Mesa: A teacher’s viewpoint on the Alachua County school rezoning underway
Letter to the editor
I am the mother of young children who are being educated in Alachua County. But, more important, regarding the current decision-making to rezone Alachua County schools, I am a teacher. I am on the front lines every day.
I have searched for answers about how rezoning will affect our Alachua County community, our schools and families, and I find very few benefits, with the “con” list far outweighing the “pro” side.
My bottom line is that the proposed sweeping changes will be a complete disruption to the continuity of many schools, with potential long-term, disastrous results. I hope our school board moves cautiously to understand the dynamics at each school and what our children need, especially the economically disadvantaged.
Here is what I do know.
1. Our school community is a family.
The primary purpose of the rezoning is to match enrollment to a school’s capacity. This most likely will mean many of the students in my school, especially economically disadvantaged students, will be sent to another school and our school will receive new children from neighborhoods we teachers don’t know.
So why does this matter? There’s something magical about the school environment today. We are a family at my school and this is the case at most schools. My colleagues and I have spent years getting to know the families and neighborhoods of our students. Our kids need to stay where they know the routines and expectations and we know theirs. They have office, cafeteria, and custodial staff who know their names and will celebrate their achievements with a fist bump. They see when a student is having a hard day and will give them a hug or encouraging word.
Research has proven that consistency and structure are crucial for kids to thrive. Forcing schools, families, and children to start over again in a new environment is not the right approach. Many students carry trauma and find it hard to trust adults. We will be robbing them of the gift of consistency among trusted adults.
Students and families don’t want to leave and they shouldn’t have to. I’ve heard parents say, “I love my school. I love the people in the front office. I love the teachers.” I haven’t heard one parent say, “Please move my family elsewhere.” There are options in place for families who want to find a new school.
2. Teachers are at a breaking point.
Today’s teachers often push their own needs aside to do anything and everything to help their students. We make home visits, give out cell numbers to parents or grandparents, wake up in the middle of the night thinking about our students, and sometimes provide a child with what is missing at home. I see administrators giving up their weekends to run a school they care about deeply. I see support staff who know each student and go the extra mile to build them up.
Most of us feel we were called by a higher power to teach. We go above and beyond, sometimes giving when we have nothing left. We would do anything for our kids and even give our life, as we are reminded each month during active shooter drills and every time there is a school shooting in the news.
Teachers are there only for the children. This is sometimes used as a weapon against us. We are given more responsibilities, with less compassion, less respect, less money. Yet we march on, investing our energy in each child with the objective of improving their life. We work to see them become stronger academically, more confident in themselves, and make better social decisions over the course of a year. We guide them to become outstanding citizens of our community. And, yes, it is magical. Teachers are incredible.
Let us remember the pandemic. Ironically, this rezoning comes so soon after we celebrated teachers during the pandemic with parents shouting from the rooftop for teacher raises. Teachers made immediate pivots to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of the students. Parents were pulling out their hair with frustration. Teachers are still overwhelmed in making up for academic and social deficits from this time. We were… and are… the touchstone for students, offering stability and support.
Were teachers considered in the rezoning process? Teachers are tired. Even those with only five or ten years in are tired. Has anyone thought about the current teacher shortage and how a complete rezoning will push exhausted teachers to a breaking point?
Turning our schools upside down with rezoning could potentially push away a lot of good teachers. More vacancies mean more substitutes (and there’s a shortage of them!) and less consistency for our kids.
3. We can do better for our economically disadvantaged students.
The last issue with rezoning is that we must prioritize our economically disadvantaged students to set them up for success. The percentage of economically disadvantaged students at any school should not exceed 48%. When students come to school without basic needs being met—including parent support, clean clothes, and a sense of security–teachers do whatever they can to compensate.
If you want to support children and the teachers who are making positive changes in their lives, you can’t overwhelm us further. We need to look at this percentage closely and make it equitable across the county so teachers have a fighting chance at helping each of their kids. It is not equitable to have one school with 23% economically disadvantaged students versus another with 78%. When one school does not succeed, we all lose.
Policy 5120 states that “the board seeks to provide equitable educational opportunities for all students.” We should be told the percentage of economically disadvantaged students is the only allowable change that will be made in the zoning process. We need to think of the well-being of students and staff and what will lead to each school’s success. Is there anything else more important?
Just my opinion, but I believe a complete rezoning of our schools within our community is harmful, not helpful.
What you can do to help us all:
• Show up Nov. 14th at 6 p.m. at the School Board public hearing, 620 E. University Ave.
• Call or email school board members: https://www.sbac.edu/domain/101
• Does rezoning affect your child? Many parents are surprised to find it does. Find out here: https://acps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=0ab896c20df34dbba34316c85a7b0780. Whether it does or doesn’t, it affects your neighbors and the future safety and quality of life in Alachua County.
Andrea Mesa, Gainesville
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
All that she said!!!!! Plus, the people making the decisions never step a foot inside a school to see what goes on everyday. I suggest that the board and the people sitting in the administrative office should be obligated to sub in a school at least once or twice a month. Subbing in different levels may help them understand the reality of a school day, especially what a teacher’s life is like.
Well said, Ms. Mesa. As is often said to our military and veterans, thank you for your service. And even more, thank you for your love and compassion for the children that you teach, mentor, and in a sense, help raise.
The goodness of teachers as described in this letter was valid many years ago, but now seems restricted to very few. Much has changed with the political demands of teachers unions, lack of discipline by “economically disadvantaged” youth, peer pressure to not learn, ad infinitum. Don’t forget the fighting and lack of support for employees from bus drivers to teachers.
I totally agree with your reasons for not rezoning.
The sad part is … they are trying to just spread out the problem children to all the schools instead of trying to deal with the discipline issues in the schools that have them. They will make education “equitable” by making it so all kids get a crappy education that is disrupted every day by the same kids over and over.
Ms. Mesa has very eloquently described the largest part of what has been lacking from the beginning of this rezoning process – humanity. Instead, the staff, board, and consultants involved have chosen a sterile view based on numbers and lines and are failing to understand or acknowledge just how much their decisions will impact actual people. I can’t even count how many times I have heard people say ‘this must be done now because it hasn’t been done in 40 years’ – that is irrelevant! There is a reason comprehensive rezoning has not been completed in so many years in Alachua county – because, as Ms. Mesa stated, it will do more harm than good. Our children deserve better.
Stop voting for the current clown show. There as an excellent slate of candidates not elected and who would not have us in the situation we now face.
They had an opportunity to stop this disaster and threw it away. Excellent backgrounds, and finally, no nepotism going on. It will be challenging to find anyone willing to fight the liberal left in G’ville. Like the upcoming High Springs election. Also is nonpartisan as well. The incumbent candidates are bringing in the G’ville Democratic party to hand out flyers.
Agree, 100%
I agree with everything stated. I wish she would have given some suggestions to address some schools at overcapacity while others are under, to make this opinion a substantiated argument impossible to ignore.