further compromised if the budget isn't passed.
"Any issues we have with (the school district), we wanted to get them addressed and move forward. We did that. But if we don't pass the budget then we make it difficult for the schools to make the positive changes we'd like to see," McNaughton said.
Voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the Riverside Middle School gymnasium. The Riverside Middle School is located at 13 Fairground Road in Springfield.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Springfield $26.9M school budget vote today
Voters are heading to the polls today for a second vote on the Springfield School District budget. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Riverside Middle School gymnasium.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20120508/NEWS02/705089893
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Vote YES for our schools and Springfield's future.
ReplyDeleteMr. McNaughton. I will be voting no. Not because of all the recent events at the school or the lack of transparency of the district, but solely because I am one of very few actual taxpaying citizens in this town and sincerely can not afford any more increases; no matter how big or small. I understand you say it is for the town and for the kids but if I go into foreclosure due to increasing taxes you will lose one more well-meaning taxpayer. I can not give what I do not have. I'm sorry but I will be voting today and my vote has to be no.
DeleteAnon 9:15- Please realize that this budget is LESS than last years, and even so it's only pennies different per property different. We lose state money when we cut local money too.
Delete"We lose state money...blah, blah, blah..."
DeleteThe STATE IS $6 BILLION IN DEBT.
The COUNTRY IS APPROACHING $16 TRILLION IN DEBT.
The avalanche is about to happen and the only way to avoid it is to reduce the exhorbitant spending of state and federal governments now.
VOTE NO ON THIS IRRESPONSIBLE AND UNAFFORDABLE BUDGET.
The school budget is in line with the other schools in the state. All the stuff you are crying about has NOTHING to do with the school budget. Voting "No" is just hurting the schools and OUR TOWN!
DeleteAnon 10:48 You need to be arguing about the debt in places where is does some good, not on something as important as education and as small and local as a school budget. Springfield's school budget will have absolutely NO effect on the state or national debt. If you actually think so you are either delusional or need a calculator.
DeleteTypical local la la land tripe. What we do here is different from those other issues. You need to request a wake-up call, dude, because it's all intertwined - from the fiscally irresponsible in the localities to the high rolling Congress, America has become detached from any semblance of fiscal responsibilty, and it all begins at home!
DeleteOh, that's a good reason to vote affirmatively - it's "in line" with other schools in a state with a $6B debt. Keepin' up with the Joneses has led many to financial ruin, so let's just join the crowd. Champagne coolies at "The Great Hall" anyone????
DeleteAnon 11:11 Sure it's intertwined, but it amounts to nothing. Sure cut the school budget. That is just like pissing ourselves wearing back pants. We get a nice warm feeling, but no one at the state or national level will notice. Then we can clean up the mess we made on our own afterwards.
DeleteAnon 11:14- People make it sound like the school budget is higher than anywhere else. It's not. There is no keeping up going on or Champagne toasts at the school. Wake up!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteHanover...NH? That is an interstate school district. NH does an entirely different thing with their taxes than Vermont does. That district is nothing like Springfield and very difficult to compare. Find something in Vermont.
DeleteWhat? Wetting yourself in backward pants? Are you a Springfield Public School graduate with experience in doing so? Must be, because you're part of the larger problem - the "anybody but us" mentality who believes that the rules don't apply to them. Unfortunately, in the end, you're going to find out that they do - and it will be even more painful than this little exercise of pulling off a band aid! Now go change your pants!
Delete1:15, you are exactly right. Thank you.
DeleteBudget passed by overwhelming majority, now we need to start addressing that which is really needed to improve our schools
DeleteAnon 9:27 - I understand what you are saying but where do you think the state dollars come from? And the budget MAY be less than last years but it truly is exhorbinant. My extended family lives in a suburb right outside of Boston and their school system is huge; yet they pay less in property taxes and they serve more students. I just can't understand why a town the size of Springfield needs such a large education budget. Perhaps if we were not in a recession and struggling to just get by, I'd have no problem voting Yes on the budget but these are slim times. I'm trying my best and working my hardest to keep a roof over my family's head, food on the table, clothes on their back, all the while paying utilities and day to day life expenses. If I have to live within my means, then so does the school district and town. It's called fiscal responsibility. I'm sorry, but no matter how we work this deal, or how cushy we make it feel, I still have to vote no today.
ReplyDeleteMass has a different tax system than Vermont. Higher sales tax and higher income tax for most. That is how they do a lower property tax. NH has no sales or income tax, but silly expensive property tax and expensive auto registration fees. It's not the same or equal state to state. You can't compare one state's property tax to another.
DeleteSince the tax changes regarding funding for schools, the school budget costs have been spread to the entire state. Cutting the local school budget means we lose out on State money too and the impact is negligible on the tax rate.
Vermont is big on social programs. The tax rates aren't as much of a local problem as a state problem. It's not the schools, it's the social programs. Cutting schools just hurts the town, and doesn't affect the state at all.
Ok Anon - 10:05. Thanks for the information. Apparently I was uninformed of tax differences from state to state, but I'm still voting no to the budget.
DeleteThat is a GOOD DECISION.
DeleteWhy does Springfield have one of the highest school budgets in Vermont, and have one of the highest dropout rates, in Vermont? Throwing money at this problem has not worked.
ReplyDeleteAt a guess, it's one of the larger towns in the state so it has a larger budget. It also has one of the highest welfare receiving populations in the state and it has been shown that those with lower socioeconomic standing have lower graduation rates. Our Schools are fighting an uphill battle.
DeleteOn the last data available from 2010 Springfield was 68th of the 301 districts listed in terms of tax rate. http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/data/comparison_data.html
One rather simple conclusion is that it costs more money to educate kids from poverty stricken families than it does kids from upper middle-class families. We have no shortage of poverty stricken families in Springfield. It used to be possible for kids to go directly from high school to union wage jobs at the machine shops. The jobs and the unions are gone now, so now a kid who drops out, or only gets a high school diploma is eligible for poverty level jobs. The only way out of that trap, and the only way to remedy it is through education and unfortunately, it is going to cost more to educate these kids than those from other areas and backgrounds. So its time to pitch in and quit whining.
DeleteAetheired the Unready
DeleteWell said, wondering if people complaining about the school budget actually lived in this town back when the shops were booming. How different its was then. When was the last time the town budget was voted down? Why is it that the most important resource we have, our children, have to suffer.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteUnready, Yes!
DeleteRe: Why is it that the most important resource we have, our children, have to suffer[?]
DeleteOh, pleeeeeeeeease! There is plenty of room to reduce this budget without making "...our children...suffer" and deep down most of you all know that. What's at play here is Perotti's desire not to suffer the task of having to actually closely manage the schools' resources givne a smaller budget - that might actually require the super to put his lofty "PhD" to work having to manage under tighter fiscal controls.
Alot of us were around back when the shops were booming and we've seen the town's fortunes and many of our own reversed. As a result we aren't able to afford as much as we used to, so we live in smaller homes, drive older cars, buy lesser cuts of meat, forego that extra coat of paint on the house. Yep, we're all sacrificing in that way, but year after year after year, we have a town and schools that continue to generate higher and higher tax bills. They don't get it and it's high time they did.
A NO VOTE IS THE RIGHT VOTE!
VOTE NO - HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR AN AFFORDABLE BUDGET.
ReplyDeleteWe've already seen that there's plenty of fat hidden between the lines - travel, cell phones, etc. Keep voting no and keep the sunshine flowing in on the budget. You'll find there's plenty more places to reduce and not affect the basic educational quality of the schools.
If there was so much fat, talk to Puggy and the budget committee or better yet get on the committee yourself.
DeleteIt's the 21st century. Put the line item budget on line for ALL TO VIEW and we will expose the fat. You won't like it, cf course, because you'll think we're trying to gore your golden ox, but the fact of the matter is that another 5% in reductions would be easily identifiable.
DeleteAnd by the way, you don't send a life-long public employee on a public pension to review the budgets of other public employees. Public service cultures are all nonadversarial and nonconfrontational. It's go along and get along, and that, my friends, is what has been going on in Springfield for far too many years!
VOTE NO. PUBLISH THE LINE ITEM BUDGET ONLINE.
"nonadversarial and nonconfrontational" If that is what you think the budget committee was you are either totally uninformed and talking out your @ss, or a nut job.
DeleteThere we go. The "intellectuals" are finally joining the debate! When all a committee has to show for their efforts is a token 2% reduction, then that's not exactly a sterling indication that mortal combat occurred!
DeleteIt wasn't the budget committee that did the final reduction. There are somethings that reasonable people know you shouldn't cut.
DeleteThe school board made the final reductions or additions to the budget, not the budget committee.
DeleteAnd there are plenty of non-essential things still hiding in this budget that reasonable people know can be dispensed with while still delivering a decent education. The school board and the super shouldn't be let off the hook yet.
DeleteVOTE NO and DEMAND A FULL ACCOUNTING!
Whether the budget passes or not Springfield will still be faced with severe challenges in education. Though motivated students will get a good education, in general low achievemnent test scores and the high dropout rate will continue unchanged. There is no easy cure, no marvelous new program administrators can buy, no computer tracking system which will make our educational system measurably better than it is.
ReplyDeleteThe sociological challenges in Springfield are dumped on the educational system by the state. Children reflect the values and attitudes of their parents. When classrooms are disrupted by undisciplined children, often parents blame the teacher! Teachers are not the problem, and they are disheartened when, for political reasons, administrators side with parents against teachers. To put it bluntly, Springfield needs a "Judge Judy" to fill the Superintendent's shoes, someone who will look parents of disruptive students in the eye and tell them our schools are educational institutions, not correctional facilities, and we do not have the funds or time to be both.
There is only one way our school system will improve, and that is when all parents work in concert with our school system to educate our children, not just to babysit them, and hold their children accountable for their school work. When students arrive at our schools motivated to work hard to learn what they need to know to be well educated, self-supporting, and contributing members of our community, then our schools will thrive. Until then, we are all just shouting into the wind. If parents do not accept their responsibility as parents to motivate their children, who are they to criticize teachers for failing to teach students who think school is a waste of time?
Apt point. Porgressives continue to believe that money is a measure and can fill the parental void.
DeleteThe schools have tried very hard to keep all the kids in school. I think that it will come to the point where they have no choice but to send kids that don't want to learn home, no matter what the state says.
DeleteIt's at that point now.
DeleteAgree. Maybe we need to license parents now. You can't do the classes to get a license you lose your kids. If you go on welfare and stay on it year after year, you lose your kids. We are turning out generation after generation of losers that expect the schools to do everything for them and people that work to pay for it. I don't blame the schools, I blame the glut of self entitled breeders that have no idea what it means to be a parent.
DeleteOur town attracts many people because we have all of the social services offices for low income families. We are not a wealthy town. We aren't even a middle class town. Our schools and the needs of the students reflect that. That's why test scores are low. That's why you need to vote yes for the school district budget, and help lift us all up.
DeleteWe have voted yes for 6 years and there has been no change in the schools. As a matter of fact the schools have declined. When you can show me an education level like Hanover for the budget amount you are asking then I will vote yes. As a matter of fact Hanover pays 23 million. Rutland school district pays 45 million. Rutland has a population three times or more the size of springfield. How is it that they can keep their costs in line but springfield cant. NO WAY I am voting a big NO!
DeleteThey also have newer school facilities that don't require constant, expensive repairs.
DeleteBecause they were smart with their money and built facilities when they needed them while strictly watching their money. When are the excuses going to end! It never ceases to amaze me. let's see its because of the income level of students families, its because new teachers are scared, its because the budget gets questioned, its because our buildings are old, its because of lack of revenue, its because of lack of training, its because of miscommunication. Enough already. Just stop the excuses. What do we tell our kids? We tell them to take responsibility for their actions and not to blame others. For god's sake I feel like I am dealing with a bunch of residents from rural West Virginia.
DeleteAnd replacing bleechers and increasing the athletic directors pay was completely necessary right? That is the kind of crap that pisses residents off. Increasing the principals and the administrative staffs compensation was necessary? 41k in travel expenses? REALLY?
DeleteSo the old budget plus 100k for additional fueld increase, plus 243k (I believe) increase for benefits caused them to RIF how many people? If they could pay for the staff already with the current budget and only needed the two increases above then why RIF? The budget doesnt add up. Something is screwy and either the board and the committee are stupid or they dont know how to ferret out the excesses.
Sure, and Springfield could have (and should have) avoided many such costs by: Closing Park Street School/Admin Offices; Consolidating its two elementary schools into one; and performing better preventative maintenance on its other facilities. In the end though, they're not incentivized to do so because they know they'll always be people like Anon 3:54 that will serve as their excuse artists, allowing the school system to just hit the taxpayers up for more of their hard earned money. The attitude being, yeah, we know it's your hard earned money, but we need it more than you do! Time to stamp out that attitude across government entities and force them all to tighten their belts and deliver a much better value for less. Taxpayers deserve it and must demand it!
DeleteSpringfield has much room for cost savings when one takes a pragmatic look at real estate issues. Park St. School costs $200,000., and is used to provide space for the Central Office staff. That is circa $10,000. per employee for office space. Would it not be a savings to put Gateway back in East School, and lease space for the Central Office from the Catholic Church ($72,000. utilities included), or even put Central Office staff in East School along with the Gateway Program?
DeleteA significant savings would also be realized if our Superintendent, other Central Office staff, and principals were used as first called substitute teachers. Not only would money be saved, administrators would have a chance to experience what classroom teachers do every day, and could also be expected to update the Power School records at the end of the teaching day. I presume they know how to make data entries in the software they so value. Just imagine Superintendent Frank Perotti finding himself an acting substitute teacher in a classroom without a para, and having to make Power School data entries!
Love this.
Delete4:44 - Not its -- It's. It's is the contraction for it is.
DeleteExcuses for what 4:44?
DeleteYes, classroom teachers should be valued and have a very hard job teaching our young. But, principals have a very hard job also. Their days don't end at 2:38 when schools out. We shouldn't discount what teachers or principals do, should be working together for our children. That includes parents and community members.
DeleteThe money to replace bleachers was cut from the budget all the years along with a bunch of other building stuff so I think all of this will get us back problems we used to have and need to find money for later. Old stuff just gets older and not safer
Deletevoted no........
ReplyDeleteThank you so did I
DeleteMe too!
DeleteTHE POLLS ARE STILL OPEN.
ReplyDeleteCAST YOUR "NO" VOTES NOW!
Cast your YES votes, and thank you for being kind and thoughtful human beings!
DeleteSince when did kind and thoughtful play a part in being fiscally responsible...I have to laugh at you yes people...Lambs led to slaughter.
DeleteEnjoy your tax bill. Watch you paper cause you are gonna understand the bigger picture! Baaahaaaa
I voted yes
ReplyDeleteSo did i
DeleteMe too. Vote yes!
DeleteI voted yes too!
DeleteI voted yes
DeleteVoting yes was the only way to go!
ReplyDeleteJust voted no. Tell your friends.
ReplyDeleteVoted 'YES' because I don't believe in punishing children.
ReplyDeleteYou must have been one of the staff that believes in abusing kids and making excuses why it is ok...you go girl!
DeleteVoter turnout has been light..put your money where your mouth is. Every vote counts. Let's get out there and VOTE NO and get these schools on a path to reform! We need those NO VOTES.
ReplyDeleteRemember your neighbor, your friend and all those teachers are not going to pay your tax bill as much as we like them the bottom line is YOU will pay the bill! Remember that...and nobody needs to know what your vote was. You won't face public harassment or scorn. VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET!
I just voted yes
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteEveryone is entitled to their own opinion! And better yet can vote yes or no!
ReplyDeleteThe budget PASSED!
ReplyDeleteWell now it is time to move forward and ask the really difficult questions and demand answers. NO AND YES have to move forward and realign the district policies and governance. The school board must be held to much more stringent expectations as should the staff.
ReplyDeleteThe administrators need to be held accountable.
DeleteAnd I want to add that it was a wonderful thing seeing both no and yes debating their sides. This is the beauty of elections and a democratic society. BUT because the vote is over does not excuse each and everyone of us to get off our duffs...good days and bad and be at those school board meetings. There is no excuse. Put up or shut up as the saying goes. Let's be active and be heard.
ReplyDeleteI am a no voter..however I feel that it is entirely possible to reform a completely broken system like Springfield School district but it takes a village. And that village is ALL of us!
Well put...it has been said that "United we stand, Divided we fall"...This has been a difficult year and a difficult budget to pass but now that the decision has been made I feel strongly that both sides need to find and stand united on a common ground for anything to change...The children in this town need strong and POSITIVE role models in order for them to grow and witness the changes otherwise they will just do the same as they have seen done by the adults setting the example...Arguing and fighting does NOTHING to promote a POSITIVE change and sets a bad example for the children...Let's find a common ground and work from there for the sake of the children who WILL influence the futures of us ALL!
DeletePassing the budget just created 14 classrooms without paras, which means the children in those classrooms will not receive the same help as other students in the system. It creates a perfect laboratory situation for studying whether paras are necessary at all.
ReplyDeleteI suggest the administration apply standardized achievement tests at the beginning of the school year to the students in the classrooms without paras, and to do the same with students from fourteen classrooms with paras, to use them as controls. At the end of the year, test both groups again.
The test results will reveal the effect of stripping paras from classrooms in terms educators understand: hard numbers. If the difference in scores is minimal, the administrators can then write academic papers and receive more advanced degrees. They can then dismiss all the paras, making substantial savings, without negatively impacting students' test scores.
If the scores reveal students without paras were disadvantaged and fell behind their peers, perhaps the District will be sued by those students' parents. In any case, in the future voters will be able to make reasoned decisions about school staffing reductions, knowing the impact such have on test scores.
As I looked around the nearly empty Springfield High School cafeteria yesterday evening, I was stunned to see that less than a dozen persons, other than members of the School Board, Central Office staff, and media, showed up to discuss the 26 million dollar budget proposal. No wonder the public is often treated with disdain by public "servants". No wonder persons with initiative and brains don't more to Springfield. No wonder outsiders consider Springfield inhabited by drugged up zombies!
Dr. Perotti should expect to have his contract renewed, and I for one will cheer if the School Board makes that decision. I firmly believe that people get the leadership they deserve, and Springfield's voters deserve the leadership they have. You don't need to change horses when you are racing downhill.
I just don't get voting down the budget to protest Para cuts or any other problem with the schools. The vote on the budget is just that. If it is voted down then it gets cut again, not added back to it. Sorry your wife's position was cut, but voting it down again would have resulted in more lost jobs and even less for kids.
DeleteAs I have written before, my wife's job was not at risk.
DeletePeople who think they are powerless are powerless. When you control purse strings, you have power, and you can take control if you are steadfast in refusing to pass budgets. When you give up the purse strings, you have given up your power to effect change. The Ways and Means Committee is the most powerful committee in Congress simply because it controls access to money.
There was one "yes" voter at the meeting I could easily identify, Ethan McNaughton, because he at least takes a stand publically, and signs his name to his blog posts. I highly respect him for his courage. A woman spoke in favor of passing the budget. A gentleman spoke against it, and voiced his opinion the previous vote failed to approve the budget for other than financial reasons. And I had my say about opposing budgets that strip classrooms of teaching staff. That was it, and the Central Office staff and School Board members smiled in relief as Town Attorney Patrick Ankuda adjorned the meeting. They seemed to know they had defeated their opposition without an argument. It was like going to court and winning by default when an opponent doesn't show up.
The budget has now passed, and the School Board and Central Office staff will do as they please until the next budget needs to be approved. They were elected and hired to run the Springfield School District, and that is what they are going to do. They will run it the way they see fit. They won't give a damn about persons who disagree with them until next March. Until then, critics will be seen as nuisances, and treated as such.
If you don't like it, run for the School Board, call a public meeting, but whatever you and other "yes" voters do, please stop the litany about "doing it for the kids". If you really cared about the children in this town, you would have been at last night's public meeting. You would have argued for saving teaching positions. You would have informed the School Board you were going to vote against the budget until cut teaching positions were reinstated. But you threw in the towel, and threw the kids under the bus, so to speak. You behaved like a tired school dropout, asking yourself, "What is the use of me working so hard?" It was about your comfort zone, not about the "kids".
Chris your thoughts about the committees and the vote on the budget are wrong minded and make incorrect assumptions. The town vote on the school budget is only on the amount. It's binary and unidirectional. It's either an affirmative vote for 'it is okay', or a negative vote for 'it is too high'. A vote with many people voting is too plural to convey any other meaning. There were many views stated on here for voting no; budget was too high, they cut paras, the national/state deficit is too high, they have Park Street open, they hate the Superintendent, they hate the board, and on and on. How can the board glean any particular meaning from a "no" vote on the budget amount?
DeleteThere is one reaction the board takes to a "no" vote, cut the budget. The first vote resulted in losing some promising newcomers and a dent in much needed programs. Another no vote would have resulted in more cuts, larger class sizes, and fewer programs. It would not result in anything being put back in.
Your committee analogy doesn't fit. Committees can table measures, pick them back up and change them as they go. That process is in the budget committee and that is when these sort of things need to be done. Not after everyone has put hard work into reaching an agreement and making hard choices.
It's real easy to be the armchair quarterback and say that the people in the school don't give a damn or attribute actions to feelings not in evidence, or that they shouldn't cut this or cut that. You paint with a broad brush, catching up good folks at the school that do care and do listen, that our and friends and neighbors. You come riding in after the fact. You bring some good ideas, however this last post makes you sound like a crank. If you really want to make a difference, I hope to see you at more board meetings in the future as they shape next year's budget.
I am 67, pay a lot of real estate taxes, always vote, and until this spring, have always voted for the school budget, firmly believing that Springfield had an excellent school system that deserved the respect and support of the public.
DeleteDespite the fact that demographics severely challenge our educators, many children, including my four, had wonderful teachers and received superb educations in this town. Many present students still do. They are usually, but not always, students who come from families with above average incomes, whose families are not broken, whose parents are not involved with the criminal justice system, whose parents have taught them their numbers and alphabet before they even enter the school system. They do not need paraprofessionals. Many of our students are not so fortunate.
Springfield is inundated with severely challenged children. They were born in disfunctional families. They have not received the nurturing that makes a child blossom. They have not been encouraged to learn. They have often been emotionally abandoned, if not physically abandoned. They arrive in the school system frightened, and with the help of dedicated teachers and support staff, they find school is a safe haven, someplace where they are not threatened, and treated with sincere affection. They also are given a chance to become educated, and with the help of dedicated teaching staff many do. Many are very disturbed when they go home on Fridays, knowing they are facing two days without school to brighten their lives. These are the children that thrive under the care and teaching of paraprofessionals.
When my wife, who is a one-on-one para at Elm Hill School, alerted me that a budget had been proposed that cut teaching staff, I attended the School Board meeting held to discuss the budget proposal. I was fascinated listening to the many teachers and paras that explained in detail why cutting teaching staff was unwise. The School Board heard in detail what the impact of cutting teaching staff would be on our students. Did they listen? Are you kidding?
When the vote was held, 16 voters, easily comprised of paras, teachers, and relatives of the same, defeated the budget. Did the School Board understand when I explained at their next meeting, in short sentences, what happened? No.
Persons who believe there is only one tool in their tool box will never look for another. If you only have a knife, that is all you will ever use. So the School Board did not even consider dropping the cuts and regaining lost votes. They cut the budget again, and removed even more teaching staff.
Now the budget has passed and the town is locked into a plan destined to disappoint teachers, parents, and guess what, the administrators who designed it. Worst of all, the School Board betrayed the students who desperately need the staff members that will be dismissed. But you can be assured they will wring their hands and shake their heads as the dropout rate increases and test scores drop.
Again, no one was there when it was discussed dropping Paras, or many other cuts. No one watched SAPA, and only when staff at Elm made a stink, AFTER the hard decisions were made AFTER the hard work was done, did people come out. I'd argue the board tried to compromise and saved a few positions, but at the last minute there isn't time to rework an entire budget that people spent several months in developing.
DeleteBy your logic 16 voters, easily comprised of paras, teachers, and relatives of the same, cost several more folks jobs by casting a vote that had but one outcome; further budget cuts. There just isn't any other outcome the board can take on a vote on the school budget.
Use the right tool, for the right job. Go to the meetings and be heard. Talk to the administration, talk to the board members. Don't try to use a hammer to do the job of pliers.
Paras change between and among classrooms where needed. So there isn't the 'Have' classrooms and the 'Have Not' classrooms. Your test tube experiment wouldn't work.
ReplyDeleteYou should be aware of that more than most.
While the Springfield School District had a para in every classroom, there was no need for them to "change between and among classrooms". Each was assigned to a specific teacher's classroom or an individual student.
DeleteParas who work as classroom teaching assistants will probably find themselves in a frustrating game like musical chairs, with a difference. They will be expected to fill more chairs than there will be paras! But at least assigning one para to several classrooms will make it impossible to objectively measure the effect of removing 14 paras from the system!
If paras are expected to work in several different classrooms, who will evaluate them? Those that work in one classroom are evaluated by the classroom teacher. In the system you describe, they will probably be evaluated by several teachers. There is nothing like having many supervisors, with each irritated feeling he/she has been short changed.
One thing is certain, classroom teaching effectiveness is going to suffer, teachers morale will plummet, and test scores will decline. Springfield didn't "do it for the kids"; Springfield did it to the kids.
Please do not consider para's educators, I went to college and received my teaching certification by going though the hoops. Paras do not need more than two years of college, do not get certified by the VTDOE to teach and and should not be teaching, they assist the teacher. If teaching effectiveness is going to suffer due to not having a para, then the teacher should not be teaching! Paras have nothing to do with test scores unless they are taking the test for the student! Also the VTDOE says we have to many paras per student, 127 when we should have 47. In other states, paras aren't even in the classroom until over 25 students. Lets be realistic here...
DeleteThis poster knows of what s/he speaks!!! ^ ^ ^ ^
DeletePlease listen.
127 when we should have 47?? Why did Elm have a melt down over the 15 that were cut? Why are we cutting actual teachers and programs with that much bloat in Paras?
DeleteYou confuse a "melt down" with a 'media event'.
DeleteNothing promps more hits than rags like this blog or the Rutlnd Herald.
Please people.....come to School Board meetings or at least watch on SAPA. Everything I've asked in the past has been readily explained.....maybe not to my liking.....but explained none the less.
Most of those "127" if that is accurate paras are 1:1 paras who work in special education with kids who require far more then the other kids. We do not control our population, we gladly accept all children and with a smile. If we have more kids with special needs we do not deny them a para just cause it is " too" many! We give them one so they can be safe while at school. There are only 30 classroom paras, which is now 16. That is drastic to the safety of the children in elm and union.
DeletePlease get off it!
DeleteThere were over 10 added the year before and 10 eliminated with this budget. Springfield has a GLUT of paras compared to other districts.
Plain and simple.
To "Steve" who posted above...I assume you are one of the board members. I appreciate you coming on here and making a comment. Now that we have your attention, please post an itemized budget for all to see. This would put many minds at ease; or stir the bees hive again. Either way, the taxpayer, you know, the ones who pay the bills, have the right to know where our tax dollars are being spent. Oh, and thank you for the invite to the meetings for next year's budget. I will be there. I just hope others show up too. Could you try to schedule those meetings around 4 or 5 pm instead of 7pm? Those of us who work hard all day and are up at 4am to go to work are pretty exhausted come 7pm. Please consider changing the meeting times. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSteve, please don't change the meeting times, i work till 6pm everyday and the 7:00 pm time works well for me. Thanks.
DeleteThere are no Steve's on the board!!!!
DeleteThank you Sherlock Holmes.
DeleteUmmm, actually there is. Scroll up! "Steve 5/9/12 8:39 AM."
DeleteTo Anonymous 8:07. When you went to college and went through the "hoops", did you learn there is a difference between "to" and "too"? Do you know that often certified teachers, who find no job as a teacher, find one as a para? Do you know that paras have been known to teach classes at Gateway, while a teacher, close to retirement, dozed in his chair? My wife, while a para in the Chester Andover District, taught a child with no reading skills to read and write, and the child became her pen pal. The gratitude of the child's parents was heart warming. I read the letters from the child, and marveled at what my wife and her student had achieved. My wife earned her teaching credentials in Switzerland. Her credentials are not honored in Vermont, so she works as a para.
ReplyDeleteIf there is one thing Springfield should do in its school system it is teach students to be responsible for their actions. Perhaps then if they become teachers, they will be brave enough to sign their names to blog posts.