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Students press school leaders on teacher pay, directed study and PE credit for athletes
Summary
Middle- and high-school students used public participation to present a civics fair and propose policy changes: a student survey on teacher pay, a proposal to redesign RJ Gray directed study into choice activities, and a request that after-school athletics count toward PE requirements for grades 10–12.
Several students addressed the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee during public participation with project presentations and policy suggestions.
Sana, a seventh-grader, presented a civics-fair poster arguing teachers at her school work long days for modest pay and described a school survey in which 100% of responding teachers said they relied on a second income to live near Acton and 77.8% of teachers reported feeling financially unstable. Sana suggested community awareness campaigns and targeted property-tax relief for teachers as possible remedies; she clarified the proposals were ideas, not formal district policy and did not present a legal or funding plan.
Maddie, also from RJ Gray, spoke about directed study (a 20-minute block) and proposed a model in which students could choose among teacher-offered activities within their wing — for example a quiet-reading option in one classroom and outdoor activity with another teacher — to better accommodate varying student needs and reduce wasted time in the directed-study period.
Shailen Bernard, a high-school junior and captain of the Nordic team, proposed that participation in one after-school sport during grades 10–12 satisfy the district’s PE requirement for those years. He urged the district to consider frameworks used by nearby schools and said he had discussed the idea with the superintendent and high-school principal; district staff said they would review program-of-studies language and consider presenting options next year.
Mike Balulescu, president of the Acton-Boxborough Education Association, praised Sana’s work on teacher-pay awareness and presented the student with an ABEA “swag pack.” The committee thanked students for presenting and directed staff to follow up where appropriate with the administration: district staff confirmed they would examine the PE-program-of-studies language and that proposals could be placed on a future agenda for further discussion.
