Budget Deficit Leads to Personnel Changes for '05-'06
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The Postscript The Park School Brooklandville, MD February 3, 2005 Volume LXV Issue No. 5 Budget deficit leads to personnel changes for ’05-’06 by Anders Hulleberg ‘07 and Ben will be “no impact on classes school has done all it could to “Park,” he said, “is dealing with Hyman ‘06 and sections directly affecting fix the budget problem without a problem that does not simply students.” resorting to cutting personnel. go away.” Park, like other pri- The School has announced Retired Upper School Histo- Said Jackson, “This summer, vate schools around the nation, reductions in full-time and part- ry teacher L. Brooks Lakin is there will be seven athletic must constantly balance what time faculty and administrative one of the part-time employees camps renting our facilities, the Jackson described as “the three positions effective next school who will not return next year. revenue from which will help fundamental aspects of private year as the result of a budget Lakin, who currently coaches the school deal with any finan- school finance: the cost of tu- problem. Economic conditions, seventh grade Boys Basketball cial pressures it may be ition, the quality of teacher demographic trends, and the and teaches Crucial Decade, a experiencing…We have joined a salaries and compensation, and school’s commitment to small history elective course, joined health consortium to help lower the student-teacher ratio of the class sizes taught by talented, the faculty in 1961 and left full- costs when health insurance school.” experienced faculty have con- time teaching in 2002. premiums go up; we have found By nature, these three princi- tributed to budget shortfalls over Dr. Monique Shapiro, also re- ways to lower our electrical ples do not work harmoniously. the past few years. tired, currently teaches one bill.” Tuition is the primary source of Faced with what Head of English class and will be leaving photo by P. Schamp ‘05 “We are looking to minimize revenue for an independent School David Jackson calls “a next year. Shapiro joined Park Head of School David Jackson costs in a manner that has the school, while teacher salaries reviews budget issues for one to two percent budget prob- School in 1981 and taught smallest effect possible on the and attempts to keep the stu- Postscript staff. lem,” or a roughly $200,000 to French full-time until 2003. educational program,” Jackson dent-teacher ratio low are the $300,000 deficit, the school will In the Lower School, the po- he did before switching full-time continued. “In past years, we primary cost factors. A low stu- institute a number of personnel sition of Lower School Science to theater responsibilities in have reduced a number of sec- dent-teacher ratio costs more changes which include involun- specialist will be abolished. Rob 2002. Upper School department retaries and playground aids. money, but a school that offers tary layoffs, reduction in Piper, who has held the position chairs and coordinators who Next year, there will be some a low ratio can safely charge positions by attrition, and the for the last nine years, will currently teach three sections administrators working, not only more for tuition, thus bringing use of administrators and de- move to Middle School science. will be asked to teach a fourth. as administrators, but as part- revenue back up. Low teacher partment chairs to teach classes Other personnel shifts will be Athletic Director Ridge Diven, time faculty as well, which will salaries save money, but if a or add to their current teaching instituted to cover classes. who does not teach classes, will result in a loss in administrative school chooses to cut back on load. Technical Director and Theater step in and teach sixth and sev- staffing.” salaries, it will more than likely With the realignment in per- Manager John Trout will rejoin enth grade physical education. The school has had budget have trouble hiring experienced sonnel, which Jackson the Upper School History De- Arts Director Carolyn Sutton will strains for years and has not faculty. A lack of experienced describes as “prudent manage- partment. Trout will divide his also add teaching to her sched- been able to fully right the ship. ment and nominal budget time between the theater and the ule. According to Jackson, the rea- discipline,” the Head says there history department, something In the last few years, the son for that is complicated. See BUDGET, page 3 Diverse groups raise money for Tsunami relief efforts Community ties to the region add intensity to school’s response by Ben Hyman ‘06 In an internal memo, Head of Service Committee organized a rebuilding the areas it helps. stuff,” explained Rosen. School David Jackson wrote, bake sale under the supervision Senior Nicole Cameron has Upper School History Chair For most Americans, the De- “If we do something, it has to of Lower School teachers Jen- raised between $6,000 and Jon Acheson was born in cember 26 tsunami was just come organically from the stu- ny Harbold and Linda Halpert. $7,000 through personal appeals Bangkok, moved to America and another news story, but for dents and teachers. We can ask The group rose over $1,800, all online. This past summer, she then subsequently returned for a many Park families, the natural some questions, but the students of which went towards the tsu- spent three weeks in Thailand number of years. The Baltimore disaster struck home. Members and faculty should decide.” nami relief fund. Fifth graders volunteering for the Duang Pra- Sun recently ran an article which of the Park community have ris- Students and teachers were responsible for selling the teep Foundation. DPF is an featured Acheson teaching a en to the cause, volunteering throughout the school made baked goods, which had been organization based in the slums class about the region. their time and effort to help aid those decisions immediately, contributed by parents. of Bangkok. “I had been raising Ben Joffe ’06 went to Thai- those who have been affected launching various fundraisers. The Middle School Commu- money and donating to DPF land on vacation with his family, by the tsunami. The Lower School Community nity Service Club showed a since I left Thailand in July, but touring Bangkok, Chiang-Mai, movie January 14 to support the after the tsunami, I raised my Chiang-Rai and Phu Ket. When International Rescue Committee, efforts,” said Cameron. She e- he learned of the tsunamis, he an organization conducting relief mailed friends and family and was dumbfounded. “It didn’t efforts in response to the tsuna- informed them of DPF’s need process. It didn’t seem like I had mi. “We always do a movie for money at this time. “A lot of gone to Thailand. When I sat night for fun, but this year we the people I met this summer down and thought about it, felt that we needed to do some- were directly affected by the these places don’t exist any- thing for tsunami victims,” said tsunami,” she explained. more. It’s hard to describe. You Dawn Lee ‘09, a participant in Connections to the disaster feel fortunate because you saw the Service Club. for some members of the com- these cool things, but you feel The Upper School Commu- munity were more immediate. bad.” nity Support activity held a bake Former Park teacher Toy Park’s connections to the tsu- sale, raising $100. Model UN Jackson is teaching English as a nami extend beyond Thailand’s placed a box in the Upper second language to high-school borders. First grade teacher Rani School office, collecting $200 in students in Bangkok. Wilder is from India. Although blind donations so far. The Film Park alumni Ben ’04 and Society showed movies Tues- Catherine Rosen ‘02 were in See TSUNAMI, page 2 day, Thursday and Friday of Thailand on the heels of the tsu- Immersion Week because, ac- nami and saw its destruction. photo courtesy G. Braden cording to Kate Ewald, “we They flew to Bangkok and were figured that everyone would in the air when the tsunami hit. Eighth graders D. Guberman and D. Roswell play brothers in Second have free time after school.” When Ben and his family arrived Class, a series of short scenes and monologues by Brad Slaight that take place in the halls of a modern high school. MS Drama Chair The group raised $300 by in Phu Ket, an island resort hit Gina Braden directs the annual production, which marks the end of selling food and is giving its pro- by catastrophic losses, the villa Intensive Learning Week. Braden noted that 33 students were ceeds to Americares, which where they were to stay was no involved in all aspects of the production, including technical design delivers medical aid for disaster longer standing, “The hut was elements. For more Middle School news, see page 3. relief and has made a long-term right on the beach. It crumbled financial commitment to in on itself. It was just a pile of February 3, 2005 NEWS Page 2 The Postscript Petition calls for chicken Sophomore In response to a rumor that Morgan, upset by the lack of the cafeteria may no longer of- “all the good stuff”, is unsure of outspells fer fried chicken, Senior Matt why or how this change hap- Morgan wrote a petition and pened. “After winter break was hung it up on the window at the when I noticed things were a lit- the pack end of the B-Hallway. tle different… I probably won’t Currently, it reads “Pe-Chickin go to the cafeteria very much Petition…Who wants chicken?” anymore and I know they’re and lists approximately 100 sig- losing money.” natures of current students, Morgan plans to show the teachers, alumni, and even the petition to Upper School Colonel.