As a representative group of the parents of Kent Primary School students, the Kent Primary School Parent Teacher Organization has, since its inception, sought to be a partner with the Carmel Central School District administration and the Board of Education in ensuring the success of our common goal; providing our children with the best educational opportunities possible. To that end, the KPSPTO continues to view our role as that of respectful advocate for what we feel is in the best interest of the students of Kent Primary School.

It is widely viewed that the administration under Dr. Ryan is qualified and competent to manage the operation of our schools in a prudent and fiscally responsible manner, and we applaud the District’s efforts to maintain the highest standards of education in these fiscally challenging times. We are grateful for our Board of Education members, volunteers all, many of whom have or have had children in the school system, and their unflinching approach to the tough decisions that they face on our behalf.

With the task of crafting and adopting a school budget upon us, we realize that proposals are submitted for review by the Board at this time of year. Some are accepted, some modified and others rejected outright. As with any undertaking that so keenly affects the public, opinions are many and varied. The KPSPTO, while representing such a wide and varied opinion base, has heard from many parents voicing concern over a variety of proposed changes to our schools. One such change has caused us great concern among many great concerns; the re-distribution of students in the Kent Complex schools.

While we understand that the numbers of enrolled students in certain grades has made it difficult for the District to comply with contractual obligations regarding class sizes in the two schools, the KPSPTO feels that the proposed disintegration of the neighborhood school model would not be in the best interest of the students of either school. We understand the numbers and realize that this move represents real money, but the emotional cost to our students, in our opinion, is simply too high to consider such a move. Since its creation when the neighborhood school model was applied to Kent Primary and Kent Elementary Schools, the KPSPTO has worked with the parents, teachers and administration to help create a sense of community, a sense of family and an environment that our children can proudly call their own. A new mascot, chosen by the students, along with our slogan, “KPS stands for Knowledge, Pride and Success”, was just the beginning. These elements served as a point of identity for the students of KPS that they had not had under the former modified Princeton model. Gone were the days of KPS being the “baby school”, and gone, too, was the stigma that was cast upon the students that such a moniker engendered. To return to such an environment would be a tragic example of unfeeling bureaucracy taking precedence over the emotional well-being of our kids.

The K-4 model for KPS carries with it some real advantages that we hope will be included when deliberating such a move. With the additional years in the building that such a model affords a student, they, and their families, have a greater chance of knowing well the administration in the building, and a greater continuity in their educational experience. The teachers and principal of the school get to know the children and their families as well, providing a tighter and more cohesive net of support for each child. The students in the younger grades get the opportunity to partner with, receive support from and model their behavior after the older children in this environment, to the betterment of all involved. Additionally, the increasingly important tests students take in third grade will surely be impacted if students’ stress levels are increased by such a drastic change in routine. The benefits of this environment may seem intangible at first glance, but reveal themselves in a more comprehensive knowledge base for each student, better classroom achievement and higher test scores. This model also helps to create a greater sense of well-being for parents and a greater comfort level with the District administration and the Board of Education members they elect to represent them.

We hope that Dr. Ryan and the District administration, along with the Board of Education, will take these concerns to heart as they embark on the unenviable task of crafting a budget in such a tough economic climate. As a representative of the parents of KPS, KPSPTO hopes to return to the task of encouraging parents to support the budget in its final form when it is presented to the voters of our community.