Hello South Burlington community members,
As students at South Burlington High School and members of the SBHS Student Justice Union, we are aware of the conversation, debate, and difficulty surrounding the approval of the FY25 budget for the South Burlington School District. While there are many resources available to learn about the logistics of the upcoming budget vote (see the SBSD website or other district-created resources), we wanted to share how this decision will impact not only our education and well-being now, but also the future contributions that we will make as the next generation entering into adulthood.
If South Burlington voters fail to pass the FY2025 budget by July 1st, the impacts on students will be detrimental. On the most concrete level, many educational opportunities will simply not be offered. This is likely to include, and is not limited to, the Big Picture program, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, language classes, and all music classes for 6th and 7th graders.
These programs are irreplaceably valuable in the education and futures of students. The Big Picture program has been offered at SBHS for over ten years and offers students a chance to learn in a hands-on and self-directed manner. AP classes allow students to prepare for and stand out on applications; losing these high-level classes would limit the opportunities and lessen the competitiveness of South Burlington students as they consider applying for college or entering the workforce post-high school. Additionally, the German and Japanese programs, each of which having long, tenured histories at South Burlington, would be taken away from our students and would be unlikely to ever return. These programs are a jewel of SBHS, and the courses and the educators associated with them are a part of what makes South Burlington so unique and desirable for families to live in.
With the reduction of class offerings, class sizes are bound to increase, negatively impacting our learning environment with less one-on-one support between teachers and students and more distractions in the classroom. This negative change is exacerbated by cuts to teachers and support staff district-wide, which leads to more work for remaining staff. Furthermore, important student-teacher relationships will be terminated due to staffing cuts, which will negatively impact students’ sense of stability and wellbeing within their school day.
Beyond classes and indispensable staff, if this budget fails, sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities could be cut. These activities are staples across the district and allow students to develop skills such as communication, leadership, and responsibility. One SBHS student who has advocated to keep programming at the high school said, “Being from Georgia, [Vermont], I chose SBHS because of all of the extracurriculars, which have allowed me to connect with numerous people and really enjoy my experience at the high school.” Without this budget, we lose these opportunities.
Ultimately, if this budget fails, students will suffer short and long-term consequences, potentially leading to a less capable future generation. We strongly urge South Burlington constituents to vote on the budget on or before Tuesday, May 7th, 2024.
Sincerely,
South Burlington High School Student Justice Union (April, 2024)
Signed By:
Jayden French; 11th grade
Gracie Morris; ; 11th grade
Rama AL Namee, 12th grade
Julia Todd; 11th grade
Ashton Kinney; 11th grade
Yordanes Gebreselasie; 11th grade
Liza Lisnic; 10th grade
Gretchen Wertlieb; 10th grade
Molly Leavey; 10th grade
Madison Dewees; 10th grade
Kamaria Morris; 10th grade
Ally Leduc; 10th grade
Niara Wijetunga; 10th grade
Lily Many; 10th grade