My name is Katherine Kellett, and I am an English Teacher at Franklin High School.
Thank you, Superintendent Giguere and School Committee Chair Callaghan for giving educators the opportunity to share our thoughts and perspectives tonight. We especially appreciate the opportunity to speak early in the evening so that we don’t have to stay up too much past our bedtimes.
We are here tonight to talk to you and to the Franklin community about the impact of the budget cuts on educators and students over the past year. As educators, we come to this profession with a passion for helping students become the best versions of themselves. We want them to reach their potential and become thoughtful, productive, caring citizens of this world. We celebrate their successes with them, and we pick them up when they are in crisis.
However, the strain on resources in this community has affected our ability to educate in the fullest way we can. Over the last two years, we have lost over 50 educators, 20 of whom were given pink slips last week due to the reorganization. Let me give you an example from my experience.
In the English department at the high school, we have lost three teachers over the last two years. Their students have been distributed to the remaining English teachers, creating larger class sizes. I have four AP English Language sections this year, each with 25-26 students. This class size is up from 18-21 students last year. I have had to reduce the number of timed essays I assign because of the physical limitation on how much I can grade (and I am a fast grader!).
Moreover, we have been told that without a significant reduction of paper usage, teachers may face a white paper freeze in the coming months. I teach a diverse group of students, many of whom struggle with impulse control, so to rely solely on screens and technology to deliver my instruction would mean that I am not meeting the needs of all students, a charge from the state that I take very seriously.
Educating students is the most important–I would dare say sacred–responsibility that a community has. To do that, educators and students need adequate resources. The Town of Franklin must choose to fund schools adequately in order to maintain the standard of excellence that I and my colleagues hold dear. Franklin must prioritize student-facing positions above all else–that means teachers, counselors, speech and occupational therapists, psychologists, and nurses–as well as the physical resources–yes, including paper–that they need to succeed and reach their full potential.
I stand here tonight with many colleagues, who are eager to share their personal stories. Thank you again for your willingness to hear our voices as the town works to construct a budget for next year
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Voices of Franklin: The impact of school budget cuts |