This is the article I submitted to the Cape Cod Times this morning for the “My View” section. Whether or not it is published remains to be seen, but the message is on point.
President Lincoln said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
Election season is upon us again and, in Yarmouth, I’m afraid that may well mean that neighbors will begin lobbing nasty condemnations at one another over differences of opinion about our school district.
I honestly believe that we all must want the same thing. Surely, we want a great school district with well-rounded opportunities for every child. Such a district would offer great academics, sports, music and other outlets for our children; would enhance property values for the taxpayers; would provide an inspiring workplace for teachers; would be a source of school pride for students and would provide parents with a sense of relief. For what more could anyone ask?
The problem appears to be a difference in opinion about how to achieve such a goal. One side espouses that such a bucolic situation already exists; the other side sees facts which absolutely prove this not to be so. The latter is chastised for being “negative” when they point to the facts of declining enrollment (a cost of $4 million of our tax dollars this year alone!) and worsening performance indicators (lowest MCAS scores of Cape schools, lower than state average matriculation rate to colleges, etc.) – to name a few.
Those who wish to see the areas of deficiency in our district acknowledged and addressed by those in a position to do something about them are summarily dismissed as “negative” and as “naysayers”. It is a fact that the district’s deficiencies are unequivocally driving our top achieving students to other schools.
This distraction tactic is unproductive, damaging and naive.
D-Y Schools have some wonderful things to offer our students (sports and music, for instance) and there is much for which to be proud. I implore parents to imagine what it would be like to know that our children are attending schools where they are getting the best well-rounded education offered on the Cape, or at the very least, an education that can readily compete with the best there is to offer. What would that do for our future, for our children, for our property values? How can anyone in good conscience deny THAT is a goal for which we should be proud to strive?
The problems our district face are not with the children (we are told that lower-income families’ children simply cannot perform), they are not with the teachers (who are mostly dedicated people who care for our children and are doing their best within the parameters set for them by an inept administration), they are not with the parents (who want the best education possible for their children – even if it means getting them to better districts), and they are not with the taxpayers (who want accountability and credibility). The problems in our district exist because the leadership refuses to acknowledge, admit and set forth a plan to fix the areas of deficiency. So much time is spent redacting data, editing facts and putting a spin on the truth that no one in a leadership position puts effort into fixing what is broken. So the downward trends continue and hurt EVERYONE involved: the children, parents, schools, taxpayers.
Calling voters negative who wish to see the deficiencies addressed, ignoring the problems, and simply repeating that everything is wonderful will not, does not make it so. We must be resolution-oriented, not blind to the challenges we face.
The current course of action is failing our children and our common goal. We must put the children of Yarmouth and Dennis first. It is time for measurable changes to address our district’s deficiencies – not more of the same.