Commissioners hurting community

Editor,

On Tuesday, May 13, the Worcester County Commissioners held a budget work session and for the third year in a row the Board of Education is fighting for funding. For the life of me I can’t understand why the county cannot fund the public school system as requested.

The county is carrying a surplus of over a million dollars. The education budget request was completed as asked, with over 600 line items including a trend analysis. The percentage of the operating budget remains in line with what the Board of Education has historically received, approximately fifty percent. Our teachers and our community deserve a fully-funded budget.

As echoed by Commissioner Purnell’s impassioned speech during the work session, teaching is an impactful profession that requires higher education and certifications. In my opinion, they deserve much more than the county could ever afford. According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers receive approximately twenty-six percent less pay than similarly educated professionals. I don’t blame any teachers’ union that is fighting for better teacher pay.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 44 percent of teachers leave the profession within five years. Low wages compared to education level and long hours are cited as the top reasons. I’d rather my child be taught by as many experienced teachers as possible. That means retention is a must. Now is not the time to sit idle. It’s time to understand the impact of these decisions and what the public school system truly offers this county, especially in today’s socioeconomic climate.

I understand the commissioners are considering tax cuts. To be completely honest, keep my tax cut. The amount will not move the needle for a lot of us. We also boast the lowest income tax rates in the state and third lowest property tax rates. Investing in the public education system is a better use of funds. A lot of families like ours require a dual income. That means the time our kids spend in school becomes vital.

For most families, expanded pre-K 3 and 4 programs can save $12,000 per child per year in child care costs. In my experience, these programs are not babysitting services. Our six-year-old, who participated in pre-K 4 last year, has started reading chapter books this year, in kindergarten. She goes to Buckingham, a Title I school. The teachers are amazing. We honestly do not pay them enough.

I’d also like to address comments made about test scores brought up by Commissioner Abbott. MCAP scores do not paint a full picture of the success of the school system. For many students, MCAP tests do not account for a large enough percentage of their final grade to motivate significant effort. Imagine if you know you’re entering the workforce and are on a career-readiness path, building a specialization, are you going to care that much about an MCAP test?

Evaluating school success based on standard testing doesn’t measure student growth or teacher effectiveness. It is more a barometer of poverty level.

Great schools build great communities, not test scores. Using MCAP scores to gauge the success of a school system is the equivalent of deciding a basketball game based on which team had more free throws. It’s a small snapshot and doesn’t include all the points scored. It also teaches kids to just shoot free throws.

It’s been an exhausting three years as a parent. I believe we are undervaluing the community impacts of a great public education system. It’s a shame we can’t put more trust in the Board of Education when all the cards have been laid on the table. I hope for a budget reconsideration. In the meantime, our orange flag will be flying.

Brian Robertson
Berlin