Cody Muhs
Newton
On Monday, the school board voted 5-2 to reconfigure schools. Emerson Hough will be reopened as a K-4 school. Woodrow Wilson, Aurora Heights and Thomas Jefferson will be the same. Berg will be a 5-8 school for all of Newton. I am disappointed in the vote, and I am disappointed in the board.
The benefit to reconfiguration is slightly smaller class size. This should be a benefit. I believe (as many others do) there are far too many cons to the plan that take away from this potential benefit.
The plan calls for removal of the SAM positions at the elementary schools. SAMs aid students that need extra help and free the principal from administrative duties in order to concentrate on instructional planning/coaching. The current collaboration and co-teaching at TJ and WW are doing very well. The co-teaching method cannot continue in its current form in the new configuration. The costs and details of the program have been ignored. The devil is in the details. What other things will affect students will have to be cut in order to fund this reconfiguration? We are asked to trust this will be worked out.
The cons of the plan simply outweigh the benefits. Now, time and energy will need to be spent over the next two years to figure out the details of this plan rather than using that time and energy to create programs that will benefit students and increase school outcomes.
I am disappointed in some of the board because of the way they treated those who opposed reconfiguration. People have spoken out against this plan in school board meetings, letters to the board, conversations with the board, surveys and petitions. Every single time, school board members dismissed them. We were told at the meeting that if 250 people signed a petition against the reconfiguration, that means 15,000 may be for it. Is that a joke? Where are those 15,000 people speaking out in favor? We were told if we are against this we are not educated enough about the plan, or are only representing one school, or only representing special education, or we are not being positive enough, or we fear change. This is not true.
Teachers, parents, administrators overwhelmingly oppose this plan because we don’t believe it will help our students. They felt the board didn’t listen to them and I tend to agree.