The stakes are high

On Jan. 11, Ray Bryant, Superintendent of Warwick Valley Schools, authored an Op Ed, “My Turn”, published in the Warwick Advertiser saying, “At the Board of Education meeting on Monday, January 14th, I will give my Superintendent’s Report on the district’s financial situation. All are welcome.”

About 200 people accepted his invitation to hear his findings. The stakes are high because the school district is facing a nearly $3 million shortfall.

E-mails were sent, baby sitters hired, carpools organized, folks left early from work, and parents like me sat down after school with their kids to get their homework done right away but.

Ray didn’t do his.
Parents came out in unusually large numbers to be educated by and learn from Warwick’s premier educator but it didn’t happen.

We didn’t get that financial report.

We didn’t get any new information about the financial malaise we as a community face.

We didn’t get his ideas, insights, thoughts or inspiration.

The collective social and intellectual capital of a community was squandered that evening.

While many parents walked away frustrated and dismayed, most did see hope.

He and the Board have done an admirable job in posting useful information on the district web site and after reviewing some budget materials Ray gave a few participants, I feel confident that come Monday, Jan. 28, he will work with us all to find a positive way to move forward.

I invite Ray Bryant and the Board of Education to make the potential plans and options for the 2013/14 school budget, as they see them, available to the public on the Board of Education web site on Friday, Jan. 25th.

This way folks can have time to reflect and consider these recommendations so they are not overwhelmed come the 28th.

Everybody understands that these are difficult decisions, that everything is up for discussion and nothing has been decided.

As every student knows or comes to learn, it is always possible to turn and ‘F’ into an ‘A’.

Sincerely,
Carleen L. Hsu
Parent, taxpayer and proud member of the Warwick Community