Guy
Benjamin Elementary is Closing; What Now?
So in many recent reports that I've read the
Department of Education is receiving a lot of ‘heat’ from the general public,
and members of the St. John community. I completely understand it of course; I
mean the situation is one that no one would have hoped for. The students, faculty,
and staff at the Guy Benjamin Elementary School along with parents have long
voiced their opinions and concerns about lack of support it receives, declining
numbers, and more recently an ‘invisible operating budget’. The school closing
didn’t really come as a surprise to many since there have been rumors of such all
year since the removal of kindergarten and first grades to the Julius Sprauve
Elementary School in Cruz Bay. So, exactly what is all the fuss about?
At a meeting held at Guy Benjamin School for parents
and students on Monday, Education Commissioner and Superintendent gave the
awaiting parents the daunting news they’d feared for so long. While education officials
only cited one reason for closing the school, declining students and operating
costs, all of the arguments coming from parents and even teachers involved had
little to do with the benefit of students. Attendees of the meeting cited how
the school has always met the standards of the AYP report, and that residents
of Coral Bay would now have to ‘commute’ to Cruz Bay in defense of the
children. Other concerns expressed pertained to the area of the school (being around
bars) and the amount of funding being saved by closing the school.
Those remarks almost seem selfish to me. In a school
that has been operating without a principal or ‘checkbook’ how parents can and
teachers alike expect the institution to continue with the same results. And
while there were a few in attendance, mostly those affiliated with the school,
haven’t heard of any actions taken by the community or the parents of students
at Guy Benjamin Elementary to thwart the long awaited decision of closing the
school. I did however read reports of education officials urging residents of
St. John to consider enrolling their children within Guy Benjamin to hinder the
pending decision, but one can only assume it was to no avail since the
enrollment ratio for the next school year compared to the last were still very
slim While all
students can benefit from a lesser student to teacher ratio, parents and educators
should look at the benefits of this merge;
·
With the space at the closing elementary
school new, necessary programs like an head start or even a K-12 institution
may be implemented (which is well needed on the island)
·
Funds saved by the department can be
used to enhance student life on the island itself as well as at the remaining
school
·
Education official spoke of
transportation for students of Coral Bay to the Julius Sprauve school in Cruz
Bay under the supervision of teachers/aids; that is much more than most, if not
all of our students within this territory (At least in my own experience it is
mainly/solely the bus driver) and abroad.
Anyone can appreciate that change can sometimes be
challenging, especially for children so young, but as adults (teachers and
parents) should consider working on making the transition easier for all
involved and encouraging already discouraged students to look on the bright
side of things, after all the children are the ones who are really being
affected the most aren’t they?
For further readings on the U.S Virgin Islands on
topics of education and our children please read “Alternatives
to Suspensions and Expulsions”, “Families
Matter for the Achievement and Development of Goals”; and “ So
Carnival Warrants Closing School Now!?”
This blog post is the opinions of Ms.
Child Advocate and does not reflect on the institution’s she is employed for
nor is those she affiliated with through volunteer work or otherwise. For more
opinions from us please visit our blog page usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com
or email us at usvi.childhood.learning@gmail.com and like us on Facebook
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