Evansville Observer: School board: Watercooler: In budgetary decisions, what are your funding priorities? What can and cannot be cut?

Saturday, March 25, 2006

School board: Watercooler: In budgetary decisions, what are your funding priorities? What can and cannot be cut?

1 comment:

The Evansville Observer8:09 PM
My first priority is from K-3. From K-3 is when we learn to read. From 4 till old age we read to learn. I have taught kids from 5 to 55 to read. I know from first hand experience that if a youngster learns to read and gets excited about learning, the fire has been lit for a lifetime. I also know from first hand that if one does not learn to read in those first years, it can be nothing but money and heartache. I would fight to protect effective class sizes for k-3.

When we talk of essentials, first there are the state mandated courses. These such math, science, etc are not optional. They are required to graduate.

The questions arise in non-required or elective areas. Those areas are frequently cut because of lack of revenue. Yet the balance of academic, artistic and athletic is a fine feature in Evansville schools. I would use fees to allow students to still take part in non-required areas that might be threatened with cuts. I would work to begin these fees now and avoid a crisis such as faced recently in Monroe. We cannot say we do not know as Monroe did. We know.

There will be cuts for sure. However, I would first seek the use of fees to allow parents options for their children. When there are cuts, I will fight for fair treatment of employees and not endorse force firing.
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