My Perspective on the Health of Melrose Schools: Opinion

It was with great sadness that I read Julie DeLillo’s letter to the editor, published in last week’s newspaper. Sadness not at the misrepresentation of facts — although there were many inaccuracies in her letter — no, my sadness stemmed from her perspective — so very different from my own — on the health of our Melrose schools.

In her letter, DeLillo emphasizes that our students and schools have flourished since the last override failed. In another article, she states that our students are passing the MCAS, passing AP courses, and going to college. This, she believes, means our schools are thriving. Her characterization of education is so shallow, I wonder if she grasps the importance of it at all.

When my oldest son was young, his Melrose elementary school was overrun with volunteers. They were not clamoring for opportunities to get involved. They volunteered out of necessity. From the library to the computer lab to stepping in and “substituting” classes while teachers attended many required Ed Plan meetings, volunteers were needed to keep the school functioning.

What has changed since my days as an elementary school parent? Volunteers are still integral to the success of each student, the school still can't function without them. But there are more students now, more unfunded state mandates, less state funding, more requirements, fewer resources, more needs. Yes, students are passing MCAS tests, but is this the environment that we find acceptable for our youngest Melrose citizens? I think not.

When my youngest son was in seventh grade at MVMMS, he struggled with math. I reached out to his teacher and asked for suggestions on how to help. A tutor? Mandatory homework times? No. My son’s seventh grade math teacher offered to stay with my son every day after school, work with him, play math games, take sample tests. After several months, my son’s teacher called me. “Eureka!” he said, “He’s got it.”

This is the commitment that I see in all the Melrose educators I’ve met in my tenure as a Melrose school parent. Did this math teacher help my son excel on his MCAS test? Of course he did, but he did so much more; he instilled a love of learning. He let my son know he was there for him, committed to his success.

How have we, as a community, repaid this teacher for this and the many other children he’s impacted? Well, we’ve given him overcrowded classrooms, a pay scale that is one of the lowest in the state. We’ve taken away money for supplies. We’ve let him know exactly how we value him. Is this the thriving of which you speak, Ms. DeLillo? I hope not.

My middle son is a senior at MHS. In the four short years that he’s been at the high school, the administrators and educators have learned to make do with less. Classes that were once single levels are now combined. In my son’s Spanish class, his teacher educates CP, Honors, and AP students side-by-side with different lesson plans, different expectations. My son’s Spanish teacher and so many others, are being asked to do too much with too little. Shame on us for allowing it.

The combining of department heads, a necessity which DeLillo cites as simply “confusing needs with desires,” means that one lead educator is responsible for multiple disciplines. Rather than addressing growing requirements and innovating on better ways to educate our students, department heads are left to juggle, put out fires, survive. How much longer will they put up with that, before they throw in the towel, move on to a district that values their roles in education? I don’t know.

My son’s high school science teacher, in addressing parents at the open house in the fall, said her biggest problem is that there aren’t enough seats for the number of students in her class. “They’re big kids, too,” she said. “There isn’t much room for them.” How does she handle the 31 students in the class block? “They usually take turns standing,” she said.

I do not care how many students pass AP tests. I want them in classes where there are enough seats. I want reasonable class sizes. I want teachers who don’t need to sacrifice to get through the day. That sounds like flourishing to me.

I’m at the tail end of my life as a parent of a Melrose Public School student. My oldest is in college, and my second will join him next year. The third is hot on the heels of his brothers. I’ll be paying at least two college tuitions for more than a few years to come.

And yet, I look forward to this override passing. I will joyfully pay additional taxes to ensure that Melrose flourishes. I mean, really flourishes. Because I love this place. I love these kids. These educators. These schools.

To paraphrase David Oritz, this is OUR fine city, yours and mine. Let’s invest in it together. Let’s make sure when that little first grader who lives across the street is a senior in high school, he’s got his own seat in a class of like-minded peers, with teachers who are rightly compensated for the work they do to educate our children, ALL of our children. Let’s do that for them.

Maribeth Darwin
5 Meadowview Road