POTWIN, Kan. - Sending my oldest daughter off to kindergarten last year was beyond difficult. Now that both of us are adjusted to school, I am now having trouble with the budget cuts to education and how it is affecting her small-town school.
I received a letter, like all other parents, stating that budget cuts were made, and changes would happen to help the school save money. There were simple money saving ideas like no longer sending the lunch and breakfast menus home with the student, and cutting down on other notes sent home. They also eliminated several positions, and no longer pay for uniforms for custodians.
But what disturbs me is what wasn't in the note.
My daughter, though she is only five, has told me about several changes. Everyday she insists on wearing a long-sleeved shirt, because she said her school is cold. I noticed recently that the hallways, gym and lunchroom and uncomfortably cold. My daughter told me is not allowed to wear her coat all day, even though she wishes she could.
Yesterday, she jumped in the car after school and shared that the water fountain is broken, and they couldn't get a drink. And the worst part: the bathroom in her classroom is broken. They had a substitute teacher yesterday who told her class they could use the broken bathroom, but they couldn't flush the toilet. Needless to say, I was disgusted and saddened that my daughter had to hold her bladder all day, or use a bathroom she couldn't flush.
Now, I don't blame the teacher. In fact, her regular teacher is amazing. I blame the budget cuts that have forced schools to make cuts that put students at risk. I want my daughter to have a stress free day, where thing work in her school. With so little money, and a small school district, the cuts affected them greatly.
We need a solution now to this problem. I won't send my daughter to school until she has a bathroom she can use. And to me, that doesn't seem like much to ask for.
Does your school have a PTA/PTO? These are issues that all parents should know about. If I were you, I'd get in contact with some other parents and hold a meeting with the principal. If they really need to turn the thermostat down, then parents should at least be warned so that they may dress their kids in sweaters/sweatshirts/layers. In addition, there may be parents with plumbing skills who could donate some time and services to the school. I wouldn't just sit back and take this. A dialogue needs to start between parents and the school.
I agree parent and community involvement could help. The bathroom for example. I fix those for a living so if they would let me get a tax receipt for parts I could fix that and it would cost the school nothing. At my kids school the PTA is very active and funds many things the district wont pay for like field trips. A corporate sponsor 2 years ago built some new playground equipment. I know in another school the PTA paid for a new gym floor. In another the parents fund the school nurse.
There are negatives though. Parental involvement can lead to abuse like certain kids getting favorable treatment. Neighboring schools with less affluent parents can get jealous and can cause problems when certain schools seem to get all the goodies.
Bottom line is though, if they need things they should get the word out.
I just wanted to say something about the temperature issue. I work in hvac and schools are notoriously difficult to heat and cool even with a fairly new system. Your usually stuck with whatever system (boilers, heat exchangers, ductwork, etc...) they put in when the school was built or last upgraded and that could be 30-50 years ago. Then throw in the fact schools are spread out, on different floors, and different wings and you've got a big hvac problem. So some parts of the building can be hot, others cool.
You mention the gym, hallways, and lunchroom being cold? That's because those are the largest areas and hardest to heat. A gym can be easily be over a million cubic feet with usually poorly insulated roofs or giant windows which are a heat siphon. Sometimes hallways have no heat sources at all. And its entirely possible to save energy they are turning down heat to some areas like the lunchroom, while making sure at least the classrooms are warm.
Another factor is lately its just been very cold outside and its hard for systems to keep up and heat difficult areas like north facing rooms or rooms facing away from the sun and in shadows most of the day. Plus yes, there are budget issues and when its cold, the furnace costs more to run. Budgets for heating fuel are usually set in advance and are based on predicted temperatures and as we all know previous winters have been fairly mild.
Another factor is kids just dont want to wear warm clothing. They insist on style over functionality so you see kids even wearing short sleeves to school.
My advice is to encourage your kid to dress as warmly as style permit and maybe wear a hoodie or bring a light jacket or sweatshirt to put in their locker for days or when using areas of the building where its colder.