By Jennifer Erchul
For The Journal
POCATELLO—The School District 25 Board of Trustees voted to eliminate three elementary gym teacher positions, but to keep three media specialists in an emotional meeting Tuesday night before a packed house of district residents and educators.
Three of the four existing physical education teachers will be reassigned to other teaching positions and one is retiring.
Before the board voted, several people passionately addressed the proposed budget cuts.
Megan Perryman, a media specialist at Century High School, was recently told she was being reassigned to teaching fifth grade. She spoke about how valuable media specialists are and why they should not be cut.
Phil Garcia, who teaches physical education at Chubbuck, Lewis and Clark and Wilcox elementary schools, spoke of his concern regarding the quality of the physical education the children will get if the program is reduced and taught by their classroom teachers rather than a gym teacher. He added that District 25’s individual schools only have gym mats and scooters, and that he and the other physical education teachers transport all the other gym equipment to each school. He’s not sure how the classroom teachers will provide a well-rounded program.
Resident Eric D’Amico addressed the board, saying, “The state has failed to fund education. You have also failed to spend the little amount of money well.”
He was passionate as he asked the board to make the right decision regarding the 2013-2014 district budget.
Board chairwoman Janie Gebhardt suggested that the public shouldn’t just contact local legislators but the state Legislature as a whole regarding the budget cuts. She and the rest of the board said deciding what to cut is difficult and none of them want to cut anything.
Board member John Sargent said, “I would like to keep the media specialists (but) I just don’t know how.”
Board member Jackie Cranor said she supports the current physical education program and she believes the district’s classroom teachers are not in favor of adding teaching gym class to their other duties.
The board’s next budget hearing will be on June 18.
(3) comments
Neither position should have been eliminated. I was already appalled to read in the Journal that P.E. was only 30 minutes per 2 weeks! No wonder our children are becoming more and more obese. Administrative positions are the ones that should be cut, not instructors.
I can't help but wince at the title of this article. Although I am happy for the media specialists, I am also equally sad for the P.E. teachers who lost their jobs. To me, "Brains over brawn" has a negative connotation for anyone associated with the "brawn" category. Perhaps a different choice of words was needed?
The district has done a very poor job of living up to its own mission statement. ie. Foster caring relationships among students and
adults through mutual trust and respect; Many of the Mission Statements fall by the way side when it comes to their own employees. It is all about how numbers look to the people on Poleline NOT how the numbers are accomplished. Jan Flandro hit it on the head the other day when she stated the district budgets for what they want.
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