Monday, March 21, 2011
I believe the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Program (K4) to be a highly effective program for ensuring all students come to the district's Five-Year-Old Kindergarten Program with the necessary early literacy skills to be successful learners. The K-4 Program, along with the elementary school's RtI Program (Response to Intervention), can be attributed to helping reduce the district's percentage of students identified as special education over the past few years.
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If that is the case, why are there not fewer special needs teachers. If you have less students in the program, why would the number of teachers in special education not have gone down proportionately? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe K4 program was created with Federal Funding, that funding is no longer available. This is an area that many districts have cut out already in order to save the integrity of the remaining programs, staff and faculty. Long and short the district should look at this as an optional program. Understandably parents of pre-k aged children are happy with the program because this is childcare paid for by the district. Between bussing, staff and teachers the district is writng checks that could go elsewhere to save truly valuable programs in the secondary schools. There are many church groups and private sector programs for pre-k out there that families were happy with before pre-k existed in the district, time to go back to basics
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bronson. Pre-K gives our young ones learning and social skills at an early age, thus preparing them for the years ahead of them at scs. The program should have nothing to do with childcare, it's the welfare of the children that is the main focus. It's never to young to prepare them for the future.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I support the pre-K program, I feel full day is unnecessary. Cutting the program back to half day, where it has been for years and has made a positive impact on the students as Mr. Stone has previously stated, seems like a reasonable compromise. It is unfortunate that cuts must be made, but to save over $800K, something has to be cut. To me, this seems like a fair compromise.
ReplyDeleteFor 4 year olds, half a day is more than enough. They just need to get use to a new schedule. Kindergarten is a whole day and that is fine. Many pre K students suffer from separation anxiety. This is about Susquehanna Community Mr. Stone, not what other schools are doing. Make cuts where they belong.
ReplyDeleteI think Pre- K is a wonderful program for the kids. as for going back to the basics with church groups and daycare, many people do not have the money in susquehanna to pay for Tiny tots and Normas and quire honestly how many children can these little places take in a day? Not many! I can see going down to at least two teacers in pre-K. as for the aides in Pre-K I honestly think thar they do more work tha the teachers alone and mainly get paid less for the job that they do. With having a freeze I dont understand why the aides need to get a freeze on their pay when they dont even get paid nearly as much as the teachers do. The other thing is, that its sad having to get rid of the art, music, and libeary teachers and classes becase what will the children be doing all day. I know when I was in school that was the one class that I looked forward to going to everyday, was the special classes. Does that mean if tey take those classes away the teachers will take a half hour out of their time to do things wih the children? Probably not! its just sad that we have to ge rid of academics and after school activitiesthat are keeping some of our children off of the streets and out of trouble and now what willthey be doing? What ever happen to "no chld left behind" becaue when it actually comes down to i, the teachers would raher get their 4 percent raise, rather than teaching our children.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous post, the children are being left out. Art, music, computers are a must in elementary school...if you take away the teachers, the children will lose these programs and instead be given more pre-pssa instruction. That seems to be the priority, not doing well by the children, but doing well on the tests. Anyone who would support getting rid of computer education for elementary school in the world we live in today is not thinking about the children or their future.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with the previous post, teach to the test is a problem with the whole system. It seems all I hear from my child is talk about the test and test prep. The entire school day revolves around it and any culture or creativity encouragement be darned. As for comp ed, it seems as though we are working toward thinning down the district tecnology since the assist tech is on the chopping block as well. Let's look at some cuts other than people who have lives and family and live in and support the community
ReplyDeleteTo the anonymous above(10:14am): you have some points regarding what children will be missing out on, but remember it is not the teachers, nor the administration, that is cutting our funding. I think it is horrible that students won't have a choice to participate in certain after-school activities. And please, when you speak of teachers not caring about students, do not lump us all together, I spend plenty of hours a week, at home, planning for my students. Please do not assume all teachers do not care about their students.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say to everyone who has very strong opinions about how to save money, "Call or Write the people in our government who are making all these choices." It is obvious by the blogging that has started since the budget cut that people have strong feelings for education. Complain to the man with the ax, our governor. Everyone must take the initiative and keep complaining to him.
ReplyDeleteMany people, including myself, have contacted the governor. But, I do believe we are uncovering some expenses that can be eliminated. I believe that the governor should reduce his cuts, but our school district should spend smarter. Mr. Stone has put in comments about bringing in programs since fewer children are in special education, and perhaps that should be rethought. If our goal is to save money, then save money, don't rob it from one program to spend it elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteMost of the teachers DO care about their students. Everyone needs to keep it mind that this seems to just be the younger ones that teach because they love it and not for the money.
ReplyDeleteSome great points, as to contacting the governor, remember he merely proposes a budget, we need to be contacting the senate where the budget now rests. It is unfortunate that it takes some bold steps to open eyes but phone calls should have been made years ago when budgets where falsely inflated with short tern temporary money. Districts went fast and furious and balanced on the fact that the dollars would be there. As Corbett has said, we can't spend what we don't have, believe me I have tried on 2 different occasions within my household and it catches up in a bad way. Absolutely the district should be spending as we all have to spend, mindful of what is around the corner. Have we considered pay-to-play as Mountain View has. With a football program that is $60k plus in cost, that could cover a couple of jobs!
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