Open letter to the BOE, PTA Council, Glenville PTA from Brian Raney, Parent, Glenville Elementary School
The silly season is starting early this year. By that I mean the fight over the Town budget, and the Schools budget in particular.
The BET was late in getting out their guidance, and the Schools administration took full advantage by setting a budget with an astounding 6.5% increase1. Now, the Schools administration is arguing that the only way to meet the BET guidance is to cut services.
As usual, they pick services that have a vocal advocacy group to raise a fuss in the hope that they will keep the proposed increase. They seem to do this every year. In fact, two of the proposed cuts are retreads from previous threatened cuts – ALP & Spec Ed preschool class sizes.
Parents, the PTAs, the PTAC, and especially the BOE, should stop playing this game.
In a $190M budget, there are plenty of opportunities for savings – administrators, travel, etc – that don’t reduce services to the students.
I call on Karen Hirsh and Karen Kowalski (either being the presumptive BOE Chair), and the whole BOE, to ignore this tactic from the administration. Ideally, they should chastise them for using it! I urge the BOE to make better budget choices, as a team, for our Town taxpayers, but especially for our students. They deserve better than to have their education used as a political pawn every year.
Brian R. Raney
Parent, Glenville Elementary School