Please support the override

[gss]

Dear members of Dunstable and Groton communities;

Lately I’ve been asking myself a question which may appear simple:
What is the purpose of an education? For the citizens of Groton and
Dunstable, let’s consider the mission statement of our school district
as a definition for the purpose of education in our
community:

Mission
The Groton-Dunstable Regional School District, in cooperation with the
parents and the community, is committed to providing the best possible
education for each student. It is our responsibility to promote in
each child a spirit of inquiry and to instill a self-sustaining desire
for continuous growth and service to self, family and community.

Best possible education? How do we do that? I believe that passing
the override is the way to achieve this goal. There is ample evidence
to support the theory that smaller classes staffed with dedicated
professional educators (which we have but are at risk of losing),
exercise (as in gym at least twice a week), access to reading and
research materials (a library with a librarian), and the highest
quality arts, technology and academics are necessary in order to
develop and strengthen minds which are creative as well as critical.
All of these are areas that have suffered cuts for the past several
years and will be decimated without the override.

As a former teacher, and a parent who has been active in both
Florence Roche and Swallow Union, I am scared for the future of our
schools when such an important role as the principal may be spread so
thin - as has been proposed by the School Committee. I understand that
this is one of many possibilities that is being explored for this year
and the future as cost cutting measures, but I believe that the harm
done far outweighs the savings

Assuming that there is a difference in the role, responsibility and
authority of a principal (who, in the school committee’s suggested
scenario, would be based at FloRo), and an assistant principal (placed
at SU), not having a principal on-site adds a risky layer of delay in
matters of safety, support, communication or discipline. If there is
no difference between the role of principal and assistant principal -
then why is there a significant salary differential between the two
positions?

In the schools in which I have taught, and the two elementary schools
in this district that I have volunteered in, I have seen the principal
determine the climate of the school community. By their interpersonal
skills and priorities, from how they greet the children every morning,
to how quickly they return a parent's phone call, the principal
creates the mood of the building. This can not be successfully
achieved when one individual is responsible for two sites that are not
next door to each other.

I have been a library volunteer in SU since the librarian was
transferred out of the building. I see the teachers doing a tremendous
job with ever dwindling resources. I see the impact of large classes
on every young voice trying to be heard. I watch the staff attempt to
provide every child with the attention and tools that they need to
succeed. A significant factor in avoiding teacher burn-out is letting
teachers know that they are appreciated - this is the responsibility
of the community as a whole. On a day to day basis, it is the
responsibility of the principal -- one of many vital duties that the
principal performs, day in and day out. The role of the principal is
what that sets the tone for the school community as a whole and allows
the children to feel safe and to become the confident and curious
learners that they have a right to be.

I would urge the school committee to remove this from consideration as
a cost cutting measure. I would urge every voting member of the Groton
and Dunstable communities to support the override and provide for our
children and their education as best we can.

Our children are our future. The only ones we hurt are ourselves when
we deny our future leaders the tools that they need to succeed.

Sincerely,
Gail Somers Sun
Groton