Spectrum

Valley schools are deteriorating

Recently, I attended a party in Anchorage. Several Anchorage School District teachers were there. As I sat with a group of them, I was asked how schools in the Valley are faring this year. Im not a public school teacher, so my descriptions came from the viewpoints I obtain as a parent, volunteer, school committee member and community activist.

I described math, science and social studies courses in all our high schools with almost 50 students per class. I told of administrators so overwrought by concerns about their students meeting new state achievement standards, they cant sleep at night. I related how the Valleys secondary school Science Olympiad program, one of the finest in the country, and best in the state for years, may not happen this year because the teachers who run it have neither the funds nor the time. I detailed several instances of top Valley teachers, so exhausted from their workload that they are, in my view, cases of incipient borderline clinical depression.

I reported how our borough assembly had taken over $1 million from the school budget, saying it would be reinstated when certain conditions were met. Then, when the conditions were clearly met, they forced the school board and parents to have to beg for the money anyway.

I spoke of a state representative who so despises our public school system that he refuses to call it such, referring to it only in the derogatory terminology of the militia mentality as the government school system.

I sketched another local legislator who had childishly squandered his influence and committee chairmanship because he felt his manhood had been challenged by a procedural motion in the recent special session.

I paraphrased stories told to me by several students about their frustrations in trying to get the right classes in the new high school regime of block scheduling, which had been introduced as a cost-cutting move. I told of the degradation of foreign language, music and other programs in our high schools from further funding cuts.

My friends were shocked. I was surprised they hadnt heard about any of this yet. One person familiar with our excellent high school programs of just five years ago seemed astounded that this level of deterioration could have happened so quickly.

I was asked if I had any hopes for improvement in the future. My reply was mixed. I said trust in the school district suffered a major blow under our recently departed superintendent [Robert Lehman]. It will take awhile for any new superintendent to rebuild faith. I reiterated my disappointment in the shortsightedness of borough and state elected officials regarding school funding. I spoke of the bad reputation the district is getting among the young teachers as a work environment.

But I conveyed my hope that parents and students will be able to turn the situation around. If another assembly seat changes in the next election, as happened in the recent one; if our school board becomes more trenchant; if Beverly Maseks legislative clout grows; if Scott Ogan has to run against a credible opponent if, if, if.

As I trailed off with my ephemeral hopes, I couldnt help but think about how five years ago, productive families were relocating to the Valley to get out of the Anchorage school system, and how that isnt happening anymore. Here were these outstanding Anchorage educators, marveling at how fast a school district could be ruined. I sensed we all carried a deep, underlying concern and worry for the victims of all this the kids.

Philip Munger is a Valley resident who has children in the 5th and 8th grades. He is active in coaching, scouting and the arts.