Elementary Principals Raise Concern over Loss of Arts and Physical Education

The School Committee Tuesday night heard the final presentation made by the district’s elementary principles about the detrimental effects the proposed budget cuts will have on Arlington students and the quality of the town’s educational curriculum.

Five principals of the elementary schools sat in before the members, but it was Alan Brown, head of , and Deborah D’Amico, principal of , that were designated to paint the realistic picture of the impact the inevitable release of teachers from the district’s schools will have on Arlington’s younger children.

“Our experience tells us these effects are not theoretical, they are real, the impact will be realized,” said D’Amico.   

This is the fourth year of budget cuts at the elementary level. The impeding round of layoffs combined with the loss of staff in 2009 will reduce the overall teaching staff by 20 percent with as low as 91 positions projected for 2012.

D’Amico predicted the town could see increased class sizes as large as 33 students for grades three, four and five. D’Amico said the average class size for Kindergarten would be 25 students, and that number would be higher or lower depending on the school.

“The standard benchmarks are 25 and we are over that so it is very grim,” said School Committee Chair Joseph Curro.

Along with the increase of the student teacher ratio, physical education and art classes are in danger, said the heads of schools.

“We believe they are valuable classes and when we do reduce (class frequency) we always hope we can bring it back. The fear is once it’s gone we cannot bring it back,” Brown said in response to member Jeff Thielman’s question about the value in having those classes once a week.

Thielman posed the same question to the previous principals of the high school and middle school regarding the value of having “special” classes such as art and music only once a week.

Member Cindy Starks mentioned that she once taught art when the district’s program was in danger years ago. She asked those listening to think of ways “to harness the energy of the parents.”

“Can we use those parental resources?” she asked.   

But parents stepping up to help out in need will not stop the overwhelming budget deficit. Bodie explained that the release of teaching staff had been avoided for years and now they have no choice but to trim the schools' major resource.

“The truth of the matter is we have been reducing the school budget every single year. And the strategy and philosophy was when these cuts need to be made to go in concentric circles,” she said.

Those circles began in places they believed would have the least impact on a child’s opportunity to learn, such as reducing the administration budget by $500,000, then reducing cuts in supplies and lastly textbooks.  

Bodie said the school is running on a barebones administration and custodial staff as a result.

“We have gone through every route and road. We are now at the point where there is only is the people that are in direct service of our children,” she said.

Brown and D’Amico said that loss will negatively affect two critical components of an efficient school:  frequent, high quality interactions among student and between students and teachers, and less opportunities for professional conversations among teachers about their student’s learning.

Brown said that redistricting it could be a way to deal with the disparity of class sizes across the district.

To date, problems like the no certified librarian or computer teacher at levels K-12 have not been specifically addressed. Member Joe Curran said that children would not be able to learn Microsoft Excel or Power Point, software widely used in all areas of business.

“I hear the talk that we are preparing our kids for the 21^st century and I don’t even know how it is getting done,” he said.

Bodie was hopeful the proposed Thompson School construction project could save the district money on heating and building expenses as the students would not be able to occupy the school if it is rebuilt.

The public hearing on the budget will be held Tuesday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.