Michigan Teachers Instruct Elementary Students To Write Letters Criticizing Budget Cuts
This is just despicable:
Third through fifth graders at an elementary school in the Walled Lake Consolidated School District were assigned by at least one teacher this week to write letters to Gov. Rick Snyder saying how unhappy they were with his budget cuts, the school district confirmed Thursday.
The students were told the best letters would be forwarded to the governor. One parent said the teachers prepped the students with what the budget cuts entailed because some weren’t aware. Students also were asked to speak in front of their classmates about why they didn’t like the budget cuts.
Walled Lake parent Ernie Hughes said he didn’t think the assignment was appropriate.
“Don’t bring politics into the school and use the kids as pawns,” Hughes said.
District Spokesman Judy Evola said in an e-mail it wasn’t appropriate for the elementary age students to write the letters.
“The District neither supports this writing assignment or believes it was age appropriate for elementary students,” she said. “Further, Walled Lake Schools does not blame the governor for the decisions to cut positions and programs in the district for the current year or for the past five years.”
As someone in the article is quoted as saying, maybe these kids should write letters to the union bosses who create such exorbitant cost structures that policymakers have little choice but to make cuts to other programs.
It should be about educating kids. For way too many people, it’s about more pay for teachers and administrators.
Tags: Asshats, Education, michigan
