I have been a teacher for 30 years, active in my union and an active volunteer in my community.
I am writing to ask you to support our legislators as they balance our state budget during a catastrophic loss of revenue.
I am not asking that schools be exempt from the difficult decisions that must happen soon. What I am asking is for you to consider an alternative to the solution coming from Olympia.
If the state decides that a one-size reduction for all districts is best, with no distinction for unique student needs, then every community will be forced in the next four weeks to decide what programs to eliminate and staff to fire.
We will tear ourselves apart trying to decide which programs should be kept whole. Is art more important than middle school sports? Is planning time less essential than busing? Are class sizes of 30 in K-4 better than 36 in high school?
Can one elementary principal bounce between buildings hoping nothing goes wrong if he or she is elsewhere?
Will we eliminate programs and fire staff leaving so many families without health care? Are librarians more important than junior varsity sports?
Those are only some beginning questions.
With the enormous increase in class size, no high school could run a section with less than 28 students because this will mean another class would have 35 or larger.
AP classes in chemistry, biology, calculus or courses for basic reading and math will have minimum caps or be dropped.
Schools will make this decision very soon because state law mandates staff be informed of their non-retention by May 15.
I am asking for your support for a different solution, one that is for this two-year budget cycle only.
Shorten the year.
If the state directs all districts to shorten their year by three to five days with the loss in pay felt by all, administrators on down, then no program or staff is lost.
Districts do not have the authority to do this, only the state.
We see businesses and county governments mandating these furloughs to avoid the permanent loss of services and to avoid laying off staff during these difficult times.
Please ask your legislators to do the same for your schools. If they don’t, most families have no idea of the devastation coming.
David Layton
Briar Rose Lane
