Issue #11: There has been a failure to quantitatively consider the alternative uses of the money that would be allocated to all-day Kindergarten. This statement could be incorrect. It is possible that behind closed doors, the Administration and the Board of Education have quantitatively considered all the alternative uses of $196,948 and have done a full return on investment (ROI) analysis. The Superintendent alludes to a quantitative comparison process on her blog: “We have carefully planned implementations, we have not acquired resources we desperately need in place of greater priorities, such as technology." Unfortunately, the reports associated with these careful planning sessions do not appear to be posted for public review and thoughtful consideration.
Right off the bat, one has to ask: “What desperately needed resources are being sacrificed so that the Administration can implement a $196,948 non-required program??”
If the Board were to consider alternatives to spending $196,948, it would be because they are assuming their 3.99% proposed budget increase was acceptable to taxpayers. But this should not be assumed. These are desperate times for many of our residents, and the Boards of Selectmen and Finance have clearly asked all town departments (which includes the BOE) and RHAM to come in with a 0% budget increase to keep the overall tax increase as low as possible.
However, if there is an extra $196,948 just sitting around begging to be spent, what else could Hebron get for those tax dollars?
- It is reasonable to consider that a classroom at Hebron Elementary School can be outfitted with a SMARTBoard for approximately $5000. Given that there are already nine SMARTBoards for instructional use at Hebron Elementary and there are 29 classrooms full of children, it is conceivable that every classroom could be outfitted with a SMARTBoard for half the amount it costs to run an all-day Kindergarten program for just one year.
- Supplies are being cut and new textbook purchases are being put on hold. How far would $196,948go towards resolving that issue?
- Talk has started about asking for teacher concessions. Would Hebron have to consider asking for teacher concessions if they were not allocating $196,948 to full-day Kindergarten. How do the Hebron teachers REALLY feel about this issue? Are THEY willing to give concessions so that a non-required program can be implemented?
- Could there be more enrichment activities?
- Could there be more staff hired to reduce class sizes?
- Could there be more assistance provided to under-performing students?
- There must be dozens of proven educational resources/tools that Hebron does not have that enrich the learning and achievement of students. How many of these were considered in the Administration’s “carefully planned implementations”?
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And what about the town in general? Not every thing revolves around providing the vast number of our tax dollars for the schools. Don’t we need money to try to somehow jumpstart that long-standing (but so far unsuccessful) goal of “economic development” to try to help offset the tax burden on property owners?
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What about town employees? Their unions stepped up to the plate last year and offered a number of “give-backs.” How do they feel about “giving back” in order to provide $196,948 to a non-required educational experiment? (Since we’ve never had an all-day Kindergarten, and do not have any quantifiable data to assess its real and long-term value, it technically falls into the category of “experimental.”)
If the Superintendent’s strategy is to ask parents what they want, and then act on whatever answer is given, then why is Mr. Hanlon NOT asking Hebron Elementary School parents what they want? Where are the “Would you like a SMARTBoard in your daughter’s class next year” phone calls? Where are the “Would you prefer 18 or 25 children in your son’s class next year” phone calls?
There really is no point in making this list of wishful thinking too long.
It is fiscally irresponsible to spend $196,948 this year on a non-required all-day Kindergarten program.
It is especially irresponsible to spend it on a recurring program that will ONLY decrease in cost IF enrollment declines faster than the increases in cost of teacher salaries and benefits. It is even more irresponsible in light of the facts raised by members of the Hebron Board of Finance at its meeting on February 8, 2010 concerning the availability (or lack thereof) of state and federal stimulus money for FY 2011-12 budget season.
Hebron might be able to see the light of day this year, but if ANY of the concerns about the stimulus money are actualized, then “this year has posed challenges of the like we have never seen in the last decade” will not be just another poorly constructed statement coming from the Superintendent’s own blog, but laughable compared to size of the hole the BOE will be climbing out of at this time in 2011.