I was sent this letter from David Peck via email from another teacher at Bingham High School and I figured I would share it.
Concerned Teachers, Parents & Friends
Emotions are running high, and I have had many thoughts racing through my mind about the lives of individuals, especially our children, that will be in turmoil in the next few months if somebody does not step up and fight for what is right.
I woke up at 3:00 am the other morning and could not sleep because of the things that were weighing on my mind. I wanted to try and figure out an answer to our problem, because I care and it frustrates me to think what the outcome could be. I do not know what the answer is, but do know that with the help of caring individuals and a School Board that sincerely wants what is best for our students, we can find a solution that will benefit us all. We all must join together to ensure the Legislature will help fix this mess they created by allowing our district split.
I have lived and raised my children over the past 25 years, in four of the five cities that make up our School District-- West Jordan, Riverton, South Jordan and currently in Herriman. I personally know what great people we have in each area and know that all of us would be willing to do whatever it takes to prevent this calamity from happening.
I am fighting because I know how important a good educational system is to our community. When people are deciding where to live, the quality of the school system is one of the major factors in their decision. My daughter lives up north and has her house for sale because she wanted to move closer to our family, but because of the state of our district she will not consider bringing my two granddaughters to our school district. Eventually people will move out and the value of our homes will go down.
I keep saying that I am not sure how I ended up being one of the teachers that are fighting mad about the current situation that our school district is in. Usually I just sit back and let other people take care of these types of problems. I thought I was too busy trying to build our football program into something that everybody could be proud of. I was totally spent at the end of this week trying to do both, and am thankful that I have the health, energy and abilities to continue this fight because it is so important for the future of education.
I am fighting because I do not want to see good young teachers lose their jobs. Are we willing to sell out our future by firing these great people? I know that many of the teachers that will be let go are far superior to me at that same age. They have spent a lot of time and money on their education to do what they love doing, and that is to make a difference with our children. Many of these teachers will go into other professions and never teach again.
I am fighting for the elementary children that struggle to read and write. We cannot expect our teachers to touch the lives of our children like they are capable of, when class sizes keep growing. Are we okay with having your children be in the biggest classes, not only in our state but in the nation?
I am fighting because I know how much time and energy goes into being a great teacher. We as teachers put in a lot of extra time to be the quality teachers that we are. Do people have any idea how long it takes to correct 100 essays? This is the average number of students that our teachers teach on any given day.
I am fighting because I believe that every child on the West side deserves the same educational opportunities as any child on the East side or any other area in the Great State of Utah. If our children do not have the same educational opportunities, how do we expect them to compete for scholarships, jobs and extracurricular competitions?
I have watched the fighting spirit at many athletic contests between our schools and communities that have created quite a stir. It was great to see West Jordan boy’s basketball team overcome all odds and win a State championship in 2009 and Copper Hills did the same thing a few years ago. Riverton girls track team beat everybody in the state to be crowned the 2009 State Champions. At Bingham where I work, I cannot imagine a finer group of hard working motivated individuals in America. I have watched thousands of people show up for our football games when Bingham has faced Alta, knowing that we were all fighting for West side pride. All of our schools and each feeder system are enraged over what is happening to our students and teachers, which was evident by their turnout at the School Board meeting on Tuesday February 23rd. That was hopefully just the beginning of all of us working together for a solution to a problem that I keep hearing has no answer.
I truly believe if we lay off teachers, increase class sizes and take away preparation time, we will start to see this West side pride start to die out. I hope we will not permit that to happen. A lot of our Grandfathers and Great Grandfathers were Miners that had no problem fighting for a cause; they were called blue-collar workers, which at one time was an honor.
We are all very spoiled living in this generation. I hear how we are going through some tough times but most of our children have their own cell phones. I know most of us pay a lot of money to sit in front of our television and watch our favorite programs in HD. I see a lot of us going on cruises and expensive trips. Our Great Grandparents would have loved to have it so bad. Are we honestly saying that there are no solutions to our current situation? Has the education of our children reached such a low priority that we are not willing to give up some of our luxuries to assure our children have the same opportunities as other children in our state?
I am involved because I truly believe that the majority of people in this great state really do care about each other. It is easy for people that are not pro-education to say the reason teachers are fighting this fight is for their own selfish reasons; I am here to convince you otherwise. Most teachers chose this profession because they wanted to make a difference in this world. Jordan School District was once a proud and thriving district that set the standards in how to be successful. Many teachers were excited to be hired and spend their careers teaching for such a great organization. If the events that have been presented do unfold, our proud district will have fallen below minimal standards to an all-time low. There are different kinds of advantages that come with being a teacher, and some of these have declined over the past few years. Some of these values are emotional and some are physical. Teachers learn from their students and take pride in watching their faces light up. Teachers love to help their students finally understand and gather a concept. Other advantages of being a teacher are the benefits we receive after thirty plus years. This is one we have seen decline. In the last few years we have lost many of the benefits that were promised to us when we were hired. Our retirement plan has changed significantly and we pay more for health insurance than most, but we did not fight back and we continued to teach. We have lost many professional development days the past couple of years that cost us money and valuable learning opportunities. These days used to be something we as teachers looked forward to. They helped us to refresh our teaching methods and be informed on the new and innovative ideas that are presented to educators. When these days were cut, we as teachers again did not fight back and again continued to teach. We have now been told that we are going to lose 250 of our teachers, increase class sizes and lose some of our prep time. This time we are fighting back even if it means we will not continue to teach. We’re backed into a corner. We’ve reached a tipping point. Things must change NOW!
This is not just an issue for teachers; it is not just an issue for students or parents; or for members or nonmembers of the JEA. This is bigger than all of us, and we all need to be united and commit to our school system here on the West side. We cannot all think it’s going to be okay, and work itself out when no effort is put forth. Everyone needs to help in this time of turmoil to ensure the rights of teachers, and the rights of our students. I hope everybody will jump into the battle and continue to fight. Please remember what we are fighting for—our children’s education and their future!
The first step in this fight is to come to our information meeting Tuesday, March 2nd at 6:30 pm in the Bingham High School auditorium. I’m looking forward to seeing you all there.
Sincerely,
David Peck
Teacher/Head Football Coach
Bingham High School
