We are at a crossroads as a school district and a community. Through a “perfect storm” of declining enrollment, the economic downturn, chronic state underfunding of our public schools and, yes, past instances of spending beyond our means, our school district and many others are facing record shortfalls and are being forced to consider far-ranging cuts in programs and personnel. We cannot easily change inflationary factors, nor can we effect legislative changes overnight (though we can and must let our legislators know our concerns).
We can, however, consider and work on declining enrollment and enhancing enrollment through outreach to our friends and neighbors. And we can work on ways to more efficiently provide the programs and opportunities we want our kids to enjoy. I believe our current school board, along with its recently-formed budget advisory committee, are committed to “righting the ship” in a responsible and creative manner. This is not easy. The pain involved in downsizing is real and impacts many. We must find ways to mitigate the losses.
My greatest concern is declining enrollment. In small school districts such as ours, each child makes a huge difference to the financial health of our district, since much state funding is on a per capita, or “per student”, basis. In addition to this, all public schools are legally required to provide many essential services which often are not fully reimbursed by state or federal governments.
We cannot easily address those situations where a family can no longer afford to live on our beautiful, but expensive, island. Nor can we solve situations where a child with truly unique needs cannot thrive in the public schools. But when I look around our island, I see many great kids (with many great parents) who I wish my daughter could get to know better at our public school. We are an island where individualism is valued, especially in our choices of how we educate our kids. This is our right—but we also need to reflect on how our choices impact our community as a whole.
I very much understand the attraction of seeking to educate a child in a setting with other like-minded parents. But by choosing the public school, I’m giving my daughter the precious opportunity to learn to get along with the full range and breadth of her island neighbors—whether we worship in the same place, vote the same way, or speak the same language. I can also feel happy that we support a safety-net for those same neighbors who are less fortunate than us. We can form a true community—this is the promise, and the challenge, of a public school education.
Of course, all of us need to work to make a happy and safe community for our kids. The onus is not just on parents to seek ways to make a public school education work for their kids (although if we all thought of ways we could help, in the classroom, at the playground, etc. that would be a good start—it’s very true that if you want to effect change somewhere, it’s a lot easier if you’re inside the system rather than outside.)
There has to be a commitment on the part of everyone. Our teachers and school administrators need to challenge themselves and find ways to respond to the concerns of parents who currently choose to seek alternatives to the public school. We must honor a parent’s concerns regarding their child’s learning style. We must find even better ways to respond quickly and effectively to instances of bullying. In short, we all have to be creative and realize it’s no longer enough to think that our past methods, tried and true, are enough to get the job done.
Also, each of us involved with our schools needs to emphasize all that we have and not dwell on what is changing. We have an incredible school with wonderful academics, impressive programs in the arts and music, and an incredible array of athletic offerings for a school our size. While we may need to adjust what is offered to kids somewhat, there will still be much we can continue to offer.
For a district our size, our offerings of AP classes, and in the areas of music, art, athletics and dance truly incredible. We also have many very talented people working to continue to provide these opportunities to our kids. We must do whatever each of us can to preserve this legacy. We can start by supporting OIEF’s ongoing fundraising efforts in whatever amount we can, knowing that every dollar will help in some way.
Barb Skotte, PTSA President
Note: This opinion is updated from an opinion published in the Islands Sounder on May 20, 2008.
