Budget

Tuesday, we will all head to the polls to cast our vote in this year's school elections. This is, without a doubt, the most controversial year to vote on a school budget. Everyone has their opinion, everyone has their own thoughts, here are mine.

Roxbury Township has lost almost $4 million in state aid. The first half-truth that I believe all should understand - a school district is a service based organization. Let me state emphatically - NO ONE is trying to "scare" parents and students into believing programs will be cut. There is no way to cut $4 million from a service organization budget without effecting services. To think that we could cut that much from our budget without losing a single program or teacher is wishful thinking.

Three of our four unions, in addition to our non-union Administrators, have agreed to a wage freeze to help in closing the budget gap. We have had multiple meetings to hear from those in the community as to their concerns about the budget. What I heard the most was that people did not want to lose services. They were concerned with electives being cut, with extra curricular activities being cut, with class sizes growing. At many times in the meetings we heard from students speaking out for their programs. This past week we had some HS students out on Hillside Avenue campaigning for people to pass the budget. I applaud all of the younger members of our community that have gotten involved - no one can explain the damage of cuts better than those feeling their effects.

I find it amazing that people are not outraged at the cuts to public school funding. Continuing the millionaires tax would have allowed funding to continue. Remember - the same person who has claimed schools and municipalities are overspending is the same individual who hired an employee to handle his facebook and twitter accounts. TWITTER??? And also realize that this Twitter employee is making $60,000 - about $20,000 more than a starting teacher's salary!

The one sentiment that seems to scare me the most is the voice saying that the budget should be voted down if the REA does not accept a wage freeze. I'm not sure where the reasoning is for this thinking. How does a failed budget hurt the union? They are adults and have already completed their education. Those being hurt by a failed budget are the students in the district. The students who are dealing with larger class sizes, less choices for electives, less after school activities, and an overall sub-standard academic experience. School is more than just reading, writing and arithmetic. Electives allow children to get a well rounded education - and allow them to try different classes to work towards finding a career that will provide a good "fit". After school activities provide socialization - and as one parent told me, allows their child who struggles academically a chance to shine. In the same way that my father worked 70 hours a week to provide me with a better education than he was able to get, I want my children to continue that push forward to a better education. I want doors opened for whatever college they choose to go to (92% of Roxbury students continue on to higher education). Whether that choice be CCM or Princeton - I want them to reach for THEIR stars.

Let's talk about all of the positive things that are going on in the schools:
District wide our Administrators have brought in over $50,000 in grants
Genesis and Honeywell Alert have been implemented to improve communication between parents and school
92% of our AP scores at the High School are at 3 or above - the highest in the region
RHS has brought in Alive at 25 as well as Rachel's Challenge - two amazing programs designed to help our children grow into adults with a positive impact on society
EMS has raised their proficiency and advanced proficiency rates dramatically
EMS has fostered a whole new climate of respect and socialization - and the result is a significant decrease in disciplinary issues
Our administrative costs, much to the dismay of those who argue that we have too many administrators, continue to be $1174/pupil as opposed to the $1875 regional average

A new administrative mentoring program is being worked on right now to allow for all seniors to take a senior option/independent study. Not only does this give our seniors an amazing advantage over their peers from other schools, but it also will open up electives for underclassmen. Just an example of what our strong administrative team is doing!

As a Board of Education, the option was there to go higher than a 4% cap. Randolph is asking for a 10% increase while still cutting 25 positions. The Roxbury Board of Education has done their best to minimize cuts while still staying within the 4% cap.

Our district has lost $4 million in funding this year - losing any more could be disastrous. We need to provide our children with an education to compete with their peers for college spots, to compete with others for jobs, and to succeed in life. This is our job as a community. I take it very seriously - and will be voting YES to pass the budget. I hope you will do the same.