From Deborah Chapman:
Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to the Harford County Board of Education’s decision to request funding for replacements of Youth’s Benefit Elementary School and Havre de Grace High School and major improvements to Joppatowne High School in its fiscal year 2014 capital budget.
Once again, John Archer School has been ignored and passed up for new construction.
I just wanted to say I’m so proud of our students who try their very best to get to classrooms whether by walking, using gait trainers, wheelchairs, pulled in wagons or carried by staff. I’m amazed by the staff of dedicated nurses who care for our children. I’m so grateful that the John Archer School teachers and staff assist children and young adults with toileting in tiny stalls that a fully functional adult can barely fit into. I have so much respect for teachers and staff that must change diapers in the classroom and still manage to maintain some privacy and dignity for my young teenager and other students. Johns Archer School teachers, therapists and many others continue teaching our kids how to walk, communicate, feed themselves and maybe live independently one day. They teach life skills. They also teach our kids drama, music, home economics, art, physical education and many other things. I defy anyone to come to an Eagle Studios Production, Concert, Good News Assembly or JAS Graduation and leave there with dry eyes, not because you are sad, but because you witnessed something joyful that only a very privileged few will ever see. The John Archer School parents can’t even imagine what these dedicated individuals might be able to accomplish in a new facility with modern hallways, classrooms, nursing suites, bathrooms and equipment. We can’t imagine it and thanks to Harford County’s political process, we can stop trying to imagine it.
Congratulations are in order for the proponents of a new Havre de Grace High School and Joppatowne High School. I feel sorry for the high school students that have no pride in their community school and have to walk to a stadium. I have endless sympathy for the kids that don’t have modern computer labs. I feel a great amount of empathy for teachers that have no classroom and must push a cart around all day. I have the utmost compassion for students whose friends can’t get into magnet schools because they are not “academically intelligent” as one student stated at the school board meeting. I can definitely relate to the disdain for stained ceiling tiles and exposed piping. Parents, teachers, politicians, coaches, construction workers and the rest of the community, be thankful those children have sight to see those disgusting exposed pipes. Be thankful that those students can walk to the stadium or cross a street. Be thankful they can laugh, talk and make fun of their friends. Be thankful they know what pride is and that they feel embarrassment. John Archer School students do not feel embarrassment.
I however, unlike my daughter, do feel embarrassment. I’m embarrassed by politicians who are not aligned with the silent minority – the children who can’t complain. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of schools need replacement. I know the budget is tight and I know about the economy. I am pleased that at least one of the schools on the so called priority list (Youth’s Benefit Elementary) has made it to the capital budget plan for 2014. Whatever happened to fair? What happened to the Countywide Facilities Evaluation? What happened to the existing capital budget plan and schools that have been on the waiting list for several years? What happened to the scope studies? What happened to William Paca/Old Post Elementary Schools? What happened to Homestead/Wakefield Elementary Schools? What happened to John Archer School? I’ll tell you what happened – POLITICS!
I’m also embarrassed that I voted for Craig.
Deborah Chapman
From what I hear a lot of people are embarrassed including many of our Republican elected office holders.
Of those that ran he was the least offensive choice. Whenever the Democrats put up someone that is not a flaming social liberal and is fiscally responsible then we will have a real choice. Whenever Tom Myers and the New Harford Democratic Club get their head out then maybe we will get a choice. But, alas, they are too fixated on people like Wendy Rosen.
Ms. Chapman makes some very good points and while I do not minimize the issues faced by students attending John Archer and the obstacles faced by staff the raw economics make it difficult for many to support a new John Archer school over others in the county. The HCPS website shows available capacity of 210 but actual students at 147 meaning the school is underutilized by over 25%. Of course attendance figures can fluctuate from year to year but given federal and state regulations mandating least restricted environment for special needs students these numbers are not likely to change. Unfortunately as in many cases the question often boils down to economics. Do you spend 50+ million for a school that supports approximately 150 students per year (and please remember because of the law these students can remain at John Archer until they reach 21 years of age) or build a facility that services 1,000 students? That is a question that must be answered by those we put in power to make these decisions. I agree that John Archer, Wm Paca, and Homestead should have been given priority over a new HDG hs but that was clearly the doing of Mr. Craig. Maybe enough people will be disgusted by his handling of this situation that they will force his political retirement regardless of his ambition to be government.
An inadequate, outdated school is not rendered adequate or up to date merely because it us underpopulated. If you have a 1993 Toyota Corolla that you only drive 5000 miles per year, it’s still a twenty year old car.
A new building is a very costly way to bump test scores (and I suspect most of that comes from teacher excitement vs any physical difference). Repaint, buy new chairs/desks and service the mechanicals to rejuvenate the school with almost identical results.
John Archer’s problems won’t be solved with a coat of paint and new desks.
Get the facts before making your trivial reply. John Archer is a life skills based public schools for severly handicapped children in Harford County. It is woefully inadequate based on the needs that these children have. Bottom line is that this never should be about politics, but about needs, but as we all know it’s all about politics whenever the government, in this case David Craig, get involved.
Mr. Craig is already involved. He chose to support a new high school for his home town over the kids at JA.
Way to go Deb!!
Deb,
Well said, and believe me the next time I see Craig it will not be a pleasant hello. But unless politics are taken out of the school building equation this will continue to happen. Unless we as parents and citizens of Harford County do something about it.
Remember, Mr. Craig has higher political aspirations. Stop him so he can’t cause problems for all the citizens of Maryland. He is a disaster.
I was a Craig supporter until this latest episode involving HDG HS. This is the same kind of nonsense we have been putting up with form MOM and the arrogant we will do whatever we want crowd running state government. I am willing to support the right republican candidate for governor in the next election but this whole situation has demonstrated to me that he would be just another politician placing the interests of his friends or his legacy above others that have greater need.
I hope you feel the same way about the BOE.
We will all have our chance to pass judgement on most the BOE in the 2014 election. Hau and Frisch voted against Craig’s HDG plan.
And I’m voting against all of them and it has little to do with HdG. The school system is managed very poorly and the HCPS superintendent and the senior leadership are responsible for that first and foremost. But the BOE is responsible for it as well.
Alex, My post said voters would have to opportunity to pass judgement on most of the BOE in 2014. That is because only 6 will be elected (by council district), 3 will continue to be appointed by the governor, and the student rep (who now has partial voting rights) is selected by students. So you will have the opportunity to vote for only one member of the BOE, not all of them. Krchnavy is the only BOE member left from the group that brought Tomback to Harford Co. and depending on where you live you can certainly vote against her, but then again she could be reappointed by the governor and there is nothing you can do about it. If you pay as much attention to BOE meetings as I do it should be fairly obvious that there are some members of the BOE that are less than satisfied with the current leadership of HCPS. There is little those BOE members can do at this time. Tomback has a 4 year contract which ends after this school year. The real test of Tomback’s support will be if he is offered a new contract. If that happens you and the rest of the voters that are dissatisfied with that decision will have every right to ask BOE member/candidates in 2014 how they voted on that matter and hold them accountable at the ballot box. Lets encourage voters to research BOE candidates, ask hard questions, and make intelligent decisions about which people we want making the very important decisions affecting the education of our children/grandchildren, and spending our hard-earned tax dollars. That does not necessarily mean throwing out every current member of the BOE.
I’m not going to support Craig here. But I’m not sure that I buy Deb’s “ignore the silent minority” comments either. As she stated, the system has limited funds.
Those funds should be earmarked in the way that most positively affects our community. In this case, it seems fairly clear that YBES is the highest priority.
Should John Archer be in front of other projects? Possibly. I’m not familiar enough with the other projects to have an opinion. For now though, like a lot of other projects, it needs to wait.
Writing a letter and claiming unfair treatment is not the way to raise your project’s priority. The way to do that is to prove that it belongs above other projects, using cold, hard facts.
The cold hard facts have been presented numerous times. Harford County came to the realization the school needed replacement and in 2006 began the process.
Is closing John Archer and mainstreaming the students still being considered. I have a nephew in JA and he would be eaten alive. What kind of alternatives for funding is there besides county govt? Could corporations or foundations sponsor? Could private agencies contract?