Residents ask school board
to reconsider cutting aides
By Joyce Blay
Staff Writer
JACKSON — The members of the Board of Education came prepared to discuss redistricting concerns at their meeting on June 17. What they heard instead were the pleas of residents to reinstate kindergarten paraprofessionals who had been cut from the upcoming school year budget by the previous board, some of whose members were later defeated when they ran for re-election in April.
"The previous board [members] said at a PTA meeting that they didn’t know what they were doing [at the time they cut the paraprofessionals], but that they would look at it," said Keith Hind, a youth baseball coach, who said he knew all too well how hard it is to keep 5-year-old children focused.
"The bad news is that the previous board cut them out at the last minute," said board President Michael Hanlon. "The good news is that the new board will examine [the issue], so it’s not dead."
Margaret Eisenschneid, who said she was a teacher, took the board at its word and said she was confident the board would bring back the paraprofessionals by September.
Another resident was less confident that the paraprofessionals would return in the fall and asked when the board would bring them back.
Hanlon replied that the board members would have to examine the issue first.
"How about now?" a resident called out from the audience.
"If you had voted for the [2003-04] budget, we would have the money," Hanlon said. "To bring the paraprofessionals back means something [else] has to go away."
Hanlon’s reference to the 2003-04 school year budget voters did not pass in April and was subsequently reduced brought an immediate rebuke from an infuriated resident, despite Hanlon’s apology.
"You’re blaming us, the community, because we didn’t vote [for the budget]," she said. "You can’t take back your words, Mr. Hanlon."
But still another resident scoffed at parents attending the meeting who had tearfully expressed their concern over the redistricting of their children to a different school when that resident considered the issue of paraprofessionals cut from the budget to be of far greater importance.
"(If) parents are crying about what school their children are going to," said the resident, "they’re certainly going to cry about the paras."