The Select Board has officially reached a balanced budget agreement that preserves the teaching positions at Kennedy Middle School. I am deeply appreciative of the time and energy you committed to protecting the educational environment for our students. We will continue to monitor the implementation of this plan to ensure …
June 18, 2020
Final supporters
Dear Select Board and Ms. Malone,
Thank you for receiving this letter. We know you are working overtime to help solve this budget gap, and we are grateful that we can share our perspective with you. We write because we have grave concerns about the projected budget shortfall in the Natick Public Schools. We understand that you do not have any direct authority over how the schools spend the money in their recommended budget, but you do have influence over the Town’s budgets as a whole. We urge you to act on the full budget, endorsing a split of Natick’s FY21 approximately $160M projected revenue, which will allow the schools the dexterity needed to make sensible cuts without such impacts as sports, theater, school closures, world languages and especially class sizes.
One of the cuts currently being considered is the elimination of seven Kennedy Middle School positions scheduled for FY21. If this occurs, it results in 7th graders having 28 students per class, including accelerated math, as well as 30 in world languages and other specials. While these numbers are challenging for learning in any year, in this Covid-19 reality, population density is a real concern and space between people is a CDC guideline. These numbers do not make sense, especially now, and similar to the current recommended budget, they are not sustainable.
We ask you as our trusted leaders to find a more balanced, town-wide (school and municipal) approach to share the budget burden. Specifically, can the municipal side temporarily forgo some non-essential services, so that the schools are not left with a budget they cannot absorb. Can we see a list of items that the municipal departments are weighing next to the full set of options the School Committee has considered. In doing this, can we find the middle ground and a better share of Natick’s revenue loss?
As we have written to the School Committee, this is not the time for any decisions to be made that would take us backwards in our investment in schools, nor the time to add density to our classrooms.
Thank you for your leadership during this most difficult year. Many of us are at your meetings. We see you asking hard questions and grappling with the weight of Covid-19’s impacts. We beseech you now to provide us with more information so that we too can understand the alternatives you seek and the best way forward.
Sincerely,
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
May 27, 2020
13 Comments
Short changing the school system short changes the entire community. Proper investment in schools results in better students, better test results, more people interested in joining the community which drives up property values and tax revenues. It’s a no brained.
I agree, with all the uncertainties of the future , and the need to practice space distancing, larger classrooms don’t sound like the best solution. Please think of the children and what is best for them right now.
One of the reasons my wife and I chose to settle in Natick in 2001 was for the schools. As our children finish at NHS, I would hope that they families raising children now see the same opportunities for their families. This petition asks that the value of our schools be placed on par with other town needs and they burden be spread across the town’s services. Further it highlights a very real concern about how to deal with classroom size and a complete school experience as we will carry the burden of distancing into the new year. Thank you for your consideration.
Town cuts based on essentiality rather than department percents, need to be made. An example I've noticed would be equipment/vehicles that may be able to be maintained rather than being replaced by new. I hope we change the way our budget cuts are being made in order to not decimate our children's education.
Please distribute all budgetary cuts amongst the entire town, not just the schools. Cutting from the schools will overwhelm class sizes and be unfair to our teachers and students. Please reconsider the distribution of cuts, our children are counting on us and you to do the right thing. Thank you for considering.
After food, water and shelter, I can't think of anything more important than education. Please place it at a very high priority and keep Natick schools at a high level.
The will of voters and tax payers must be heard and considered. Thank you for doing so.
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The Select Board has officially reached a balanced budget agreement that preserves the teaching positions at Kennedy Middle School. I am deeply appreciative of the time and energy you committed to protecting the educational environment for our students. We will continue to monitor the implementation of this plan to ensure …
June 18, 2020
Final supporters
Dear Select Board and Ms. Malone,
Thank you for receiving this letter. We know you are working overtime to help solve this budget gap, and we are grateful that we can share our perspective with you. We write because we have grave concerns about the projected budget shortfall in the Natick Public Schools. We understand that you do not have any direct authority over how the schools spend the money in their recommended budget, but you do have influence over the Town’s budgets as a whole. We urge you to act on the full budget, endorsing a split of Natick’s FY21 approximately $160M projected revenue, which will allow the schools the dexterity needed to make sensible cuts without such impacts as sports, theater, school closures, world languages and especially class sizes.
One of the cuts currently being considered is the elimination of seven Kennedy Middle School positions scheduled for FY21. If this occurs, it results in 7th graders having 28 students per class, including accelerated math, as well as 30 in world languages and other specials. While these numbers are challenging for learning in any year, in this Covid-19 reality, population density is a real concern and space between people is a CDC guideline. These numbers do not make sense, especially now, and similar to the current recommended budget, they are not sustainable.
We ask you as our trusted leaders to find a more balanced, town-wide (school and municipal) approach to share the budget burden. Specifically, can the municipal side temporarily forgo some non-essential services, so that the schools are not left with a budget they cannot absorb. Can we see a list of items that the municipal departments are weighing next to the full set of options the School Committee has considered. In doing this, can we find the middle ground and a better share of Natick’s revenue loss?
As we have written to the School Committee, this is not the time for any decisions to be made that would take us backwards in our investment in schools, nor the time to add density to our classrooms.
Thank you for your leadership during this most difficult year. Many of us are at your meetings. We see you asking hard questions and grappling with the weight of Covid-19’s impacts. We beseech you now to provide us with more information so that we too can understand the alternatives you seek and the best way forward.
Sincerely,
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
May 27, 2020
13 Comments
85% of Natick Residents voted for the construction of the new Kennedy. Clearly that vote represents a strong support not just for a building but for quality education. Kennedy must have the appropriate faculty level to fulfill the directive of our vote.
Short changing the school system short changes the entire community. Proper investment in schools results in better students, better test results, more people interested in joining the community which drives up property values and tax revenues. It’s a no brained.
I agree, with all the uncertainties of the future , and the need to practice space distancing, larger classrooms don’t sound like the best solution. Please think of the children and what is best for them right now.
One of the reasons my wife and I chose to settle in Natick in 2001 was for the schools. As our children finish at NHS, I would hope that they families raising children now see the same opportunities for their families. This petition asks that the value of our schools be placed on par with other town needs and they burden be spread across the town’s services. Further it highlights a very real concern about how to deal with classroom size and a complete school experience as we will carry the burden of distancing into the new year. Thank you for your consideration.
Town cuts based on essentiality rather than department percents, need to be made. An example I've noticed would be equipment/vehicles that may be able to be maintained rather than being replaced by new. I hope we change the way our budget cuts are being made in order to not decimate our children's education.
Please distribute all budgetary cuts amongst the entire town, not just the schools. Cutting from the schools will overwhelm class sizes and be unfair to our teachers and students. Please reconsider the distribution of cuts, our children are counting on us and you to do the right thing. Thank you for considering.
After food, water and shelter, I can't think of anything more important than education. Please place it at a very high priority and keep Natick schools at a high level.
The will of voters and tax payers must be heard and considered. Thank you for doing so.
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85% of Natick Residents voted for the construction of the new Kennedy. Clearly that vote represents a strong support not just for a building but for quality education. Kennedy must have the appropriate faculty level to fulfill the directive of our vote.