Five years ago, when Dryden was contending with the "small schools" issue--whether to maintain or close the two outlying primary schools--I said that there were serious questions of equity at Cassavant and Freeville, and that to answer those questions would cost serious dollars. I was widely poo-poohed and told in no uncertain terms that the little schools provided just as good (or even better) education as the big school did. (I was also told that enrollment was stable. It has since dropped by a substantial margin.)
Last night at the BOE meeting, Dr. Simons and Mary Ellen Bossack requested a .25 art teacher and a .25 music teacher for Freeville to equalize specials in the elementary schools and create better equity (phys. ed. is actually out of compliance at Freeville, and adding part-time music and art teachers will help improve scheduling and alleviate that issue as well).
It remains to be seen whether the BOE will agree to this, but they'd better put their money where their mouths are. Nearly all of them supported the expensive renovations of the outlying schools. Now they need to cough up the bucks to support the education they provide. And so, sadly, do the rest of us.
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