The BOE meeting on Monday night was an upsetting and sobering experience. One new and very vocal member, Jack O'Connell seems to be advocating radical changes with little regard to how this would effect the day to day life of the students of Milford. Unless I am mistaken the students and giving them the best possible education is the priority of the Milford Public School System as well as the BOE.
Mr. O'Connell proposes that shortfall in the budget should be addressed by first going to the teacher's union to ask for furloughs, changes in class size, reduction in staff development and other concessions. Mr. O'Connell even had the gall to call Milford's class size "luxurious." I think any board member who feels that Milford's teachers are overpaid and can easily fulfill their obligations with larger class sizes should spend a day in a classroom.
More and more is being asked of the teachers and school employees all the time. The economy effects the schools in ways people may not readily think of. When families have financial difficulty there is more stress in the family. Children don't leave this stress and worry at home but bring it to school. In order for these children to do their best they may need extra support from the classroom teacher or the social worker and psychologist. Parents who in the past have paid for private therapists to help with behavioral and emotional issues may not be able to do that now and this burden falls on the school. In addition, many parents who once hired private tutors to help their children keep up with the curriculum may now rely on the classroom teacher for this as well. In addition to these extra needs, Milford will next year be required to comply with SRBI mandates and guidelines. This is a very labor intensive process which requires a lot more time from the classroom teachers. Along with these demands, the district is applying for a Race to the Top Grant which will bring with it more requirements tied to the funding it will supply. These new requirements will likely fall to the classroom teacher and other certified school staff as well. Yet, Mr. O'Connell seems to feel these individuals are overpaid and expendable. The fact that he thinks teacher concessions should be the first consideration in meeting a reasonable budget is a slap in the face to the educators of Milford. This would be worrisome were Mr. O'Connell a lone voice on this new board. However, at Monday night's meeting virtually nothing he said was questioned by any of the other 8 members.
As a citizen and parent in Milford I am hoping this new board will work together with the school administration to produce a budget that will allow for the best education possible for our students and not be so eager to cut costs that the teachers and students suffer and we are all left in several years scratching our heads and wondering why our student's achievement is so far below that of our neighboring towns.
BOE
The BOE meeting on Monday night was an upsetting and sobering experience. One new and very vocal member, Jack O'Connell seems to be advocating radical changes with little regard to how this would effect the day to day life of the students of Milford. Unless I am mistaken the students and giving them the best possible education is the priority of the Milford Public School System as well as the BOE.
Mr. O'Connell proposes that shortfall in the budget should be addressed by first going to the teacher's union to ask for furloughs, changes in class size, reduction in staff development and other concessions. Mr. O'Connell even had the gall to call Milford's class size "luxurious." I think any board member who feels that Milford's teachers are overpaid and can easily fulfill their obligations with larger class sizes should spend a day in a classroom.
More and more is being asked of the teachers and school employees all the time. The economy effects the schools in ways people may not readily think of. When families have financial difficulty there is more stress in the family. Children don't leave this stress and worry at home but bring it to school. In order for these children to do their best they may need extra support from the classroom teacher or the social worker and psychologist. Parents who in the past have paid for private therapists to help with behavioral and emotional issues may not be able to do that now and this burden falls on the school. In addition, many parents who once hired private tutors to help their children keep up with the curriculum may now rely on the classroom teacher for this as well. In addition to these extra needs, Milford will next year be required to comply with SRBI mandates and guidelines. This is a very labor intensive process which requires a lot more time from the classroom teachers. Along with these demands, the district is applying for a Race to the Top Grant which will bring with it more requirements tied to the funding it will supply. These new requirements will likely fall to the classroom teacher and other certified school staff as well. Yet, Mr. O'Connell seems to feel these individuals are overpaid and expendable. The fact that he thinks teacher concessions should be the first consideration in meeting a reasonable budget is a slap in the face to the educators of Milford. This would be worrisome were Mr. O'Connell a lone voice on this new board. However, at Monday night's meeting virtually nothing he said was questioned by any of the other 8 members.
As a citizen and parent in Milford I am hoping this new board will work together with the school administration to produce a budget that will allow for the best education possible for our students and not be so eager to cut costs that the teachers and students suffer and we are all left in several years scratching our heads and wondering why our student's achievement is so far below that of our neighboring towns.