Hennigan calls for education reform
Political Notebook - Allston/Brighton TAB
Friday, July 15, 2005
In 1996, Mayor Thomas M. Menino asked residents of Boston to “judge him harshly” if
he failed to bring Boston Public Schools up to the level Boston’s schoolchildren deserve.
With reports of students not getting the educational supplies they need, the failure on
the part of the administration to apply for state funds to build more schools and the
mayor’s failure to provide educational initiatives, Councilor Maura Hennigan believes
the time to judge the mayor and his record is now.
“As a former Boston Public Schools teacher, I would give the mayor’s record on
education a failing grade,” Hennigan said. “Our children and our schools deserve fresh
ideas in order to reform our education system, and the mayor’s administration is simply
too stagnant to deliver them.”
Hennigan knows what reforms are necessary to right the problems within the Boston
Public Schools system, which she says must start with the comprehensive education of
the whole child, so that students are better prepared for life in the work force after
school. She understands that in order to have a good public school system, educational
opportunities must be brought to all students in all Boston public schools.
“For over 350 years, the City of Boston has been the national pioneer in public
education. It was in Boston that the first public school was established, the oldest
public elementary school and the oldest public high school,” Hennigan said. “I propose
that the city of Boston should once again lead the nation in making a revolutionary
adjustment to our public education program by extending the length of the school day.”
Hennigan believes the six-hour school day is an antiquated product of the 19th
century, when public education became prevalent in the United States. As mayor, she
plans to make schools the hub of a community where the whole child is enriched through
full day educational activities and parents and their input are welcome at any time.
“Studies commissioned in the 1990s at both the federal and state levels of
government all concluded that additional time is the missing link in recent education
reform,” Hennigan said.
Hennigan believes that her initiative for a longer school day will aid parents
who can’t leave their job until hours after their children are let out of school.
“In addition to relieving parents of child-care pressures, adequate time could
now be spent on fulfilling the academic goals of each student, both challenged and
gifted alike,” Hennigan said. “Rather than roaming the neighborhoods or spending
endless hours glued to television sets or video games waiting for parents to return
from work, Boston’s children could be engaged in creative, artistic, athletic and
other enriching pursuits in a safe and structured environment.”
It is estimated that a two-hour extension of the school day will cost
approximately $1,300 per pupil per year; however, these estimated costs could
be substantially offset by innovative public/private partnerships with Boston
area universities, colleges, and profit and nonprofit entities. Additionally,
the Massachusetts Senate, acknowledging the need for the extended school day
and public education reform, has recently approved a budget amendment that
earmarks $500,000 for planning and early implementation grants for those school
districts who seek to create longer school days.
“A large part of our tax dollars are spent to reduce crime, poverty, teen
pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, communicable disease and other symptoms of a
dysfunctional citizenry,” Hennigan said. “In the long run, assuring that our
children are adequately prepared to function as independent and productive adults
in our complex global society will ultimately save taxpayer money.”
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