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Letters to Agencies
Craig's Email about the 2007 CPD budget
to Superintendent Fowler-Finn
and the School Committee
Dear Dr. Fowler-Finn:
Thank you for meeting with me recently to discuss issues relating to the Cambridge Public Schools. To reiterate what I mentioned during the meeting, any issues I bring to you in my role as a City Councilor are indicative of issues that I view as being systemic. Anything related solely to my children’s experiences I discuss with the relevant school staff.
Systemically, as a parent of public school children, a member of my sons' school's Advisory Committee and someone with a large peer group of fellow CPS parents and SAC members from other schools, it is clear to me that the upcoming CPS budget needs to accomplish two main goals:
1. The budget must be designed to bring all students to grade level reading by June, 2007. My experience has been that children in my sons' classes who cannot read at grade level are not able to participate in class to the same extent as those who can read at grade level. For these students, it appears that school is less rewarding and more frustrating. My friends whose children attend other Cambridge public schools report the same concerns about reading proficiency being crucial to creating a successful educational experience for everyone.
2. The budget should include adequate resources for improving classroom management and behavior issues. While I understood you to tell me that these issues were not systemic problems, what I have seen myself and heard from parents district-wide tells me differently. Classroom behavior and management problems are having a strong negative impact on students of all abilities throughout CPS. A number of CPS parents have told me that these issues are of such a concern that they are thinking of changing classrooms or schools or, in some cases, leaving the District altogether. No issue is more important to all of Cambridge than ensuring that our public school system is vibrant and effective for all students. I believe that only by successfully addressing CPS' shortfalls in reading proficiency and classroom behavior will we create a school system that works for all of our children. I hope to see these two goals clearly supported in CPS' budget when it comes before City Council.
As always, I would be delighted to meet with you, your staff members, and members of the School Committee or anyone else to discuss these issues. I may be reached at 617-354-8353.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Craig A. Kelley
Cambridge City Council
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