Fully Funding our Schools is Critical for Students' Futures

To the Editor,

I’m writing to encourage the communities of Manchester and Essex to fully fund our schools by passing the override being proposed for Essex.  I want to communicate some of what is at stake if the override does not pass.  For full disclosure, I am an English teacher at the high school, and my position (as well as many others), will be eliminated if the override does not pass.

I teach 9th and 12th grades, which means I have the privilege of being in the classroom with students at the beginning and end of their high school careers. I first see them as nervous, excited 14-year-olds, and then again as confident 18-year-olds on the brink of adulthood, preparing to go out into the world.  I also coordinate S.C.O.R.E., the senior internships, which ensures I get to know every senior and learn about their post-secondary plans.

English is a core subject that is a 4-year graduation requirement.  What this means is that for four years, students are reading, analyzing, thinking, discussing, debating, and collaborating.  They read lengthy texts. They write.  A lot.  In a humanities class, they discuss what it means to be a human.  They discuss the human

condition and how to navigate it.  The English curriculum demands a high level of engagement and interaction.

In their senior year, seniors get to choose their quarter English courses before their internships.  My seniors get to read memoirs, Sherlock Holmes stories, and even watch West Side Story and Cabaret.  They love finally having choices in their English classes!  With one less English teacher, they will lose much (or all) of that choice.

If the towns do not fully fund the schools, not only will programming and class selections be cut, but my colleagues will have significantly larger classes.  Research indicates that large class sizes negatively impact student success and achievement.  Students will not receive the same amount of written or verbal feedback.

Students might not be able to see a teacher for help.  Students will receive a lower level of rigor and opportunity in the classroom.  For some students, a large class will equal disengagement and avoidance.  In smaller classes, students more often feel seen and heard; they are more inclined to speak and offer their opinions.  It is easier to be a part of a learning community.  If the override does not pass, we will be stripping this district of what makes it so special.  Please allow the excellent teachers in our schools to continue doing what they do for our students by passing this override.