Denise Hood, a 6th grade Resource Specialist, recently spoke at an MDUSD Board Meeting. Denise and her husband James both work at El Dorado and are among the people we fight for, as they have both been given notice that they will not be offered a position in our district next year. Here are a few highlights of her speech:
“Good Evening Superintendent Nicoll, President Eberhart, and Board members - My name is Denise Hood and I am involved with the district on many levels. I am an alumni of the district who attended K-12 and graduated from Mount Diablo High School. I have two children who both attend Concord High School. Both my husband and I have been affected by the recent notices of precautionary action. It is scary for all who received this notice but you can only imagine how scary it is to have both of your household incomes on standby. I am on the schools leadership team, the PFC, co-chair of the 6th grade team, master scheduling committee and am the academic coach for the after-school program, I spend hours upon hours at my site and have poured my heart and soul into my school and my students for the past 9 years. The possibility of leaving is breaking my heart…
As a teacher and a parent in the district, I feel this is the time when we have to stand together and fight back. We have to say “Enough is Enough” and protect our children. They are our future and these cuts will seriously impact their education and their safety…
I know that tonight you will be discussing the priority list of items that should be on the Tier 1 and Tier 2 lists when the parcel tax is passed. There are two items that I specifically want to mention tonight.
The first is the teacher ratio that was increased at a board meeting earlier this year. This makes class sizes larger and offers less supervision on every level.
The second is Daytime Custodial Supervisors. Ours has been with our site for 18 years. He is our flag football coach, basketball coach, and a mentor to every student on our campus. I have never heard him say a negative word about anyone. On the day he found out his position had been eliminated he was repeatedly found comforting crying staff members when he was the one that lost his job. He is a true gentlemen and a gift to our site. He is on constant watch for our students’ safety… For those of us on sites every day we can not imagine how we will function without this very important position.
Thank you for your time and please visit our blog spot and join our rallies and our effort to be active in the fight against the state budget cuts.”
7 comments:
WOW Denise!! Very powerful. I could have said it better myself
Denise,
Thanks for allowing us to post this. It is the “end result” of the budget cuts. And by sharing your story, you allow our blog visitors to see just how it impacts real lives.
Also, thank you for mentioning El Dorado’s friend of 18 years.
Denise, Wow. Denise , you've said it.
You said it for all of us. Heart felt and real.
I don't want to do this next year without the Hoods or the Mr. Hart to us all.
Thank you everyone for you support!! It truly helps us get through these tough times:) I am honored to work with such wonderful people!!
Denise, your words spoke eloquently to all of us. Thanks for standing up and expressing the truth. Your dedicated effort is appreciated by everyone at El Dorado.
Well said Denise. You and your family are a big part of what makes our school such a great place to be. In addition to that, what you said about the man who keeps our school running was right on and needed to be heard. These cuts are more than just numbers and teacher swaps; they affect us so much more than the people at higher levels seem to realize. Thanks for standing strong and fighting for us all!
Tom and Becka,
Thank you both for your support and kind words. I have been here since I was 25 and some of you have been there with me most of that time or even longer than I. Becka - I rubbed your belly and spoke to Little Richie almost every day of your pregnancy. You are all very special to me. You are family. Thank you to everyone that is helping in this fight. Our family here at El Dorado and our students are worth it.
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