An open letter from concerned parents at Pierre Elliott Trudeau School to members of the E.M.S.B.
by Lucien & Carol Busato Zimmermann
October 8, 2004
An Open Letter
We want to express our concerns, and some of the concerns raised at the General Assembly held at our school
on Oct.4, 2004, over your latest decision. It is very hard for us to accept as parents that because 2 students less than
projected are actually registered, an entire kindergarten class has been closed and a teacher dismissed, already 5 weeks
into the school year. I think that would strike anyone as unfair.
We've also learned that the kindergarten children affected include some children with special needs. Shouldn't that have
been taken into consideration when you decided to close a classroom? And won't this now mean less time and attention for
all the kindergarten students? Kindergarten is a crucial time for children to learn about social interaction, and now that
learning may be compromised. For the autistic children it means additional challenges, with their difficulty coping with change,
having to cope with a change of interaction within a new group, sensory issues within a larger noisier class, etc.
How are the teachers going to cope with the increased demands on their time? How will the other kindergarten children fare?
If the problem is a lack of funds, aren't there more creative ways of cutting costs that don't involve closing down a class.
Doing so only adds stress and strain to an already burdened teaching staff and threatens to compromise the education of all
the kindergarten students.
Obviously, parents would not have shown up in such large numbers and shown such support were it not for good reasons.
We were told last minute changes like this had been done before at other schools without complaint, but did those schools
have students with special needs? Or have the parents at other schools resigned themselves to the fact that their concerns
and grievances won't be heard? We obviously need better laws to protect the rights of children and their parents and
teachers. Just 2 less students enrolled in kindergarten - how does that justify the removal of an entire class and dismissal
of a teacher, especially when special needs children are involved.
This decision affects not only our kindergarten classes, but the fourth graders as well, who are losing a favorite teacher.
Here is what some of the parents had to say: one parent complained her son had repeated a grade, but in this teacher's class,
he was for the first time happy about going to school, doing his own homework and reading on his own; another parent
praised what a good role model he was for the children; we also heard what a devoted teacher he was; giving up his breaks,
lunch and after school time to help any students experiencing difficulties. There have been reports of students pleading
not to send their teacher away. It is rare to see children so affected. As they say, a good teacher is worth his or
her weight in gold, and now that teacher has been abruptly taken away from them. For these children and their parents, it
breaks their hearts.
We are all aware it is within policy to make such last minute changes, but we would think any decisions about such changes
would be made with our children's needs in mind, not a blind adherence to numbers. Shouldn't the educational needs of our children
be at the forefront of any decisions made?
You claim that the decision was a fiscally responsible one, but fiscally responsible to whom?
Shouldn't it be to the parents who only want the best possible education for their children?
Shouldn't it also be to the taxpayers, who would want their education tax dollars to be spent on education?
Then why have we heard that funds are being directed to refurbish your offices, while an inner city school must make do with
no principal, a part-time vice-principal and only one lunch monitor for its student population.
In our school, why was an entire kindergarten class closed and a teacher dismissed 5 weeks into the school year,
when only 2 students less than projected were registered.
Are those examples of fiscal responsibility?
Here is an article on What is a Fiscally Responsible School District
that suggests 6 habits - one of which is to Minimize Administrative Costs. You might want to take a look at it.
Thank you for reading and may God Bless,
Carol and Lucien Busato
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