Reading has always been a community striving to improve public education, tailoring it to the needs of its student body; expansion of technological access, sharper focus on mental and behavioral health, and increased inclusivity of its student body with the addition of the gender-neutral bathrooms, have all been additive additions to the RMHS community, as well as the entire district as a whole.
Recently, Reading Public Schools has had to make some tough decisions regarding our education. For some, these changes may be refreshing and welcome; for others, they may be the polar opposite. The reason for these cuts having to be made in public schools boils down to one driving factor, “The amount of revenue that the town has is lower than the amount of expenses that we have,” as stated by Superintendent of Reading Public Schools, Dr. John Doherty.
Budget cuts for the upcoming school year, 2016-2017, as well as for the next few years in the foreseeable future, have many students scratching their heads. How is it that one can decide what subject area is more important than the rest, what departments should improve while others face cuts, and what material should be prioritized?
We have always grown up with the notion that our education is in our control on some level; although we are unable to select some courses, we have always had the ability to hone in on certain areas and cultivate our passions in preparation for our future. However small these cuts may seem to some, to many others they are a loss of support for the students passionate about these areas that must undergo the chopping block.
This upcoming school year, the district as a whole will be cutting 6.3 teachers, with the majority of those positions being cut from RMHS (3.4). These reductions will result in most affected teachers having their full time positions changed to part time, as Doherty said, “Everything is based on enrollment. So, we took a look at all of the courses students signed up for for next year, and we did not eliminate any courses, we eliminated sections of courses.” Therefore, although no courses of traditional class subjects offered at RMHS were cut, the abundance that they were offered with before will be reduced.
But, one disadvantage that incoming freshmen will have to face next year is that, “One of the cuts for next year is that there will no longer be Freshmen Advisory,” said Doherty. This program was created in order to better acclimate incoming freshmen with the seemingly daunting high school, as well as help to form them into people who embody our core values at RMHS, with 10 hours of required community service.
Another change hitting RMHS in a big way is the combination of the business and math departments. “Mr. Skeehan will be the department head for computer science, math, and business,” Doherty explained. Similar changes will also occur in the Field House as, “The other change is that we are changing the role of the P.E./ Wellness department head.”
Of interest, as many departments are being reduced, the Science Department will soon be thriving given the budget’s drive to update the science curriculum. “Our science curriculum has not been updated in a long time… We received $150,000.00 for next year… We want to do a three year plan, so we’re looking at hopefully receiving $150,000.00 each year for the next three years to be able to update our curriculum materials. There are a couple of reasons for this; one is that our materials are outdated, two is that there is a new set of frameworks that was just approved in April by the state Department of Education,” Doherty said. These improvements in the RMHS Science Department will not be immediate, however, and will in fact take place a few years from now, “Next year, the goal is to update the grades 3, 4, 5, and 6, the following year grades K-2 and grade 7, and the following year after that, eighth grade and 9-12.”
Although these specific areas of study appear to be getting hit the hardest by these changes, almost every department at RMHS is facing some sort of reduction or another in actuality. Doherty furthered this notion by saying, “Pretty much every department is getting reduced except for guidance and special education.” Therefore, “Students who require special services- we did not make any cuts in those areas.”
Although a focus on keeping the guidance department operating at the same capacity as this year is vital for student health, especially considering the recent town-wide behavioral health initiative and integration into the public school system this year, the cuts in other areas cannot be ignored.
Although inevitable and by lack of choice, the reductions of departments to less than their former glory is widely lamented by the RMHS community. However, it also presents our student body with an opportunity to expand our worldview. Growing up with the privilege of education handed to us, it is natural to discredit the gold that we have been given.
Perhaps the cuts of our most valued interests, and ardors will force us to reexamine the ways in which these classes shape the course of our lives, and become intrinsic, defining parts of who we are and what we care most about. They will inspire a desire to preserve these staples, and flood us with the drive to chase what we love proactively.