To the editor:
At our recent school board meeting some of our residents, myself included, aired their frustration on the direction the board seems to be taking with our children’s education. They will not speak the facts because of political correctness. The state and federal governments as well as local school boards are so wrapped up with special education they can’t see the other 80 percent of the students aren’t getting their needs filled.
The RSU50 proposed budget increasing administration and special education costs while lowering the classroom instruction budget, I believe, is a mistake. To continue paying our teachers at a rate that competes with no other Maine schools, while at the same time increasing the size and cost of administrative staffing and special education costs is a result of the board trying to comply with numerous state and federal regulations demanding certain programs be in place depending upon the special needs children enrolled in our district. Layoffs of teachers within the regular classroom environment to better afford more special education isn’t the answer either.
We need the authority to limit student enrollment to a certain level of needs. We are expending so much money trying to serve children with severe learning disabilities, that the community can no longer afford all of the needs of the regular students.
Our governor and the legislature need to act now to allow us to govern ourselves or take it all on themselves. A budget that ensures our students a quality education will never happen as long as the state and federal government can install mandates in areas it feels are of particular importance and then not fully funding them is ridiculous.
Our community wants what every other community wants, well paid, highly skilled teachers willing to go the distance to ensure our children can compete with those schooled elsewhere. We want an environment that promotes health, nutrition and fitness. We want a program that challenges mind and body to excel to peak performance.
We the citizens and our school board will not be able to arrive at a plan that accomplishes these goals because of all the government protected programs we are required to fund.
David Robinson
Sherman
