By Reed Hennessy
OP-ED Editor

Last month Superintendent Louis Muenker suggested a variety of budget cuts to balance the current budget, including closing Neshaminy’s alternative school, The Learning Center (TLC). Muenker suggested closing TLC and replacing it with an expansion of the state approved Ombudsman program. Muenker went on to say that with this program, under the direction of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, would shift Neshaminy students involved in other alternative programs to the Ombudsman program, basically replacing TLC with computers.

If the board moves forward with this decision the district would save about 1.4 million dollars. However, is closing a valuable asset to hundreds of students really worth it?
No, The Learning Center helps students who may have a past of truancy, chronic academic failure, social, and family, emotional or behavioral issues. The Learning Center gives its students a more individualized learning experience as well as a chance to develop and improve social skills through group counseling.

Students also participate in Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports, experiential learning, the WHYTRY motivational program and the development of a NEXT STEP plan. Each TLC student also participates in two periods of Service Learning each week based on community need as well as student interest.

Closing TLC would increase the teacher to student ratio in Neshaminy; create more behavioral and social problems as well as the amount of truant kids. It would worsen the learning environment for other students as well as set the TLC kids back and destroy all the work accomplished at TLC by putting them into a non-individualized program and into a class setting.

While the current deficit is 14 million dollars and closing TLC could cut that by 1.4 million the school board has to think long term. Disadvantaged kids cannot and should not learn in the same setting as regular kids.

If the school board needs to decrease the deficit they need to look somewhere else to decrease the 14 million dollar deficit. Closing TLC will only do more bad than good; the school board needs to think long term. Neshaminy will have to start bringing in disadvantaged kids, who will get no individual or group support.

TLC teaches students to set and achieve goals, respect adults and their peers, be responsible, develop relationships, attend school, participate in classes and enjoy the pleasure of giving to others.

The programs unique learning environment and the compassion and understanding provided by the teachers have saved the careers of many students. The school board has already closed foreign language and physical education classes how much more can a students education be stripped down? The students have suffered enough.

Closing TLC should have never been brought up; stripping educational opportunities for Neshaminy students isn’t what the school board should be thinking.