A recent meeting of the school board resulted in proposed alternative cuts (these were alternatives to cuts to Spanish 1-6 and library services) by non-magnet school parents: magnet school coaches and director, and diversity and equity services. There were no magnet school parents present at that meeting to speak in favor of such resources and programs for the success of the schools and students in question. Ward 2 School Commissioner Meredith King brought this to the attention of the IAA PTO, urging parents of SA and IAA to come forward and speak to the necessity and invaluable resources these positions bring to the two magnet schools at the coming meeting on Tuesday, January 14 at 7 pm at BHS cafeteria where the board will VOTE!! Meredith states that there is a lot of pressure on the board right now to hold down spending and make the cuts necessary to prevent substantial tax increases. Make your voice heard, support the magnet schools and their ability to be successful.
In 2013 Burlington was voted #2 of the 10 Great Places to Live and the magnet schools were cited there as one of the highlights of the city. As a parent of a kindergartener at IAA, I could not agree more. The IAA community is amazing and what the school administration and teachers are accomplishing there is meaningful and energizing, it's a dynamic and in-dept form of education that my daughter is thriving in. I am convinced that she will be a stronger, more creative thinker and citizen with the tools she is gaining there. We have no regrets in our decision to travel across town so that she may benefit by such an environment. Cutting these coaches and directors will start to unravel the good done for these schools in the last five years! "Ten years ago, two inner-city schools were failing. The city turned both into magnet schools, one for the arts and the other concentrating on sustainability, and now both of them are highly sought-after." http://www.kiplinger.com/article/real-estate/T006-C000-S002-10-great-places-to-live.html
Meredith: "How would you articulate the need for magnet schools and supporting their growth? Does anyone remember the process and community discussions that led to the creation of the magnet schools in the first place? How can we best serve all of our children, no matter what their backgrounds? How can we help all our kids to learn best?"
Lets defend the need for these positions at the magnet schools and help brainstorm other constructive alternatives!
* From the IAA arts coach on what her role is in the school:
- Work directly with classroom teachers and students around the magnet theme and curriculum
- Work to secure grant money and funding for arts programming
- Work with all local and state arts organizations to create meaningful relationships that allow for artists in residence to work with our students and in our schools
- Work to promote and document the work that we do with our students
- Provide leadership and professional development to the school
- Maintain the mission and work towards our vision of having an exemplar integrated arts school
- Lead and manage field trips/residencies/events/arts programs/communication
- Oh, and then there's the joy factor. We feel certain that good education stems from joyful happy children. The arts provide this for our students and the coaches role is to help maintain our mission and vision.
* Learn about the FY 2015 budget at http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/bsdvt/Board.nsf/Public
* Write or call your school board representative, expressing your opinions. School Board members can be reached via links at: http://bsdweb.bsdvt.org/Board/BoardDirectory.php; contact information also listed below.
* Or e-mail Jeanne Collins, Superintendent at jcollins@bsdvt.org and ask that your mail be forwarded to all 14 Board members.