Parents At One Harlem Secondary School Brace For The Worst
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Whether or not the planned layoffs of more than 4,000 teachers actually happen, just the thought that they might has parents and teachers all over town contemplating the worst. NY1's Kristen Shaughnessy went to one school where almost three-quarters of the teachers would be let go and filed the following report. The faculty at the Columbia Secondary School in Harlem would be gutted if the layoff scenario put out by the Department of Education yesterday were to become reality, with 14 of its 20 teachers gone. Parents are in disbelief.
“This is going to be a tremendous loss for all of our children regardless of what grade they are in," said one parent.
“It would be very harmful if it happens,” said another.
This school has had a tumultuous year. After a sixth grader drowned on a field trip last year, the principal was fired, some teachers left, and new ones were brought in.
“The teachers are extraordinary so this is taking me aback,” said parent coordinator Maria Miller. “So I can't really say anything about it."
Parents at the Ralph Bunche School, which shares the building with Columbia Secondary, were equally annoyed at a "last in, first out" policy they say could send some good teachers packing. That state requirement for layoffs has been heavily criticized by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“There are a lot of great teachers and they just came in a couple years ago, like my son's first grade teacher,” said one Ralph Bunche School parent. “She is phenomenal. She is like private school material and it would be tragic if she wasn't there anymore."
“We just need good teachers in general, whether they are new or old,” said another.
“In this day and time you need people who have new ideas, new minds. Because there are new things coming up, new technology, so I go with the policy of keep the ones who are best,” said a third.
But union representatives and teachers say "last in, first out" should not even be an issue. They say there's no need to lay off any teachers.
“Our school is prime example of teachers working together. Our senior teachers lead our new teachers, our new teachers bring in a fresh perspective for senior teachers,” said eighth-grade teacher Meredith Jacks. “Dividing us isn’t going to work. It’s going to ultimately hurt the children.”
Parents who spoke with NY1 said whether there should or should not be layoffs is a separate argument. What they want to know is the best teachers, regardless of when they started, will be in their children's classroom.