Personnel cuts likely to have negative effect

In a time when Boundary County is desperately trying to maintain school enrollment and offer quality education with limited funding, two more blows are being threatened to one of our elementary schools.

The removal of special education services and the loss of 1/6 of the teachers at Naples Magnet School will have detrimental effects on this small, though remarkable rural school that has provided quality education to the southern part of our county since the late 1800’s.

Once again, decisions based on fear without foresight regarding the long term negative effects (lower quality of education and loss of students) will likely lead to decreased enrollment overall and thus more cuts in funding.

With removing special education services, some parents desperate for the this support for their children will have to place their children on longer bus rides to a school with three times the number of children away from their close friends of four years. How many future students/families will not enroll their children in Naples School due to lack of services?

With the loss of a teacher, 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders will be faced with combined classroom sizes of approximately 26 students. Would you want your 7 or 8 year old child in a class with 25 other students with only one teacher providing instruction to both 2nd and 3rd grade? How about if the school district policy manual recommends a maximum size of 17 students in combined classes for that age?

At the May school board meeting, I asked that the school board reconsider these potentially devastating decisions and simply provide us with one teacher per classroom (keep in mind our teachers provide all art and PE instruction, along with our amazing Magnet Classes once a week). Supt. Conley’s response was to offer the solution of moving all first thru fifth graders to Valley View and keep Naples School as a kindergarten center.

When asked where he will put all those students, Conley stated he has it “all figured out except for one classroom.”

We need support, not threats. With it’s already limited staff, Naples Magnet School is a Four-Star School – please continue to support this amazing school by speaking out.

Theresa Wardle,

Boundary County