Written by Art and Maura Keene
We are saddened by the continued proposals for significant cuts to Amherst Area Schools. We believe that further cuts will devastate the school district, possibly beyond repair, and we advocate for funding the local school board budget to be a top priority for town government. Here are some of our thoughts on the subject.
- We moved to Amherst from Florence, MA in 1982 because of the schools (all over the place). More affordable opportunities presented themselves elsewhere in the Valley, but there was never any doubt where we wanted to go. Amherst schools had an outstanding reputation, being among the best in the Commonwealth and by far the best in Western Massachusetts. And we wanted our children to be educated there.
- we were not disappointed. Our four children will receive an excellent education at Amherst, with a wide range of challenging and satisfying learning opportunities, an outstanding and visionary staff, and a broad and deep-rooted commitment to excellence. I did.
- Our children took advantage of the school's excellent services. Middle school includes solid language preparation (Russian and French), participation in orchestra and band, an exciting theater program, and JETS, which one of our children participated in and likely won a state championship. (Junior Engineering Technology Association). And sports. Our children began cross country and track in middle school and continued through high school. In high school, there were more foreign languages, international exchanges, the opportunity to study with world-class Russian professors at Amherst College, AP classes, an orchestra, a jazz ensemble, and a poetry class that I still remember fondly (now in middle age). . , ceramics, unforgettable courses on the Holocaust, and almost every turn inspires you to explore, question, and learn. And sports. Lots of sports. I know it wasn't great for everyone and its shortcomings were widely discussed. Racism was and still is a problem. But our kids really benefited, and I think there was a widespread belief that there were very few school districts in the commonwealth that were better.
- Much of what our children experienced now seems lost. So are most of the important professions that supported kids who didn't go to college, such as auto shops (and other shops), food science, fashion design, etc. (from what I've heard). And it provided them with important practical, real-life skills.
- When I (Art) joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts and became deeply involved in undergraduate pedagogy, my colleagues and I often talked about the difficulties that new students experience in adjusting to the academic demands of the university. I heard it's rare. For graduates of Amherst Regional High School. They knew how to write, they knew how to think, they knew how to read deeply and critically, I said. They were well prepared for greater demands on higher education. And from my own experience working with many of his ARHS graduates, I have found this to be true.
- Sadly, Amherst area schools are a vestige of their former selves. Offerings and opportunities have diminished, class sizes have grown, and district leadership lacks vision and a spirit of excellence. No matter how you bet on rankings, the local schools that were once at the top are now firmly in the middle. Most emphatically, we are not blaming the district's educators for this. Year after year, they must endure the demands of doing more with less, as the environment continues to deteriorate, with classrooms leaking and lacking regular maintenance. It didn't.
- Every year, more and more schools are whittled down to the point that you can hardly recognize them as the same schools that so captivated us in 1982 and served our children so well. And the radical cuts currently proposed, particularly those that would gut middle school language programs and high school and middle school restorative justice programs, demonstrate a lack of commitment to educational excellence and support our commitment to It will ruin the school. An irreversible downward slope.
- Over the years, as the school system declined from excellent schools to mediocre schools, there was a significant lack of leadership and vision, and an unfortunate acceptance of the school's trajectory of decline without a fight. . Some town officials say times have changed and they can no longer afford to support schools like they once did. They argue that expectations need to be adjusted to the current financial situation. Some say that the cuts being discussed are inevitable and that if we don't cut them this year, we'll just have to cut them next year, so we might as well do it. I don't think such stories were even imaginable when our children were in school.
- As Regional School Committee Commissioner Jennifer Hsiao said in connection with last week's Finance Committee meeting, there is work to be done to save schools. Some of these proposals may seem unlikely or far-fetched, but there is no way we can just give up, surrender, or realize that education is no longer a top priority at Amherst. It reflects that there is a reluctance to say something.
- The town's reserve fund currently exceeds $24 million. Town councilors say they can't do anything other than fund the construction of a fire station or DPW. We support these projects, but they are still many years away and there are no concrete plans or timelines. The reserve fund is replenished every year as unused funds from the previous year's budget are collected as free cash, and a portion of it is allocated to the reserve fund. We believe that the $700,000 sought by the Regional School Committee can be drawn from these reserves without significant impact. Or, the town could draw some money from its reserves to give school relief to Amherst College, which only donated $85,000 to Amherst schools last year but pledged $1 million to renovate the Jones Library. It might be a good idea to appeal to the public to make more substantial donations. . And speaking of that renovation, the $700,000 needed to avoid most, if not all, of the cuts will ultimately come from the debt service the town recently agreed to receive from the Jones Library Board of Trustees, which borrowed additional money. may be almost the same. $10 million for the renovation project. Some town council members say they will have to spend whatever it takes to complete the library project. They should promise to use whatever it takes to keep local schools from disappearing into embarrassing oblivion.
- How we budget and choose how to spend our money reflects our priorities. You can't just say, “I value education, but I don't think we can afford to fund it.” Let's keep education at the heart of the Amherst brand. Use the money you have now for the future of your children and grandchildren.
