SAD 1 budget cuts suggest mixed up priorities
To the editor:
It was very disconcerting to read about SAD 1’s proposed school budget in the paper. Of course cutting positions and sports teams will have an effect on the children. When Skyway and Cunningham were put together in one school, it was a concern that kids would miss out because of not having enough teams. Our minds were set at ease when we were told that the teams would be doubled in order to ensure that every child who tried out would have a chance. Apparently that’s no longer a concern.
These children have certain goals in middle school that they would like to meet — goals that can only be achieved in middle school — such as receiving a Super Athlete T-shirt. By eliminating these teams the adults in charge are also eliminating chances for our children to succeed. How many children will end up too discouraged to try?
Instead, why don’t we look at bus routes to save on gas? There have been many times when the buses make extra trips or pass other buses on the same route only to stop at different homes. Why not send out one bus instead of several to the same area at the same time.
What about the sign at the high school that’s fairly new? Did the district really need it? The last few times I’ve driven by it wasn’t even in use.
It’s always been said how important the arts are yet now the position of art teacher is being eliminated. The same goes for computers at the middle school. We live in a technological society — children should learn computer skills at a young age. How can this happen when a computer teacher is being eliminated?
How can these positions have been so important a year ago when now they mean nothing? All these things and the majority of them affect PIMS. How can the high school have assistant coaches for each team, when the middle school can hardly have a coach for one team?
There are so many ways to cut back that we should have been doing it all along. Every little bit helps. Just like the box tops we save — each worth 10 cents — that goes toward the school being able to afford extra things.
What about the lights! There have been many times that I’ve seen lights being left on in classrooms when no one’s around, sometimes for quite a while. Has anyone noticed how incredibly hot the schools are? It’s like a sauna when you walk in there. So much so that some of the classroom windows are open. You might as well be throwing money out the window.
What about when the school year has ended and the classrooms are being cleaned out? I’m sure that there are things that get discarded that are in perfectly good condition, only to replace these items in the fall.
None of the things I have mentioned will be immediately noticed, but the loss of teams and teachers will. There has to be another way to cut back without the students losing out. Make no mistake that when this proposal goes through, it’s the children who will lose, specifically those at PIMS.
SAD 1 has no problem finding money to spend when they want to.
Mapleton
