“Red Phone, I was deeply disturbed (this week) as I was planning my calendar for the spring. While working on June, I wanted to find out when the Britton Middle School graduation was to be held. Having not found the date on the school or district website, I called The Britton office and was told that there would be no ceremony due to budget cuts. Really? How much could it possibly cost to put up a microphone and a few chairs out in the field? I called the Superintendent’s office to find out. I was told by a secretary that she thought that the Superintendent may have written a document addressing that, but she wasn’t sure and if she found it, she would email it to me. My personal opinion is that this is really about a bunch of adults acting like 2-year-olds, crossing their arms, holding their breath and stomping their feet against state budget cuts. I wonder if each member of the school board remembers his/her eighth grade graduation ceremony? I bet they do as this is almost a right-of-passage into high school. I am hoping that some community light can be shed on this matter.”
Red Phone: Dear Shed Some light, the school board did in fact eliminate middle school graduations.
Back in May of last year, the board was forced to cut about $580,000 from its 2011-12 budget. They increased class sizes, cut some hours from food services employees, cut from the adult school and eliminated the 8th grade graduations, effective this year.
Maddie Miller, 14, Martin Murphy’s student body president at the time, said not walking at graduation is the usual punishment for students who didn’t make the grade or have behavior issues. She didn’t understand why every student would face that punishment; “You work this heard so you can be recognized for your hard work. And now the hard work won’t be recognized in front of your peers,” Miller said.
Whether they are acting like 2-year-olds or not is up to you and others to determine, but with less and less funding, school districts across the state are facing ever-increasing and never-ending budget deficits.
Good caller, hope that answers your questions.
