Stacy Gray For Board Of Education

You would think this would be the #1 focus at every board meeting!  Not so much….. At the September meeting the room was filled with parents and presenters!  This was awesome!!!  The problem was, not everyone in attendance wanted to sing the praises of the board.  There was a man whose 4-year-old son was put on the wrong bus and “missing” for 45 minutes.  Another parent questioned why the 5-6 year olds are on the bus for almost an hour.  As the board attempted to offer excuses for the bus shortcomings and promised to look into the matter I realized what actually was missing from this exchange.  Not one person in leadership said, “I’m Sorry” or offered any type of heart-felt apology towards what these parents had to endure.  These problems seem to be the result of the lack of more routes and buses and the lack of aides on these buses of 50 kindergarten students.  Another concerned parent brought to the board’s attention the lack of any playground equipment at Good Intent, Lake Tract and Oak Valley.  As a teacher I can tell you, putting a grade level or 2 on a dirt field with 2-3 adults and nothing to play on or with equals a recipe for disaster!  The superintendent said playground equipment is expensive.  It is!  But, how about a plan?  We can look into grants, donations, fundraising, work with PTO?  Nada!  The most frustrating part of the whole meeting for me was the discussion by the former board president and a realtor.  The board, on the advisement of the former board president, is seeking to purchase a private church school in Deptford or to add onto Monongahela and sell New Sharon School to make it a strip mall or perhaps a lawyer’s office.  The realtor sold himself well with, “if there’s a buyer out there…I’ll find them”.  Then the former board president suggested architects and more walk-throughs and what may or may not be the most cost-effective solution.  Solution for what, you ask?  Well, Deptford was cited by QSAC for the isolation of the special ed students at New Sharon.  In NJ, all schools are monitored by QSAC.  This group evaluates schools on everything from structure to curriculum and student success.  The New Sharon School building is not handicap accessible and the students have no interaction with their regular ed peers.  Some of them are bussed to the other elementary schools for specials.  The part that drove me CRAZY was the fact that while they were discussing real estate and assessed value, no one mentioned the kids!  I did!  I asked what is the plan for the kids while you figure out these long-term logistics???  They really didn’t have one…. Prime example of the problem…..FOCUS ON THE KIDS FIRST!!!!!!  There is such a disconnect here!  That will be MY PLAN, friends…I promise you! Focus on the kids!!!!