Mesa Valley Education Association
  • Home
  • About Us
    • AR Directory
    • Negotiated Agreement
    • School District 51 School Board
    • Contact Us
  • MVEA in Action
    • Get Involved
    • MVEA Governance >
      • Area Rep Council
      • MVEA Exec Council
      • MVEA Cabinet
    • MVEA Committees >
      • Membership Committee
      • Organizing Committee
      • Political Relations Committee >
        • 2017 School Board Election Volunteer Sign Up
      • Advocacy & Grievance Committee >
        • Grievances: A Step By Step Guide
        • Grievance Info-Video & Flow Chart
      • MVEA Communications Committee
    • Joint MVEA & District Committees >
      • Professional Learning Committee
      • Negotiations Committee
      • District Budget Committee
      • Behavior Support Committee
      • Sick Leave Bank >
        • Bank Information
      • Teacher Workload Committee
      • Educator Effectiveness Committee
      • District Insurance Committee
      • Day Leave Appeal
    • Contacting Your Legislator
  • Membership
    • How to Join
    • Member Benefits
    • COpilot
    • Retired
  • Calendar
  • Photo Gallery

Benjamin David HOffman's Letter To The Editor 

10/19/2013

0 Comments

 
Mikolai, Williams, Parrish understand district’s complexities

As the husband of a fourth-grade literacy teacher, the father of two District 51 students, and a public school graduate, I think I’m particularly qualified to comment on the current School Board debate. District 51 is the 12th largest district in Colorado, yet it is the second lowest funded on a per-pupil basis. In the past 4 years the District has cut over $30 million from its budget (a 21% decrease); eliminated dozens of teaching, administrative, and support positions; cut programs; reduced services; decreased teacher benefits and contract days; and increased many fees; all while complying with increasing performance mandates and accountability measures. The point is that District 51 truly is doing more with less.

Certainly there are challenges that need addressed, but first we need to get away from the argument that our schools are failing. Anyone who is willing to make that claim hasn’t spent much time in a school lately and is only fueling an unfounded and anecdotally fed public cynicism. Candidates preaching about “getting back to basics” have a generically appealing message, but it’s a message that displays an obviously deficient understanding of our schools, the extraordinarily demanding profession of teaching and the true challenges that face the district.

Why have a variety of parent-led PTOs, the Mesa Valley Education Association, Save Our Students and Strong Schools/Strong Communities endorsed Mikolai, Williams and Parrish? And, why have The Daily Sentinel and the chamber endorsed Williams and Parrish? It’s not to protect the status quo or to advance a liberal agenda, as some have said.

It is because these candidates have all spent time in our schools and understand that the complexities facing the district can only be tackled by a partnership that values public education and its place in our community. Anything less is a disservice.

BENJAMIN DAVID HOFFMAN
Grand Junction

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All
    Ar
    Community Service
    ESL/ELL
    Executive Council
    Grievance
    Member Benefits
    Membership
    Negotiations
    No Child Left Behind
    Organizational Health
    Professional Development
    Recruitment Video
    Sb191
    School Board Race
    School Funding
    Standardized Testing
    Technology In Education

    RSS Feed


Copyright 2019 Mesa Valley Education Association. All Rights Reserved.
2472 Patterson Rd. Unit 13, Grand Junction, CO 81505 |  (970) 250-1504
Contact Us | Join Us
  • Home
  • About Us
    • AR Directory
    • Negotiated Agreement
    • School District 51 School Board
    • Contact Us
  • MVEA in Action
    • Get Involved
    • MVEA Governance >
      • Area Rep Council
      • MVEA Exec Council
      • MVEA Cabinet
    • MVEA Committees >
      • Membership Committee
      • Organizing Committee
      • Political Relations Committee >
        • 2017 School Board Election Volunteer Sign Up
      • Advocacy & Grievance Committee >
        • Grievances: A Step By Step Guide
        • Grievance Info-Video & Flow Chart
      • MVEA Communications Committee
    • Joint MVEA & District Committees >
      • Professional Learning Committee
      • Negotiations Committee
      • District Budget Committee
      • Behavior Support Committee
      • Sick Leave Bank >
        • Bank Information
      • Teacher Workload Committee
      • Educator Effectiveness Committee
      • District Insurance Committee
      • Day Leave Appeal
    • Contacting Your Legislator
  • Membership
    • How to Join
    • Member Benefits
    • COpilot
    • Retired
  • Calendar
  • Photo Gallery