This Monday several parents of Machado School students and
representatives of the Machado School Heritage Society brought the
following points before the School Board to express our concern
over the abrupt closing of the school and moving of our children to
Paradise Valley Elementary.
EDITOR:
This Monday several parents of Machado School students and representatives of the Machado School Heritage Society brought the following points before the School Board to express our concern over the abrupt closing of the school and moving of our children to Paradise Valley Elementary.
Machado School has been operating since 1895. Many of our children have parents, grandparents or neighbors that went to this school, a bond that strengthens our community. Machado is also the district’s only school that supports the rural experience, culture and values of many families in this community. The site is available to all, either informally or by booking the historic school through the Machado School Heritage Society, an organization of alumni and community members. Realtors show the school to prospective clients as an example of South County’s charm and range of educational opportunities
The small size of Machado School provides an excellent learning environment for its young students in an open multi-grade classroom on the site of a historical two-room schoolhouse. Children have many opportunities on the Machado playground to engage in creative play with nature, which is so important at their ages.
Teachers incorporate the natural and historical environment into the classroom. The program provides a unique and creative learning opportunity of which both the school and the district should be proud.
We cannot trivialize the impact Machado has on the entire Paradise Valley/Machado School (PVM). These two classrooms represent almost 30 percent of the total first and second graders at PVM. Many of the Machado students go on to 3rd through 6th grades at Paradise Valley.
So, depending on the attrition rate, probably 20-30 percent of the entire PVM student body can have participated in the Machado experience.
The Machado School Heritage Society has worked cooperatively with the district in the past to solve problems at the site. They have restored the original schoolhouse and the septic system was installed through its efforts. When the pump stopped working on Jan. 30th, the Society had it fixed by a professional; to date (Feb. 25) they have not yet received approval from the district to have the pipes fixed.
We realize the district and board have many painful decisions relating to budget cuts before them at this time. Other cuts can be restored but if Machado is closed, it may revert back to the heirs and be lost forever, not just to this current class of students, but also to our entire community. It’s an unnecessary loss to us all, particularly given the generous financial offer made by the Machado School Heritage Society.
We hope that the board and the district will work with the Machado School Heritage Society to identify the most cost-effective way to quickly return our children to Machado.
Jan Strahan,
representing concerned parents of Machado students
