Editor:

As educators at Buckingham Elementary School, a community-based elementary school serving a diverse population, we are proud of the rich learning experiences, the strong community connections, and the authentic relationships among students and adults that are forged here every day. But here’s what you may not know. Our ability to sustain this level of impact on our students is hanging on by a delicate thread.

The strong fabric of our school begins to unravel as a dedicated fourth grade teacher in a portable, watches her instructional minutes fade away. Two of her students leave class to join a lengthy line for a single bathroom shared with over 90 fourth graders, a music class, a physical education class, and an entire cafeteria.

A special education teacher attempts to meet with a small group of her students in the back of the same portable. She lacks adequate areas to support her students who are legally required to have space for interventions to be delivered without distractions. Her voice overlaps with the boisterous sounds of recess right outside the thin portable door.

With a supply budget cut in half, the art teacher uses leftover materials and relies on the donations of the community that relentlessly stands behind this school. The music and movement teacher has packed up his obstacle course and is now relegated to a mobile cart. He finds creative ways to teach his critical program in a cramped corner of the cafeteria. The tapestry of our school continues to unravel.

Despite all of this, educators continue to hold on tight—for the sake of our children and the future of education in our community. We are all waiting for a fully funded public school system. An approved budget that will not only build our new school but will recruit and retain the passionate educators who will fill it with love and learning.

If we want a strong local economy and thriving communities, we can’t allow our schools and our educators to remain in such a fragile state of sustainability.

We have far, far too much to lose.

Gloria Scafone, BES Fourth Grade Teacher
Melissa Reid, BES Art Teacher
Ali Giska, BES Literacy Coach