I found a recent letter to the editor in The Westbury Times (“Tenure? What About the Scores”, Oct. 12-18 edition) to be offensive to the Westbury community on many levels. I have been an active community member, parent, volunteer and teacher in the Westbury School District for more than 40 years. Mr. Kirton stated that the September board meeting was “stacked with teachers from around the district.” He also suggested that teachers generally do not attend Board of Education meetings in Westbury. That is a false statement. At any given Board of Education planning or action Meeting, there are always teachers present. Our WTA President, along with several members of the WTA Executive Board, attend every meeting. I know that I attend a majority of the meetings, as do many of my colleagues. The fact is that a large number of Westbury teachers attend numerous functions throughout the district on their own personal time.
Many people have volunteered in the Westbury community for so many years at great personal cost. It is unquestionably very generous of any Board of Education member to devote so many hours in an unpaid position in order to benefit the community. It is also the personal choice of any individual to send their child to a public or private school. No one has the right to question a parent’s choice regarding what’s best for their child. I find it particularly offensive that Mr. Kirton brought up where our WTA President sends her children in another district. What should be noted is that, she, as well as every teacher in this district, works hard and puts their personal time, energy, money, resources and heart into the education of every Westbury child we encounter.
I know that most teachers in Westbury, as well as in other districts, spend far more than the hours contractually required. I personally spend upwards of 50 hours a week in my school building, and that does not count the hours spent at home preparing for lessons and completing paperwork so that my time spent in the classroom can be focused entirely on my students. I know this is true for most of my colleagues as well. We work on behalf of many needy children—most of whom come from loving and committed families that spend many hours a week at work in order to feed and clothe those children. Teachers, as well as other staff members in Westbury, assist with much of the remediation that might be done at home in other districts. We do it because of our commitment to the children and families in Westbury.
In this time of serious misunderstanding, insinuations and personal insults in our country, this community must not allow so called “advocates” to disparage our schools and the people who make them work under difficult circumstances. I would like to express my thanks to the staff and administration, parents, community members, hard working volunteers and, especially, our beautiful children in Westbury. Shame on anyone who seeks to create a volatile situation and magnify problems rather than seek a solution to those problems. Our Westbury teachers were at the Homecoming Parade and Pancake Breakfast on October 22 as we are every year. We cheered for and supported our students, as we do for every event that involves our children. We were also hoping for positive involvement from people who seek to tear down our community rather than build it up.
—Donna Sabella
