Committee member worries about results of budget cuts

To the Editor:

The Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School Committee is requesting a second override to adequately fund the school budget. The certified budget was lowered after much thought and great debate. The focus of the committee is on the individual student in the classroom, of which this budget protects.

My support for the adequate funding of public education is focused on opportunity. The more we chip away from the budget, the more opportunities that are lost to our students. Cuts to the budget translate to losses in staff and programming.

Lost opportunities are something every person reading this letter have experienced. We all look back at things we wished we could have done, some with great regret. With the level of cuts the school district will incur due to inadequate funding, there will be many lost opportunities for the children of Ashburnham and Westminster.

I think of the students, who watched the Overlook Middle School performance of "Seussical," who will not have that opportunity to participate because there will be no drama program. What about the cut to the creative writing course at Oakmont that will surely impact many students? Just as art and sports are an outlet for students, creative writing is as well, requiring training and practice. And the potential opportunity lost for the student on the brink of understanding any given math concept. They are in a class with 28 other students. Are they going to get the necessary attention needed to get them through the anxiety?

Overall, there are 30 sections eliminated from the master schedule at Oakmont. That can only mean lost opportunities for every student who attends the high school.

There will be no health education classes at the elementary school level. Parental support for health issues such as diet, exercise, substance abuse and hygiene are important and necessary. Reinforcement of these concepts at home and school will increase the likelihood of children embracing the ideas. This opportunity will be lost.

There will be no more computer classes at Overlook or Westminster Elementary schools. Computer skills are necessary for students to safely and effectively utilize all the power and knowledge offered by computers and the Internet. In addition, both schools are looking at early closure of their respective libraries, so the opportunity for research is lost on several levels.

The cuts to the custodial staff at all schools will mean shorter times the buildings can be open safely each day. The opportunity for public use of the buildings will be limited or perhaps completely unavailable.

These are just a few of the lost programs within our school district. I encourage all voters of Ashburnham and Westminster to take the time to become familiar with the funding request by the school district and understand the lost opportunities for every student in our schools.

Laura J. Weiderman Ashburnham Westminster Regional School Committee