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[my letter published on Ot. 11, 2012 in Newport Daily News]
Discussions are underway
regarding financing the renovation/construction of school buildings across the
state. Certainly emergency measures related to health issues demand immediate
attention. However, in attempting to solve immediate problems, the state must
not lose sight of the big picture, the quality of education, something
seriously affected by decreasing enrollments within existing facilities.
Unfortunately, the focus
on renovation/construction can be misplaced when education itself should be the
primary concern.
In short, this letter
advocates for the restoration of financial incentives for school district
regionalization, a giant step to comprehensively address both education and the
economy in Newport County.
Prior to the ballot
question on school regionalization in 2012 - approved by Newport voters but
defeated by Middletown voters - local districts explored the potential
educational and financial benefits. There is reason to believe that the measure
would have been approved by the latter if the financial incentives had not been
discontinued.
Meanwhile, the financial
costs of education have substantially increased, and the educational
opportunities for students have continued to decrease in contrast with the
historical record when the enrollments of the individual districts supported
broader and deeper options for all the students.
Simply, current
enrollments of 600-650 at local high schools do not allow the same
opportunities as enrollments of 1,250, but the combination of the two could
restore an educational program that would benefit not only the academically-oriented
student - who gets the most attention now - but also the hands-on student who
needs exposure to the possibilities in the service industries, an area where all
will suffer as the current crop of tradesmen nears retirement.
Who will fix the cars,
build and wire the houses, install the plumbing, repair the pipes, and do all the
other necessary jobs that students are no longer being prepared to do well?
The basic hands-on experiences students need to interest them in the
trades or to encourage decisions to attend the career & technical schools
are no longer offered to them. Consequently, even many of the programs at the
Newport Area Career & Technical School have been eliminated for lack of
interest.
Enrollment is the problem, and regionalization
is the answer although common sense and logic are not enough when people resist
change. If this state truly wants to promote job preparation for workers
across the entire economy, it must do more than ask for funds to fix buildings.
Education is much more than buildings.
The state must restore financial incentives leading
to the lower costs of regionalization, something validated in the recent
analysis of the Newport County Regional Special Education Program showing cost
savings for shared services.
