BHPSNJ World Languages: Another Casualty

In what has been weeks of difficult news for parents, students and teachers, cuts in World Languages are sliding in under the radar…

-Ekin Najarian

Last week we learned of cuts to world languages at CMS and GL, and of course, low enrollment is being targeted as the culprit. Despite not having the numbers (because they weren’t provided), we’ll suspend suspicions and move forward from here as if this is both accurate and that the difference is meaningful.

Why is our enrollment so low?

Could it be that families don’t want to commit to French, for example, because they may find out the next day that the program will be removed? Could it be that, given the District’s constant attacks on the program, students don’t feel as motivated? If our District doesn’t prioritize it, why should they? How many pictures of world language accomplishments do you see on the District’s Facebook page? Or even math or science? Compare that to the number of posts you see connected to sports or kids being kind or smiling (as if that’s some strange phenomenon).

Could the leadership in our World Languages program being so impulsive and hands-off, except when it comes to using a knife on anything that can potentially shine, be why the overall attitude towards world languages is apathetic?

Could families be leaving the District to pursue private schools where their children are afforded real opportunities? Environments that truly appreciate academics with culture, celebration, and programming instead of lip service and excuses?

The concerns parents and BOE Candidates had about proficiencies in Math and Science were mocked last year, and the three candidates for BOE who expressed doubts were spun as being misinformed, yet here we are. It must also be hilarious that the State of NJ has redefined what it means to be proficient so our schools don’t appear to be in decline.

Cuts in language programs, replacing ground-level supervisors with removed Directors, our ratings and rankings dropping like a rock; our per-pupil cost going through the roof for all the wrong reasons, yet we only elected one BOE Member last year who appears to have any motivation to challenge this incompetence. She, along with one other BOE Member, are in the minority.

Do we still want to make elections about who our friends think is a “really nice person” and gotcha moments based on bad information provided by the District?

Still want to “not get stressed out with all the negativity about our schools”?

No?

Are we ready to do something about it?

This year two seats will be open for BOE. Please pay attention to the facts instead of the spin such as – “the reason for our ranking has to do with kids going to UCVTS” (as if no other school in Union County has students going there) or “parents are the reasons why our schools are declining” (hilarious given the amount of money our families have spent in private tutors compensating for this District’s failures).

Things are going from bad to worse, and it is the product of over ten years of a damaged approach – the last four being one terrible outcome after another. Ten years of spending having no public accountability and BOE Members and Administrators winging it with their flavor-of-the-month ideas. We may not repair all of it- or even most of it for our kids, but we can at least start moving in the right direction and make this a world-class District for the families that come after us.

Emails on Cuts to French

Related Articles:

THE BERKELEY HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS FRENCH CONTROVERSY OF 2022: A WRITTEN RECORD OF EVENTS

THE ONLY SOURCE OF MISINFORMATION IN OUR COMMUNITY IS DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION

CO-TEACHING 2 DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF ITALIAN TO 28 STUDENTS IS ACCEPTABLE…ACCORDING TO THE DISTRICT!

ADVOCATING FOR EQUITABLE EDUCATION FOR ALL

ONE MORE REALLY LONG ARTICLE ABOUT PROFICIENCIES AND METRICS

BERKELEY HEIGHTS HAVING THE HIGHEST PER-PUPIL COST WITH THE LOWEST RANKINGS MAKES SENSE