In a recent edition Nick Roth voiced his opinion against the Wilmington School Board’s decision to end the three-year-old pre-school program in order to expand the hours and services of the four-year-old preschool program.
I appreciate the disappointment that Mr. Roth and other parents may have with the end of this three-year-old program, but perhaps it would have been better to contact the board members or come to a meeting before passing judgment against this decision.
Our decision was based not on budgetary concerns but rather a strategic decision to better prepare our preschoolers through an expanded four-year-old program. Keep in mind, the previous three-year-old program only offered limited time to those children. The two or less half days offered did not provide a significant amount of time to advance the child’s education. The three-year-old program really had value in that it socially prepared the children for the four-year-old program.
Our decision to expand the four-year-old program came on the substantial experiential evidence that we can do much more to develop and prepare our four-year-olds than we can our three-year-olds. So, given this advantage, we chose to throw our resources and limited space in the facility toward a more advanced four-year-old program to better prepare our children for kindergarten. We believe this will prove to be a great decision. We also think it helps parents of four-year-olds have the assurance of a full week commitment for those children from 8 am until 2:30 pm.
But what we need most from our community and parents is participation and support of our school system. It is very easy to pass quick judgments on what we do despite tight budgetary constraints. But such hastily made judgments create a negative image of our schools and it is just such a negative portrayal that will turn parents away from our schools, all the while much of what is being said isn’t even true.
Great things are happening at DVES. The staff and administration have become charged and invigorated under the leadership of our new principal, Rebecca Fillion. It is a shame that this would be overlooked because community members don’t take the time to understand our commitment to an outstanding education.
And by the way, Vermont schools consistently rank in the top 10 of all the states. In some cases, it is number one. Just Google it. Are we the best in the state for elementary school performance? No, but that is where we want to be and we need your support. Great schools are not about who spends the most money, it’s about the support the students receive from the parents, teachers and community. We need your support.
Phil Taylor
School board member
Wilmington
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