We had a disturbing meeting last week.  There is a consultant who - according to him - has so much power that the superintendent does whatever he says.  I know this man from another district.  The residents and parents could not wait until they got rid of him when he was the principal.  He was practically run out of town.  But he is calling the shots here at my job.

The rumours:

• he sees no need for the arts.
• the Art Department is going to be disposed of

After the meeting last week, I believe the rumours.  He claims his art department in his school was second to none.  I had friends who went to his school.  I subbed there.  It was good, but it was minimal.  In the 1990s, they had only two teachers for a student population of 800.  They now have only one.  They have only four classes to offer the students.  My high school had only 2/3 the student population but had twice the art offerings.

PCTI is sucking us dry.  Kids go there, we lose money to the school, they transfer back here and we do not get than money coming back with the kid for two years.  Because of that loss of money, programs need to be trimmed - people or subjects.  

Here is a wild proposal:  There are teachers in the Math department who are not teaching a full schedule but getting full time pay.  RIF one of them.  They RIF'd an art teacher last year and we have full classes and no drop in the number of kids wanting to take our classes.

What we have is a group of people pushing kids away from our classes and into the CAD and Criminal Justice classes.  Guess what?  If you push everyone into two or three careers, the market will be flooded with candidates and no one will get jobs.  It happened in the field of law.  Forbes wrote about the overloaded market some hears ago.  Instead, provide the students with options that have proven to be winners in this school - namely the arts - and watch the kids flourish.  But no.  Everyone is going to be a cop or an engineer.  Good luck with that.

So we have been warned that we are on the chopping block. Oh, the phrases were "Things have to change", "The money is not there" and so on.  However, when you have been in other jobs and districts, you know how to translate those misleading phrases.  Here is a novel idea in addition to the one I propose above:  Get rid of some sports or instate dues for the athletes.  One school I looked at forces their students to pay a lab fee for their photo classes.  I do not think we can do that in the classroom.  But where is the harm in charging a fee for an extracurricular?

So it has been a depressing week.  I am in a financial situation that I am not worried about my job.  I can sub in my towns near me and be ok.  I have no debt and no kids.  However, I will not give up on this place and this program and jump ship to another district.  I had someone mention they would like me in their school.  I am waiting this out.  I love the kids here too much to give up.

I had some visitors last night during a break in the Back to School Night schedule.  It was a parent I have a real good relationship with and a couple of former students.  They do not want to see Photography go.  Ever.  They said there would be a major pushback if the program was harmed.  These are your taxpayers talking.  I do not need to fight for this program.  Like I said, I have employment options.  However, I stay here and do what I do for a love of the kids.  I love my students dearly.  How many schools can say that their teachers feel that way?  To whittle down this department means getting rid of the few of us in this building that feel that way about our students.

To listen to that man posing as a consultant with good experience and ideas is a mistake that will do a great deal of harm to our kids and this community.  Think carefully before you act.