School Committee Meeting Update & Opinion 1-26-09
Lots of news to report from tonight’s School Committee meeting. First there was an update on user fees from the subcommittee. The members are reviewing all fees–for athletics, 4th grade instrumental music, bus, and use of school buildings (USB). In the public comment section at the end of the meeting, I spoke about the need to communicate with parents about these reviews–it would be terrible for an increased fee to be a surprise. This was the case for the after-care programs a few years ago when their USB fees almost doubled.
About the bus fees, I recommended they contact the Safe Routes to School organizers. They have done a great deal of outreach to the community–even the families who use the bus. And the families that walk to school would also be affected by the fees when people start to drive their kids instead of paying a higher bus fee. Lots of implications–to traffic, to safety, to the environment, and to parking.
The last part of my comment was about the instrumental music fee. I strongly feel that, if there has to be a music fee, the 4th grade is the worst place to do it. This is when kids are first exposed to something other than the recorder. They should be encouraged to experiment–a child might find a new passion in their life. But in this economy, a fee might stop that child from trying something that is so beneficial for them.
There were two presentations that were both very good. Ed Hauben of Newton Community Education gave a thorough presentation of the program.
Brenda Keegan also spoke wonderfully about the Strategic Planning Initiative and what 21st Century skills are. The list of skills came out of concern in the business world that students were graduating without abilities needed to be successful today. These skills supplement the standards-based education–they do not replace it. Catch it on NewTV if you can!