I would like to bring some needed perspective on the School Board's choice of using furlough days in balancing our School District's budget these past two years.
When a child starts kindergarten, our District staff has less than 2,400 days, over 13 years of schooling, to teach that student the needed state requirements before graduating from high school.
The Board's latest restoration of two furlough days is a step back in the right direction. If the four remaining furlough days are left in place, along with the five days already taken last year, it would mean losing almost 60,000 days of schooling.
Its Only Priority
The Board's policy states, “The Governing Board believes that its primary responsibility is to act in the best interest of every student in the District.”
Their primary responsibility.
It's not one of their responsibilities. It is their only priority.
The use of employee furlough days in balancing the District budget does not meet that responsibility to our students.
Losing Sight of Main Objective
Somewhere along the way in balancing the last two District budgets, Board members somehow lost sight of this responsibility to our children.
The Parents Turn
Parents need to speak up for their children's education. Using furlough days is optional, not inevitable.
During the next budgeting/negotiating process, parents will need to come out and remind the Board of its commitment to their children.
Parents should tell the Board to use more traditional, more responsible ways of balancing the District budget without affecting their children's education.
Simply put, parents need to Just Say No to furlough days.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
