Letter to the Editor: Board Member looks at hiring discussion
Dear readers:
As a person that has made a career in education and runs a small business, I understand being financially conservative. However, I would implore that as a district we look at how a hiring freeze will directly impact our students, staff and families. These impacts will occur at every grade level and have both short and long term effects.
All learners will have larger class sizes and therefore less individual attention in their daily experience. This will not only impact their academic performance, but also their social/emotional growth. Course offerings at upper grade levels will have to be cut if staff that has already been deemed essential is not hired and/or replaced. Our district qualified for Tier 1 evidenced based funding model because we have been performing higher with less for an extended period of time. As expectations of students and teachers continue to rise, having even less staff will be devastating.
Teachers, staff, students and families are exhausted. We are all in the middle of this situation. We can not make decisions out of fear and speculation that will have an impact that cannot be undone. We need to hire the replacement staff and the essential staff that have been recommended.
Respectfully shared,
Lori Larson, Vice President
Mahomet Seymour Board of Education
Class sizes are already too big, in my opinion. With projected growth to our community, not hiring could prove detrimental to a community that is essentially built around good schools. That’s why people move here. I understand the predicament we are in. But we need to find a way to fund hiring good teachers.