Many people were outraged after the New Albany-Floyd County School Board voted to close four elementary schools as a result of budget constraints.
As a result of the cuts, 700 to 1,000 students will have to change schools next year.
The schools closing include Galena Elementary, The Children’s Academy of New Albany, Pine View Elementary and Silver Street Elementary.
This comes after Gov. Mitch Daniels imposed budget cuts in December to deal with a state deficit, which comes as a result of $300 million worth of cuts to education from kindergarten to 12th grade.
I understand people get attached to what’s comfortable, but I don’t get the big deal.
These schools are simply places. A child can learn anywhere.
I hope people actually read the proposal, which lowers elementary class size, saves teacher jobs and provides more hours of instruction for 5th graders, adding up to 30 extra days of learning.
The alternative was massive teacher layoffs and larger class sizes.
One person I talked to said the school board doesn’t give a damn about the children, their education or the community.
This person said the board is only doing this to line their pockets by doing what the state government wants them to do.
These outraged parents should get a grip.
It’s not like the school board killed anyone.
I think they’re misguiding their anger at the school board.
The fact is the board didn’t have much of a choice.
This year, the school corporation had to make up a $6.6 million loss in tax money.
That’s almost 10 percent of its entire budget.
If they decided to keep the schools open, some other options included more than 100 layoffs of teachers and staff.
Another option would be asking New Albany-Floyd County voters to raise taxes.
Does anyone honestly want to pay higher taxes?
If parents want to get angry, they should get angry at the state government for cutting $300 million in education statewide.
This is the result of poor decisions by state leaders, not the local school corporation.
In addition to closing the four schools, the proposed budget plan would also move 5th graders to middle school and cut 78 non-teaching jobs, including positions such as the director of diversity and the director of safety and public information.
I think this is a better option than cutting teaching positions.
Public education doesn’t need to lose any teachers. Can they afford to get rid of a few office secretaries? It’s OK to say no, but the answer is yes they can afford to lose them.
Eliminating 78 staff and central office jobs with no layoffs for teachers is not a bad thing.
The people directly responsible for children’s education are staying.
That’s something to celebrate.
Although, it is worth mentioning that some teachers with 20 years or more could be offered a retirement incentive.
Some teachers will probably be gone as a result.
The proposed changes also include closing Children’s Academy of New Albany and using some of the space for pre-school programs.
At least they’re making something positive out of all this.
Three swimming pools will be closed, and there will no summer school for elementary or middle school students.
The board recommended only having online summer classes for high school students who need credit recovery.
I think this decision is regrettable.
As a private tutor who tutors middle and high school students, I think summer school is a valuable resource for students to get ahead.
Children need more help from educators.
I know the school board made a controversial decision, but I would’ve done the same thing.
Parents need to accept these changes and understand no one really wants to do this.
It’s just what has to be done.
In the end, I think people are looking for a reason to get angry.
Honestly, the school board faced a Catch 22 in this situation.
They were damned if they closed the schools, damned if they didn’t.
Read the board’s proposed changes for yourself. You can find it at http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/wdrb/news/NAFC_Memo.pdf
Let’s focus on what’s best for the children from this point on, and let’s also remember the school board is not responsible for the mess that our state’s political leaders have made of public education.
By JOSEPH DEVER
Senior Editor
jwdever@umail.iu.edu