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Your View on Allentown schools deficit: Adults need to make sacrifices ‘so our children do not have to’

I am a 55-year resident of Allentown, a 1977 graduate of the Allentown School District and an active parent in the district for 35 years.First, I would like to commend Superintendent Thomas Parker and his staff on the budget presentation on May 22. I have been coming to these meetings a long time and never has a budget been explained in such a detailed and understandable way, with clear options and scenarios for consideration. Also, I have never seen a superintendent lead by example as Mr. Parker is with his personal salary cut, the proposed 50% superintendent budget cut and the proposed 25% administration budget cuts. This is unprecedented.Second, I believe that Mr. Parker came into this district without a true picture of our fiscal situation. I don’t think that the board truly understood its severity at the time either. So after barely two years on the job, to expect him to balance a budget and replenish the fund balance is a disservice to him. I don’t agree with everything that he and his administration do, but they are accepting this responsibility and improving the direction and climate of our district.Third, a 3.5% tax increase means an increase for an average homeowner of about $80 a year, or $7 a month, or $2 a week, or 40 cents a day. No one is going to lose their home over it. Yes, coupled with other rising costs it is one more expense added to the ever-increasing list, but in reality it equates to a cup a coffee once a week from Wawa or Dunkin’. We all should be able to give that up for the children of Allentown School District.Allentown School Superintendent Thomas E. Parker (AMY SHORTELL / THE MORNING CALL/)Op-ed by Allentown superintendent: It cannot be the narrative that Allentown students deserve lessFourth, the property taxpayers of Allentown should not be mad at the district; they did not set up this funding structure. The state established that local property taxes should fund their local school districts. The state establishes the Act I tax caps. The state establishes the amount per student that goes to a charter school. The state has reduced charter school reimbursements as enrollments have increased. The state requires certain amounts to be contributed to pension funds per year. The state and federal governments have reduced special education funding as the enrollment and needs increased. The state and federal governments establish mandates and compliance requirements that must be met but that are not always funded with state and federal money.So instead of directing your anger at the school district, write and lobby your representatives to change how schools are funded.Fifth, I respect the right of the school board members to vote no on any issue. But if you are not offering any viable alternatives to a proposal, which I did not hear any offered at the last meeting, then your no vote is not resolving the issue, making it go away or improving the situation. So as the saying goes, “If you are not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.”Sixth, I was appalled that only one board member expressed concern that 28 paraprofessional positions, three school psychologists and five teacher positions would remain unfilled. This is the biggest outrage and major disservice to the children that we are tasked with educating and caring for. They are our first responsibility and priority above all else. Therefore, the 3.5% tax increase is our adult responsibility as being a part of America’s public education system, which promotes a quality, equitable education for all children regardless of their financial circumstances and zip code. A proposed expansion of Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit scholarship program would unfairly benefit wealthier students who attend private schools and harm the public school system, an op-ed author claims. (MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO/)Op-ed by Ph.D. candidate: How PA’s EITC takes resources from needy and gives them to advantagedIs it necessarily fair? No. So lobby Harrisburg and Washington, but in the meantime we must meet the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.Lastly, the reality is that despite the 3.5% increase, the hiring freezes and cuts being put into place by the superintendent, it won’t be enough to balance the budget. But if we don’t do it, it will only get worse. Doing nothing or making minimal changes is no longer and never should have been an option.It took years of short-sighted, poor fiscal management and politically motivated decisions to get to this point, and it is going to take years of hard, unpopular decisions to get us out. But if we want to get our children back from the charter schools and keep the children that we currently have in our schools, then we all need to work together and support each other. This means putting the needs and education of our children above all else and using every means available to achieve that.The adults of Allentown need to make the difficult decisions and sacrifices, so our children do not have to.Sharon Billington is co-president of Allen High School’s Parent Teacher Student Association.
Source: Morningcall

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