Karen Ferguson, president of the Glen Cove Teachers’ Association and a Glen Cove special education teacher for fifteen years, was the invited speaker at the Coalition for Glen Cove January 2006 meeting.
Ms. Ferguson explained that federal No Child Left Behind legislation requires every student to take standardized tests in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. These tests give teachers information about the progress of each student, but the cost of substitute teachers to cover classes during the days that regular teachers are giving and grading the tests is paid by the school district, not the federal government. Although it has not happened in Glen Cove, if many students have low test scores and need additional help, the federal government actually reduces the already small amount of aid it gives to that school district.
Since the school budget has been defeated for the past two years and Glen Cove has been operating on austerity budgets, expenses for repairs and equipment have been almost entirely eliminated. Several building roofs need replacement to stop leaks and many district computers are no longer operating or are so old that they cannot run modern software. Because of austerity budgets it has been impossible to pay for the transportation that would let teachers attend conferences in their fields. Teacher training within the district has also been limited.
Glen Cove has a large number of students whose families live below the national poverty level. These students sometimes have little educational material such as newspapers and magazines in their homes and have few relatives or friends who have had twelve years of schooling or more. Some of them come to school without the behavior or learning skills that other students have. They need extra help from teachers and aides.
Many students who have only recently come to the United States have had limited education in their original countries and are just beginning to learn English. They often need extra courses and teachers for the first few years. Most learn quickly and some graduate near the top of their class.
Laws requiring that handicapped students be taught in regular classes if possible have returned many students from special classes at the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Some of the resource rooms in which teachers give disabled students extra help have only one operating computer.
Glen Cove administrators have started new programs at minimal cost, such as the successful alternative high school that meets at the Boys and Girls Club and allows students who have not been passing their courses to study in small classes in a new environment. Teachers have been enthusiastic about the new programs and the willingness of administrators to listen to the concerns of the students, teachers and community.