A Change of Direction

By Mary E. (Siler) Anderson

This election represents an unprecedented opportunity to reverse the decline of the quality of education in our district.

We should stop the removal of the junior high from Miranda to the Redway campus and begin to undo the damage that has resulted from this ill-conceived, poorly planned action.

Forcing schools within the district to compete with one another for survival was mean-spirited and divisive. It should never happen again. Instead of competition, the emphasis should be on exchanging and sharing to create an environment of mutual respect, understanding and affection for all the school sites in our district.

No one segment of our educational system should be singled out for sacrifice. When cuts are required, they should be across the board and administration should not be exempt.

The decision-making process of the district needs to be open. Teachers, administrators, parents, grandparents and students should be able to speak their minds and have their opinions listened to and considered before decisions are made. Parents, students, teachers and classified staff should be consulted to ensure that all aspects of a proposal have been considered. Actions should be taken carefully and deliberately and only when they enjoy the broadest support of everyone involved, especially those who are being affected by them.

There must be an end to the annual assault on teacher morale through layoff notices. We can't attract or keep good teachers or good administrators in such a hostile environment. There must be an end to the erosion of job security for our many classified employees. Some secretarial positions have been cut to two hours a day and secretaries can't possibly perform their jobs in the time allowed. Although class sizes are getting larger, classroom aide hours have also been cut. Even custodial hours are been cut. To make all these cuts and then give the Superintendent a 10% retroactive raise was to do a cruel disservice to every students and employee in the district.

We need a long range educational vision that sets a goal of providing optimal educational opportunities for all our students. Together with a new management team, a new board could make it a priority to define such a vision and start the process of achieving it. This election is an opportunity to reverse the downware direction of our schools and move towards a hopeful and positive future. If you support that goal, please vote for candidates who support it as well. Carpe diem!