"Cuts For Thee, Not For Me!"
That is the takeaway from Dr. Matthew L. Montgomery's presentation at the most recent District 67 Board Meeting.
Yes, mere weeks after the Superintendent and administration received some of the most generous raises on record following the passing of the $106,000,000.00 bond, it was announced that now- after the raises were made official- is the time to be "fiscally responsible." And at whose expense? Not that of administration, of course, but- wait for it- library and teaching assistants.
Seriously...
Not a single administrative cut was announced, nor were the massive and generous raises proposed by the administration and approved by the Board of Education revisited.
The cuts outlined by Superintendent Matthew Montgomery instead focused on positions such as library teaching assistants, advanced learning specialists, and science lab teaching assistants.
While we have long advocated for fiscal responsibility, what does it say about what administration and the Board values most when weeks after massive administrative raises and contract extensions, they decide to be "fiscally responsible" and start with teaching assistants?
In our opinion, this reflects a perversion of what a school district's priorities should be and demonstrates an approach to budgeting that is administratively centered rather than student-centered.
To say the entirety of events over the past few weeks has left us dumbfounded is an understatement. Still, it demonstrates why we formed Parents Care and the critical long-term role we strive to play in providing transparency and driving community engagement.
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