A plea to the governor …

A Spectrum, by Jim Uhl

Dear Governor Murkowski, both as a retired educator and tax payer, I was absolutely livid this afternoon upon hearing of the layoffs in the Matanuska Susitna School District. As it happened, I was substituting at Wasilla High School and at the faculty meeting this afternoon we were notified of the decision of the district to lay off approximately 50 employees within the next month and an untold number prior to the next school year.

For months now I and others have shook our heads at some of the questionable renovations presently being done to this particular building (Wasilla High School) supposedly in the name of safety and upgrading. Now we are told that due to more than 91 percent of the cost of running the school being tied up in wages and benefits of its employees, it is going to be necessary to lay off many of our co-workers. I thank God that I am retired as at least I can only reflect on, rather than feel the sorrow, disappointment and feeling of betrayal felt by those immediately affected, and the fear being generated in the hearts and minds of the untold number yet to come under the knife of fiscal trimming. True, having taught for decades, I am fully aware that having just come out of one negotiating year and arriving at a one-year contract, and thusly just now starting negotiations for the next contract, a lot of this is posturing, and the age old ploy of showing the public that the school board will put the ungrateful upstarts in their place for the heinous acts they perpetrated in acquiring the last contract, but right before Christmas is a cold and cruel time to break this news.

Another situation that this closely ties in to is the absurd reasoning they gave for the shortfall being that projected enrollment was not met and too many students being dropped from the rolls due to reasons of attendance or misbehaviors. Sir, reasonable mandates were set down by the state and the school district dealing with these issues and seeing as we are enforcing these mandates and making the students accountable for their attendance and actions, we are now being punished for it. What sort of message is this? Where is the fairness here? We pay the price for their misdeeds? When I go in and substitute and see roll books with students having more than 20 absences so far in this school year and no consequences for it, and at the same time see upwards of 35 to 38 students in Honors and AP classes, both as a teacher and a tax payer, I am appalled. I always wanted to do the best job I could when I was a full time teacher, and I still try to do the same now that I am retired and a substitute, but seeing this makes me sad both for the kids and their instructors. During the last negotiations, just out of my own curiosity, I checked with the Borough Assessors Office to see what the taxes for an average homeowner in our area were and what part went to education. I also checked with a local child day care center to see what their charges were. After gaining this information I did a little simple arithmetic and found that the average cost of child care was $500 a month, but the cost to the average tax payer for education was a mere $220 a month. Sure, I reel at my tax bills every year, and I don't have any kids in school, but when you compare what you are getting, education is one heck of a good deal. Far cheaper than a babysitter at day care, and a darned site cheaper than correctional facilities. Where are our priorities? What value do we put on our kids and those that teach them?

When running for office you said that education was a number one priority. I realize that you are just entering office, but please, I beg of you both for the sake of the students and the teachers, look into this.

Jim Uhl is a resident of Wasilla.