Editor:
It’s that time of year when we look back and extend gratitude for what we appreciate and are thankful for.
I am writing this letter on behalf of the classified staff of the Sweet Home School District. Recently retired from my position as a resource teacher for the past 18 years, and due to the nature of my job, I have worked very closely with many classified staff.
The vast majority of the people I worked with have been hard working, very committed to the children our school district serves, often self sacrificing in their efforts to see that children’s needs were met. Children like the 8-year-old boy who wrote an essay – “The thing that makes me the happiest in the world is the backpack of food I get to take home over the weekend.”
And like the children who would prefer to remain in school over long holidays where they are warm, fed and in a predictable environment. Not to imply that teachers are not there for students: They are. But teachers are stretched thin; the classified staff, who work closely with large numbers of children, play a vital part in their lives often forming close supportive bonds.
But these folks have needs of their own they are struggling to meet. Some work two or three jobs. One lady I know works three-plus jobs and is in college in the medical field because she can’t make it on her classified wages.
Another woman with three teenage sons works three jobs taking college classes as she can. Her youngest son asks her why she is always gone. She only takes dental insurance (no medical) as her sons all will need wisdom teeth removed in the near future. (Imagine – three teenage boys and no medical insurance – Scary!).
Both are excellent assistants, but the district will eventually lose them as these ladies depart to find employment more sustainable. I could go on, but space is limited.
An ironic point is that a large percentage of classified grew up in Sweet Home and now have children or grandchildren attending local schools. They reside in Sweet Home and are the core of the community. The district’s mission statement is: “We provide a safe and caring learning community where individuals have the opportunity to discover knowledge and skills necessary to reach their full potential in a changing world.”
Well, these classified are the fruit of SHSD in the last few decades. I believe we have excellent teachers, but without our dedicated classified (office, maintenance, transportation … included) we would be unable to function at all.
Yes, school districts across the state are struggling financially and as a well known poet once said “a hard rain is falling down”, but should our classified be taking the brunt of it?
Collectively, they are feeling demoralized and unvalued. Our classified staff is an integral part of our local school district. But if we are to continue to have highly qualified, committed people, they need to receive wages and insurance that they can subsist on.
Otherwise, they will go elsewhere and our children, the future of this community and many others, will be the real losers which will lead to a long, resounding spiral downward. . .
So, from one with a unique perspective, I say thank you to the classified staff for their hard work and dedication and I hope the future will be brighter.
Jeanie Perry
Sweet Home