There are creative ways to care for our community, without putting children at risk

I thank our earnest elected officials, councilors and school board members for their dedicated service during these trying fiscal times. Many communities with resources stretched beyond their means are seeking equitable solutions to care for our most vulnerable: our children and fixed and low-income citizens.

Eight years ago, our little family moved to Auburn. My wife and I began a family late in life and decided upon Auburn because of its schools and quality of life. As responsible citizens, we feel the general safety and well being, education and welfare of our children is paramount. For those of you considering these difficult budget decisions, I trust each of you has spent time with students, inside our classrooms, understanding and grasping the needs and realities of the contemporary school environment.

Those of us not directly involved with education need to place our own childhood mindsets about education in proper context. For many of us, a contemporary school environment bears little resemblance to our own experience. A recently aired PBS Frontline program “The Medicated Child” states that over 6 million children in the United States are using prescription medications for emotional and behavioral issues.

It has become commonplace for early grade school children to discuss who has or has not taken their medications for the day.

Disruptive emotional outbursts are frequent, often requiring the intervention of more than just the adult in charge. These disruptions consume time, unsettle other students and further erode a learning atmosphere.

Ease and confidence in one’s surroundings is uppermost to learning. A child feeling unsafe and uncomfortable in his or her surroundings will neither learn nor grow confident intellectually or emotionally. The classrooms, hallways, bathrooms and other school surroundings must be monitored, made safe and wholesome, both in reality and in the minds of the kids, the parents, the educators and staff.

The chilling news this month of third-graders in Waycross, Georgia, plotting their teacher’s death is a punctuated statement of these unsettled times. Third grade kids!

These thoughts are reaching down into the ages of our most innocent.

Skilled, caring professional educators and counselors are equipped to recognize, diffuse and help resolve these issues.

In my local Auburn community, deep, deep school budget cuts are proposed.

A spirit of distrust seems to have come upon us, brought about by a small group claiming to be the defenders of our fixed and low-income citizens. Enflamed by a property tax revaluation and with resolve to parlay it into a tax relief agenda, their cuts place at risk essential school services: administrative support staff, ed techs, teachers, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and deans.

Lack of proper funding will weaken essential educational and special-ed programming, remove critical avenues for children in crisis, increase student teacher ratios and place kids at risk.

Informed budget watchdog groups play an important role, however, let us respect and have trust in the choices made by our school administrators. These professionals have thoughtfully determined the staffing needs required for a safe learning environment for our students. Their qualifications and ongoing experience place them in the best position to evaluate these needs.

Fate has been kind in granting my wife and me a gifted child. I was able to work nights, and my wife days, sharing time raising our son until he was of elementary school age. To date, he has loved his teachers, guidance counselors and principals. Happily, we feel the same. Sadly, and upon the advice of his teacher, we are exploring private schools for our son because a regular classroom may be unable to meet his needs. These schools are beyond our means.

The ongoing requirements imposed by No Child Left Behind have so overstretched our dedicated teachers’ time and resources that it has created an environment of No Child Springing Ahead. It is oversimplifying to think that gifted children are advantaged kids, and, being smart they will do fine, no matter what.

There is much evidence to the contrary.

These kids come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds with unique emotional challenges often misunderstood by their peers. Their needs may differ from other kids, but they are indeed, needs.

These children also require investment and nourishment to become future scientists, thinkers, peacemakers and problem solvers.

And yes, we need to protect our fixed and low-income residents. Fresh, creative solutions need be found: but please, not at the cost of raising wholesome children. Personal property taxes went up for us also. We accept this and are willing to do more.

Fair, equitable taxation is, indeed, just.

Norman Gagnon is a resident of Auburn.