Parents speak on behalf of teachers
Published on January 10th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - Amidst a sea of Stoneham teachers at last week's School Committee meeting, two Colonial Park School parents urged members of the community and the School Committee to support Stoneham educators in their ongoing pursuit of a fair and equitable contract.
Linda Hillis and Kathy Holland spoke in support of the teachers and the education of the children in the community as they outlined the budget cuts the system has endured over the past several years and the resultant impact on the educational system in Stoneham.
"The Stoneham public schools and our children have suffered many losses over the past eight years due primarily to budget cuts," Hillis said, summarizing cuts at each level.
Staff cuts at the elementary level during the town's fiscal crisis over the last several years have included a reading specialist for grades 1-3, a fully certified librarian, and a curriculum coordinator. Elimination of Title I math support, Title I summer reading program, weekly classroom guidance counselor visits, the DARE program, and the health education program has also been necessary, while reductions in art, music, physical education, supplies spending, cafeteria and custodial staff, as well as teacher in-service days and in-house training has further weakened the system, she charged.
The Middle School level has been even harder hit, Hillis said. Cuts at this level include one teacher each for social studies, science, health, and technology. These staffing cuts have resulted in abandonment of the popular team concept and increases in some class sizes. The Middle School has also endured reductions to the DARE program and to cafeteria and custodial staff, as well as elimination of exploratory courses and extracurricular activities.
"Educational excellence for this age group has been compromised and the Middle School is now the weakest link in the Stoneham Public Schools. Leaving students behind at this critical juncture jeopardizes the investment and progress in the elementary grades as well as the prospects for future success in high school and beyond."
Hillis summarized cuts at the high school level to include the following: elimination of one teacher each for science, math, english, social studies, and foreign language; elimination of language lab, Latin II, and second year world history; loss of freshman teams and the school newspaper; and limited scheduling options and course offerings which Hillis said "forces students to take electives that fit into their schedule and not based on their choice."
Just recently, Stoneham High School issued (academic) warning cards to three-fourths of the high school student body, or about 640 students out of a total of 871.
"This is reflective of the losses we have had in our educational system," she said, adding that Stoneham teachers are underpaid and budget cuts over the past several years have made it difficult to attract and retain teachers.
"The impact of these losses has caused an erosion of our educational system that will have long lasting and negative impacts," Hillis concluded to fervent applause.
As an educator, Holland knows first hand how large class sizes, limited resources, and loss of specialists and support staff can affect a school system, and warned of lowering test scores for Stoneham students.
A town-wide curriculum coordinator in Stoneham is needed, she said, as well as effective early intervention programs for all learners, thus potentially decreasing the number of students requiring special education services.
In addition, Holland lamented the loss of other key areas for learning, particularly art and music.
She referenced an article in the Northwest Regional Educational Journal that stated "singing, dancing, drawing and other art forms help children make sense of their world."
According to 1995 college board testing, students who have studied the arts for at least four years scored higher on SATs in both verbal and math than students with no experience or course work in the arts. Holland's research also shows that schools with strong art programs reported better attendance, increased graduation rates, improved multicultural understanding, and development of high order thinking skills, creativity and problem solving.
"I urge you to support the teachers of Stoneham in the pursuit of continued educational excellence in Stoneham for my children and yours."
The School Committee thanks the women and all the teachers for their input and hard work.
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