Our school district faces a major crisis this year: escalating costs, reduced state aid, and a property tax cap are forcing our Board to close a $1.4 million budget gap.  For the past two years, the Board of Education has addressed similar gaps by making severe program cuts—limiting the academic and extra-curricular opportunities for our students.  To keep taxes low and provide district pay raises, the Board has left Galway with a bare-bones program of average quality.  Going into this year’s budget crisis, more drastic measures must be taken to close the staggering gap.  “Core” and “core plus” budgets are currently on the table, offering to balance the budget with sweeping program and activity cuts.  Laying off teachers, requesting district-wide pay freezes, cutting classes, raising taxes, eliminating extra-curricular activities, and cutting sports are just a few other cost-saving measures being considered by the Board.  They will decide what “education” means in Galway, putting our school’s mission of “individualized education” to the test.

But let’s step back for a moment.  While many activities are important supplements to students’ educations, they remain just that—supplemental.   The skills developed by extra-curriculars and sports are invaluable, but we must remember the primary purpose of a school is to provide quality academics.  If we cut academic programs and teachers to preserve clubs or sports, what will be the purpose of our school?  To train Division I athletes?  To create Broadway actors?  To produce world-class journalists?  There are other venues to develop those skills for Galway’s youth.  There is no replacement for an excellent school; there is no substitute for a sound academic foundation.  As one concerned community member stated at a March Board meeting, “There is no do-over for our students.”  Galway students have one chance to learn calculus, physics, Spanish, AP classes, and strong electives to remain competitive, and if we deny them the opportunity in 2012, they will suffer the consequences for the remainder of their lives.

To ensure the success of Galway students, we must put the academic program above all else this year, including sports, field trips, extra-curricular activities, and district pay raises.  It’s time to consider the educational solvency of our district on the same level as our financial solvency.  If Galway students cannot receive a comprehensive education next year—one that allows them to excel in academics—our District cannot keep running.  “Balancing the budget on the backs of the students,” as advocated by Board Member John Sutton, may cut costs but is no longer acceptable.  Instead, we must save classes, protect teachers, and preserve the central mission of our school.