POLL: Westport May Cut Back on Elementary Phys. Ed.

If it were a ‘normal’ budget year in Westport, this proposal would not be on the table, according to Board of Education (BOE) Chairman Don O’Day.

Spending cuts will have to be made to offset rising maintenance, fuel and salary costs in order for next year’s education budget to remain close to this year’s

Westport Superintendent Dr. Elliot Landon proposed the structural change in his 2012-2013 school budget in order to generate cost efficiencies, scheduling efficiencies and increased instructional time. The alteration will eliminate two teachers, resulting in budget savings of nearly $140,000 in salary and benefits.

“We have cut back significantly over the years,” Landon said of the school budget at Tuesday night’s BOE meeting, adding this would be a small sacrifice to meet next year’s necessary budget cuts. “There is hardly any place to go anymore.”

Though these cuts would be permanent spending reductions for future school budgets, O’Day said at the BOE meeting he’d rather fight harder for the $140,000 than cut gym time for the students.

“I would rather not sacrifice physical education in the name of cost reduction,” he said.

In addition to saving money, the change will permit elementary school administrators to create block scheduling. Principal John Bayers said at the BOE meeting that creating large blocks of instructional time is something that cannot be done with the current physical education scheduling in Westport’s elementary schools.

Reducing the physical education time for all students in kindergarten thru fifth grade to 30 minutes, twice a week allow for more classroom time in science, social studies, literacy and math. Landon and the other administrators in attendance Tuesday agreed having a block schedule will provide the instructional time necessary to optimize the benefits of Reading and Writing Workshop and Singapore Math. 

All grades currently have physical education twice a week. Fifth graders meet for 45 minutes and will lose 18 hours of gym a year if the change is approved. Fourth grade meets for 40 minutes and will lose 12 hours annually. Grades one thru three meet for 35 minutes and will lose six hours on a yearly basis. Kindergarten will remain unchanged.

Westport BOE Vice Chairman James Marpe mentioned the fact that obesity is front and center in American society today and said that could be a ‘pushback’ for the board to agree with the superintendent’s recommendation.