To the editor:
Like many, I agree that competition can bring positive results and that education belongs in the marketplace. ¬ While I support innovation and the idea of an alternative educational environment, I wholeheartedly believe in equal educational opportunities for all of our children and that during this current fiscal climate, now is not the time for a charter school approval.
There is no dispute that our nation now faces an economic crisis. An educated workforce will contribute to its recovery. Rather than welcome a school that would put further restraints on our less than bare bones school budget, force us to redistrict with the likelihood of closing one or amalgamating two elementary schools, we need to redirect our efforts. Our passion for education should be utilized to obtain positive effects and provide for the needs of all our children in order for them to become productive citizens in the workforce.
Our Chapter 70 funding computation is an unfair representation of our community. Unfunded¬ Federal mandates such as the provisions of special education services are crippling our budgets.¬ Rather than bring division within our community over the charter school proposal, we need to redirect our focus to the existing issues and come together to rally for the good of all our children, not a selected few.
There are approximately 3,600 students within the Gloucester Public School system. Many require costly educational services. Our busing schedule is severely strained and cannot take added pressure of further responsibilities. The charter school starting times conflict with our current school schedule and will force us to hire additional drivers and purchase additional buses, an expense we cannot afford. Capital improvement projects will likely be put on hold and our schools could be left to crumble. Our work force will be reduced leaving a dangerous opportunity for children to "slip through the cracks" as a result of larger classroom sizes with decreased teacher supervision.
The impact of the proposed charter school brings further consequences. Our Plan For Effective Learning Communities will likely be abandoned. The efforts and costs spent on the elementary school build outs (modulars) will no longer have a cause. Fuller School could become the largest of our city's elementary schools as we face possible closure of an elementary school or the amalgamation of a pair of schools such as Beeman and Plum Cove, or East Gloucester and/or Veterans' Memorial School. Because we need to remain prepared to take back charter school students upon request or due to a possible failure of the charter school, we cannot supplement the $2.4 million financial loss by selling school property.
Massachusetts, like the rest of our nation, is suffering an economic breakdown. Layoffs are common and unemployment rates are expected to climb from 6 percent to 9 or 10 percent in the coming year.¬ Our community food banks are accommodating more customers, foreclosures are countless and our school's free- and reduced-lunch applications are increasing.
Gov. Deval Patrick and his staff frequently report state budget cuts, claiming they are making fiscally responsible decisions. Our School Committee has obtained information that, in fiscal year 2010, we will likely see a 10 percent aid reduction, if not more, as opposed to a severely needed increase. Weeks ago, when I met with Commissioner Mitchell Chester of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, he relayed that his own budget has been reduced by $30 million, with no relief in sight.¬
While the first year of a charter school is funded by the state, the devastating effects will be seen in the second and third year as Gloucester assumes the costs. With the proposed 240 pupil school at $10,000 per student, the drastic reduction in our budget will only benefit those who are fortunate enough to win the charter school lottery leaving the remaining children to suffer the consequences of accommodating the additional school.
The charter school seeks an alternative to our middle school students. There is a misconception about the O'Maley School with negative comments fostering within our community. These views are likely a result of past experiences many years ago. Many parents of O'Maley School students will tell you our middle school provides more than adequate learning opportunities where the many positive happenings go unreported.
With the extraordinary efforts of the Gloucester Education Foundation and the Gloucester School Connection, our children's achievements are recognized by higher educational facilities such as MIT. Our underpaid teachers and support staff are dedicated to our children and strive for academic success with limited means. A charter school will reduce the already strained funding sources that allow our current schools to function at the present bare minimum levels.
Please value the principles of our public education system and join us on Dec. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Fuller School auditorium to advocate for the equal educational opportunity for all of our children by expressing opposition to the charter school proposal. Should you feel uncomfortable speaking with representatives of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education who are here to listen and make the decision, your presence and acknowledgment to those who speak in opposition will send a clear message of the detrimental effects and the fact that we simply cannot afford a charter school proposal at this time.
I thank you for your researched, well-thought and informed decision regarding the charter school proposal. I am available to answer any questions or receive comments and or suggestions.
Melissa Joy Teixeira
Member, Gloucester School Committee
