[Durham INC] Fw: Why no upper level admin cuts?

[Melissa Rooney]

Please see my correspondence below to the school board regarding the Durham 
Public School's budget, as summarized in today's Durham News:
http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2011/05/08/206671/becoats-budget-cuts-117-jobs.html

Note: EC = exceptionally challenged (kids who have problems learning and/or 
behaving in the classroom). EC facilitators = teachers who work with these kids 
on an individual and/or small-group level.

I hope you will consider writing the school board with your concerns as 
well....before this Wednesday.

Thanks!
Melissa



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
To: Minnie Forte-Brown <Minnie.Forte-Brown at dpsnc.net>; Heidi Carter 
<Heidi.Carter at dpsnc.net>; Omega Curtis-Parker <Omega.Curtis-Parker at dpsnc.net>; 
Fredrick Davis <Fredrick.Davis at dpsnc.net>; Leigh Bordley 
<Leigh.Bordley at dpsnc.net>; Hank Hurd <Hank.Hurd at dpsnc.net>; 
scrapping.nancy at verizon.net; Natalie Beyer <natalie.beyer at gmail.com>
Sent: Sun, May 8, 2011 9:51:40 AM
Subject: Why no upper level admin cuts?


Dear School Board Members,

I am deeply disheartened to read in today's Durham News that, of the 117 
positions that Dr. Becoats' budget recommends eliminating, a whopping 109 are 
hands-on positions at our individual schools. Though 8 positions are assistant 
principal positions, I cannot help but notice that there are no recommended cuts 
to central admin. How can we warrant cutting assistants to front-line teachers 
and staff when we make no concessions regarding such assistants in upper level 
management? At the very least, we should implement a salary freeze for the top 
10% (in terms of salary) of DPS admin positions -- in some cases, these salaries 
should actually be reduced (for instance, those who are making substantially 
more than they were making last year). And if it can save just one or two 
teaching positions, it's not just a 'drop in the bucket.'

I am especially upset to read of the elimination of 55 teachers, 20 exceptional 
children and 2 math and reading interventionists. We all know that we need every 
teacher we have, especially with the ever-increasing class sizes in our public 
schools. And I have personally volunteered to take challenging kids out of their 
classrooms and work with them individually. This benefits the entire class just 
as much (maybe even more) than the challenged child. While all the EC kids with 
whom I worked were good kids, they were also all discipline problems who 
severely disrupted the learning environment, frustrated and strained the 
teacher, and set bad examples for their peers. In fact, I started working with 
these kids individually because of the discipline problems and incessant 
distractions  caused by a single such child in each of my daughter's first and 
second grade classrooms. By her third year, I implored the principal to place my 
daughter in a classroom without discipline problems, since her first two years 
were plagued with them, but it became apparent that this is typical of every 
classroom (though maybe not to the extent that we had experienced to date).

Everyone knew that one particular child, who is still dear to my heart, needed 
EC attention, but he didn't get it until he physically and seriously harmed a 
classmate (though his intentions had been no more malicious than any 'normal' 
child). It should not have to get to this point before these kids get the help 
they need. 

However, if you cut even a single EC facilitator, you are effectively 
guaranteeing that the situation will get worse.

I have met and talked with Dr. Becoats, and I like and  respect him quite a lot 
(I feel the same about many other Central Admin staff members). Nonetheless, I 
disagree with the front-line cuts that are recommended. I implore you to look 
deeply at the Central Administration structure and demand that all possible cuts 
are made at the management level before cutting any more of those who work with 
our kids directly.

The Durham Community cannot be motivated to come out in droves every year to 
ensure that DPS implements what is truly best for our kids. We voted for you and 
count on you to consider the difficult issues and demand that DPS implements 
what is truly best for our kids, even if it threatens the structure and pockets 
of Central Admin. Perhaps a serious evaluation and renovation of this structure 
is required, because it appears that DPS is beating its head against this same 
wall year after  year...

Sincerely,
Melissa

Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
301 Spring Garden Drive
Durham, NC 27713
mmr121570 at yahoo.com
919.599.0952
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