Scare tactics – Did Adams 12 superintendent allude to increased danger to students due to budget cuts?
March 16th, 2010
Adams 12 Five Star Schools announced yesterday the first round of major budget cuts. $24 million in cuts will be made and over 180 people will lose their job.
It is not a pleasant sight but a reality that had to be faced in these tough economic times. Schools districts, just like private industry and other government entities, must tighten their belts and layoffs are part of that.
I found interesting one comment from Superintendent Chris Gdowski in the Denver Post. Gdowski was discussing the loss of nineteen ‘campus supervisors’ – people that patrol the grounds of the schools. He was quoted at saying:
Much like what we saw at Deer Creek Middle School, teachers and other staff will have to be vigilant about who is on campus.
~ Adams 12 Five Star Schools Superintendent Chris Gdowski
An interesting comment. I am not sure if Gdowski was trying to use a bit of a scare tactic by alluding to an increased danger of gunmen attacking students as a result of the budget cuts or not.
If I am not mistaken, Adams 12 already pays area law enforcement agencies to provide School Resource Officers at their middle schools and high schools. Is an armed police officer not adequate?
If there are SRO’s in each school, it seems to me that the ‘campus supervisors’ are a bit redudant. Certainly our children’s safety is paramount but we also have to be pragmatic about the protections that are applied and be reasonable in what we can do.
As with any quote in a news story it is hard to discern the exact context in which the comment was made. However, if the intent was to scare parents, it is a low blow and unworthy of the head of Adams 12.
On a related note about the budget cuts, I find it very interesting that there is no mention of working to obtain concessions from the all-powerful teacher’s union. Shouldn’t the unions and their members shoulder some of the burden of the budget cuts?
* Update, 5:20pm – A clarification on the School Resource Officers. Their salary (at least in Thornton) is shared between the school district and the City of Thornton. They are in middle and high schools all day, every day. My point in bringing up the SRO’s is not that they don’t belong. Quite the contrary. It is a sad reality that they are needed in our schools in this day and age. However, I do think that the district paying for a ’campus supervisor’ is redundant and that is a position that could be eliminated.
From what I see the campus supervisors spend their days looking for class cutters, smokers, and cars parked in the student lot without a $30 parking permit displayed (how will they be able to enforce the new $50 student parking fee???).
I think it is up to parents, students and all staff to keep the school safe. We all need to pay attention to our surroundings. I can understand having a police officer in the high schools but I think it is a waste of money in the majority of middle schools in the district.
I don’t mind the increased athletic fees, since my children participate and it keeps them involved in healthy, constructive activities.
I think $10 a month for riding the bus is a great deal. I spend far more than $10 a month in gas driving my child to school everyday and we carpool.
Having said all of that I feel sorry for the families that can not afford the fees. There are plenty of families that are barley scraping buy. The district waives fees for those on free/reduced lunch, but there are plenty of families that don’t qualify and barely put food on the table at home. There is not $10(per child) in the monthly budget for bus fees or $110 to participate in a sport.
Shame on Colorado of hurting the schools so badly. Couldn’t a few parks be neglected, instead of our Children.
I find it ridiculous the district does not look into their administration building to make more cuts before eliminating teachers and counselors. Have a look at the districts organization chart your self.
http://www.adams12.org/en/organizational_chart
While looking keep in mind these are directors and above and don’t include the special ed. department.
I think you need to get more educated on the issue before you speak, They play a very important role in day to day problems, fights, tresspassing ( kids from other schools coming to fight, find, just generally keeping schools safer.
Interesting comment but that doesn’t dispute the thought that the campus supervisors are redundant.