Hen Hud Board of Ed Acting Unilaterally Without Parent or Educator Input
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
The Hendrick Hudson Board of Education is set to vote on a policy this Wednesday, Apr. 12 that will reorganize, for the second consecutive year, the structure of the three elementary schools in the district. This change, if adopted, will likely cost the taxpayer money and will separate students based on socioeconomic status.
The board plans to scrap the Princeton Plan that was adopted this past September after three years of planning, following the announced closing of Indian Point Power Plant, which provided up to 30 percent of the district’s revenue. The completed Princeton Plan has consolidated all kindergarteners and first-graders at Frank G. Lindsay Elementary School, all second- and third-graders at Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School and all fourth- and fifth-graders at Furnace Woods School. This plan has contributed to greater student equity in terms of racial diversity and socioeconomic status; it effectively makes every classroom mirror the full makeup of the community. It also is financially appropriate, as it allows for the consolidation of resources and staffing at the elementary level.
In place of the Princeton Plan, the board wishes to implement its “Proposal B” – the adoption of which will be voted on during the Apr. 12 meeting – making Buchanan-Verplanck and Furnace Woods separate K-2 community schools and Frank G. Lindsay a district-wide 3-5 school. We feel that this plan, touted by the board as a “tweak” to the Princeton Plan, represents a regression.
Proposal B (including the process of its adoption) is rife with problems. This plan has been created in just four weeks’ time, aided by an acting superintendent who was hired just five weeks ago, and has not been properly vetted; no professional cost analyses have been conducted to study the impact of the change. In fact, this new plan’s structure could very well cost the taxpayer more money, as the two community schools will likely require more resources to provide equality in access to educational programs and services. This plan will also separate students based on race and socioeconomic means—according to the plan’s hastily culled data, at a 2-to-1 margin between Buchanan-Verplanck and Furnace Woods.
Most galling, the board has not involved vital stakeholders in this plan’s conception. The community, parents and teachers have not been made part of the process. Instead, they have been ignored, which is against New York State law.
We, the leaders of the Hendrick Hudson Education Association, believe – unequivocally – the Board of Education must reverse course on their hastily devised Proposal B. We demand a seat at the table when any change is being made to our schools – as is our right under the law, our contract and the board’s own policies.
The same goes for community members and parents of the district. Decisions of such magnitude must not be made without the voices of those affected being made part of the process. Their taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund board members’ unilateral agendas.
The Princeton Plan must be given time to be properly implemented, reviewed and improved.
And the leadership of the Hendrick Hudson Education Association – the union of the district’s teachers – cannot, in any way, endorse nor sanction a change to our schools that would make the student body less equitable and diverse.
The Hendrick Hudson Education Association Executive Board
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