Leadership should put students first, not last

TO THE EDITOR:

Public schools exist to serve children, families, and communities — not to shield decision-makers from scrutiny. When transparency is reduced, trust erodes. And when trust erodes, the people who pay the price are students and educators.

Recent discussions around Burke County Schools’ budget shortfall reveal a troubling pattern. While district leaders insist that layoffs are “not on the table,” they refuse to rule them out.

Budget documents listing staff reductions and consolidations were briefly shown in a public meeting, then characterized as “not meant to be public.” Media access was restricted after a headline used language officials disliked.

That combination should concern every parent and taxpayer.

Public education depends on sunlight. When media access is curtailed and documents are withheld, decisions affecting classrooms move further out of public view. Transparency isn’t a courtesy — it’s a responsibility.

Families deserve to understand not just what decisions are made, but how and why they are made.

At the same time, leadership has been clear about its primary strategy for managing the shortfall: attrition and consolidation. Vacancies will go unfilled. Responsibilities will be reassigned. Fewer people will be asked to do more work.

That is not a neutral administrative choice. It is a policy decision with real consequences.

Teachers are already stretched thin. Support staff are already covering multiple roles. When positions disappear quietly through attrition, the workload doesn’t disappear with them — it lands on the remaining staff.

Larger class sizes, less individual attention, fewer support services, and diminished planning time are not abstractions. They shape the daily experience of children in our schools.

So, the question becomes unavoidable: where does education fit into this strategy? Where do students fit?

We cannot claim to “protect the classroom” while simultaneously overloading the people responsible for teaching and supporting children. We cannot say children come first while treating their learning environment as the place to absorb financial strain.

Equally concerning is what has NOT been pursued publicly. County Commissioners play a critical role in funding and supporting public schools. Yet instead of a visible, coordinated push for county-level assistance or emergency measures, the burden is being shifted downward — onto educators and students.

That raises a deeper issue of values. Are we willing to exhaust every option at every level of government before asking children and teachers to sacrifice more? Or are we allowing the easiest solution — internal cuts — to become the default?

Public education works best when decisions are transparent, responsibilities are shared, and children are treated as the priority — not an afterthought.

Parents are not asking for panic. They are asking for honesty. They are asking for accountability. And they are asking for leadership that puts students first, not last.

PAM GENANT