Letter to the Editor May 11

Shander encourages parents to support schools

Editor,

If you value the educational experience that your children receive at Nolan, Thrasher and SMMHS, you must make plans to attend the County Commission/HCDE Board Joint Budget Meeting being held tomorrow - Thursday, May 12 at 1 p.m. at the County Courthouse.

As you know, the county school system is facing a $14 million shortfall this upcoming year. Cuts are being felt all over the county, including our schools. Our children will be impacted with larger class sizes. Class sizes in general will be at the maximum allowable. Itinerant faculty and staff may have their hours reduced. The gifted program at Nolan has been cut from a full-week program to just three days a week.

And as the school population increases, we can look forward to more crowded classrooms with little hope of expansion. Our facilities' maintenance issues will be ignored as Thrasher's was until recently. We are at the very bottom of the priorities list since so many other Hamilton County schools have much more serious overcrowding and maintenance problems.

The Hamilton County Department of Education has discussed cutting all middle school sports programs and terminating bus services for high school students. They will eliminate some faculty, staff and administrative employees, and will cut bus drivers' benefits. Everyone in the system will have their salaries frozen or take a pay cut of one kind or another - again. But the worst part of this is that we can expect to go through this every year because there is no practical plan for financing Hamilton County schools.

It doesn't have to be this way. The county could restore the cuts for this year from their swollen reserve fund, and then commission a group including all interested parties (County, Dept. of Education, school administrators, teachers, and parents) to formulate long-range budget and program plans so that we aren't surprised by budget shortfalls in the future. It would be a responsive and important step toward a stable and improved public school system.

So it is extremely important that our cumulative voices be heard. If you don't attend the meeting, or at least call or email your representatives with your opinion, don't complain next year when teachers are struggling to teach your children in crowded classrooms, or when your child is not receiving the services he or she needs. This is one of the most important things you can do for your children and your community!

It is NOT OK for our elected representatives to sell your children's future short. Your participation is required! Please call or send letters of concern to our County Commissioner Jim Fields, and County Mayor Jim Coppinger. You may also want to contact the other County Commissioners. The more letters, calls and emails they receive, the more they understand how much we care - and how we'll vote at the next election. Please contact me if you would like a sample letter to send.

If you haven't sent your yearly $200 per child donation to MEF this year, please do that right now as well - it may be a very important factor in maintaining excellence in the mountain schools in the years to come.

And please plan to attend the meeting on May 12. Get a sitter or bring your kids along for a civics lesson - just BE THERE.

Lisa Shander,

Nolan and SMMHS parent

shander2@comcast.net

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