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Board hears from concerned residents |
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Wednesday, April 23 2008 |
By CHRIS MEYERS
Staff writer
Making good on their promise to air their feelings to the local school board and administration, more than 300 residents of the Smith-Green Community Schools district showed up to the Monday night meeting to show support for the local teachers.
The appearance and messages delivered from the crowd were follow-ups from a Thursday meeting where local residents and teachers got together to discuss what they say are unfavorable working conditions at SGCS.
Speakers from the crowd included former teachers and students, local citizens and a couple of people from outside the school system, including the director of music education at IPFW.
Music, art programs
may not be eliminated
Although helping the teachers was a primary goal, those in the crowd were also concerned about the possible loss of music and art programs, something the superintendent of the district assured them was not likely to occur.
“It is not our intent to eliminate those programs at the elementary level,” Carol Kaiser, superintendent of SGCS, told the audience members before they spoke.
She said the elementary schedule is a “work in progress” with finalization not expected until the spring, with notices to be sent to parents.
Barbara Resch, an associate professor of music education and director of the music education program, said she was very pleased to hear that the administration was making efforts to save the art and music programs.
She said many educators and legislators have recommended the need for a minimum of one hour of music or art education a week.
SGCS board member Cathy Petrie said later in the meeting that the arts were very important to her, having received her undergraduate degree in music.
The concerns
of the community
Taking to the microphone first was former SGCS teacher Wendy Kovach, who headed up the library programs for Churubusco elementary and high schools, who spoke of being intimidated and bullied by administrators to the point it made her physically ill.
She said she never spoke of her experiences while at Smith-Green because she did not want to be the target of administrators.
“I was afraid of retaliation and the loss of my job,” she said, adding that she was chastised for associating with the Churubusco Teachers Association.
Kovach said SGCS is not lacking in quality teachers, and that they are needed to help ensure the students get the education they deserve.
“This school has a plethora of very talented teachers,” she said.
Another former teacher, Sandra Carroll, said she knows first-hand of the bullying of teachers that occurs and that treating teachers like “the enemy” hurts the students’ education as much as teacher morale.
“Bullying is supposed to have no place in public schools,” she said.
As with Kovach, Caroll said Smith-Green has great potential, as it has shown in the past.
“This corporation has the potential to be one of the best ones in the state,” she said.
Smith-Green resident Larissa Brown, spoke of her concern about the loss of several teachers in recent years and having so many first-year teachers at the school district.
“We need to stop the revolving door of teachers coming through this school,” she said, adding that a financially responsible solution should try to be reached.
Brown said she understands the difficulties the board and superintendent face, but there needs to be an “atmosphere of trust” at the schools.
“I do not see evidence that there is trust between the teachers and administration,” she said.
Board urges residents
to “come to us”
with concerns
After hearing their concerns, the board of school trustees urged residents to contact them about what they think isn’t going right at SGCS.
“Come to us, please … I work for you, and I work for the people of my district,” board member Bob Amber told the crowd, adding he would skip the board’s executive session after the meeting to talk with parents.
Paul Bowser, president of the board, said he also welcomes comments from the public and said he tried to answer as many calls and e-mails as he could from the past weekend.
Board member Tanya Young was hopeful the night would serve as a jumping off point for better communication between the staff and administrators and the public.
“We have a lot of great teachers,” the first-year board member said, adding that she ran for office because of her love for children.
Fellow board member Brandon Almas said he agrees with the other board members and that he will take calls and e-mails at any time to try to answer concerns from the community. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, April 24 2008 )
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