Letter to the Editor: Woburn's 'Archaic' System a Disservice to Students

Editor’s Note: This is a letter from the Woburn Teacher’s Association Negotiation Team to Woburn Patch.

Dear Editor,

This past week, teachers and the school committee found themselves back at the table for another mediation session. This negotiation process has been a difficult one, as the public has come to know, full of ups and downs and a lot of taking without giving on the part of Mayor Scott Galvin.

The teachers’ negotiation team has been working hard to reach an agreement and to find compromise, in spite of being stalemated by the other side of the table.

The frustration of being part of such a difficult situation reached a tipping point of sorts for teachers last Thursday. After making several concessions, including the teachers agreeing to the Mayor’s salary and insurance proposals, our offer was still met with a staunch ‘no’ from the other side.

This is not only insulting to the teachers and students of Woburn, it is simply stated unacceptable.

The Mayor, Superintendent Mark Donovan, and the School Committee yet again rejected our offer in large part because it would require a little work and additional funds on their part to allow for adequate arts, health and physical education at the elementary level.

As teachers (and as parents) the importance of differentiated education, utilizing multiple intelligences, and allowing young students a medium through which to express themselves creatively is of equal importance alongside the core subject curricula.

In our current system elementary students are only afforded health, library, art, and music once every other week, and physical education once a week. We are the only school system in the area who still operates under this archaic structure and it is in no uncertain terms a disservice to our students.

Our proposal would allow for physical education twice a week, art, library, and music once a week, and health would be provided once every other week.

Despite evidence in the form of research and reflection on how other school systems are able to make this schedule work, which has been presented many times since we commenced negotiations in 2014, the Mayor, Superintendent and the School Committee have decided that our children are not worth the investment.

We are left now at a loss and trying to determine how we can move forward from here, after it has been made crystal clear by the Mayor, Superintendent and School Committee that not only are teachers not worth their time and energy, students aren’t worth it either.

Signed,

WTA Negotiation Team

Barbara Locke

Joe Curran

Belinda Smith

Patrick Mawn

Edward Kaufman

Laura McGrath

Donna Malloy

Mary Johnson

Nancy Whalen