Harvest break is unnecessary

Harvest break  is unnecessary

To the editor:
    Recently I have read the letters in regard to the harvest break for the students in SAD 1. I have also talked to many taxpayers about this same subject. It is about time the taxpayers and the parents of the students, especially the elementary students, speak out against them getting out for a harvest recess. 

    There are many students in the public school system that have special needs, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, etc. They have a difficult time getting adjusted to changes. If we allow them to have a harvest recess here is what happens. Students go to school for three weeks and just get in the routine of learning and what is expected of them. They then get out for harvest break. They then come back to school, and they immediately have to start a couple of weeks’ of state testing. During this time of testing they are again getting adjusted to being back in school. Now the first ranking period is more than half over and what has been accomplished?
    If we want to combine the harvest recess then I propose we do away with it at all grade levels. Very few students are needed on the farm any more. With the unemployment rate being what it is I think there are probably enough adults available and willing to work the harvest. Most students that work the harvest are the same students that have summer jobs.
    If the high school stayed out longer in the summer then their summer jobs would last longer and make up for the loss of the harvest break. Hey, they have to be 16, which is about their junior year, to work anyway unless their family owns a farm. For the few that do want to work the harvest or are needed by their families, I say give them a pass to stay out. Why should all the students suffer for a few.
    For you people who think that the students are so desperately needed, I have one question for you. If students are needed so badly in the harvest then why do farmers hire migrant workers to pick rocks and do other work on the farms in the summer when school is out? I asked one farmer that question and I was told that the young people do not want that type of work.
    There are other ways to save money as well. I know some people think we need to be a shining beacon for other school districts. To me, that would mean in education and not necessarily in material things. We do not always need the best of everything, such as the best athletic field, the best bus garage, nothing but the best lawn equipment, and the list goes on. Yes, they are nice to have but they have to be maintained.
    Do we get competitive quotes when we hire a plumber, an electrician, a contractor, etc? Or do we hire friends and relatives because they are part of the good ole boys. How about purchases? Is somebody taking the time to sit down and make sure that we are getting the best value for every dollar that is spent? They should, we certainly have enough administrative staff to do so.
    I urge everyone to contact their local school board member and then attend the school board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Pine Street Elementary School. Let’s remind them who is supposed to be working for whom. It is time the taxpayers take back their control.