A year ago, HVRSD gave our second and third-graders 45 minutes per week of extra classroom time for science, arguably the most important subject of all. After meeting with my daughter’s principal and the district’s science supervisor last week, I can report that this gift has been completely squandered. The state Curriculum Standards require that by the end of grade two, students understand some fundamental concepts of biology, chemistry, earth science, astronomy, and physics. After eight months, our second-graders have performed a musical play about the solar system, and will finish the year with a hands-on kit about the human body designed for grades three-four; they will “catch up” with exposure to the other subjects before the first standardized test in fourth grade, according to the science supervisor.
If HVRSD is trying to be “narrow and deep” in two areas, that might be preferable to the state plan, although I wonder whether memorization of lines and songs is the best way to promote depth. But regardless, with 30 new hours, the 2007-08 program should be significantly better than last year’s, and it’s not. I was told only that teachers can “answer more questions” in the extra time – they have no new materials, guidance, or resources to make use of the windfall. And the “gift” came with a hefty price tag: the loss of 30 hours of instrumental music. After the phony explanation about the budget fell flat, parents were told last spring that there were “new science kits” and new content areas ready to plug in. If this explanation originated with Judith Ferguson, John Bach, or Kate Napolitano, we have no recourse, as all three have resigned. But any board members who knew this was an empty promise (or, worse, asked the career officials to make it) should resign as well. Unethical contracts are one thing, but knowingly leaving our children high and dry is another. I’m sure the problem is not with the teachers, principals, or the science supervisor—left to their own devices, I’m confident they would make us proud.
I also have finally learned why strings was cut in the first place. One of the current candidates for board was nice enough to call me about strings, and subsequently asked Linda Mitchell for an explanation. The candidate reported back to me that in addition to the science and the budget (!) “explanations,” Ms. Mitchell emphasized that a couple of parents had complained about their children being “forced” to take strings. So now I get it: when hundreds of people protest a decision, they are a “special interest,” but when a couple of people have the president’s ear, they’re not.
Adam M. Finkel
Hopewell Township