Priorities Are Off in Pleasantdale District

The Doings

BURR RIDGE --I received a letter from Pleasantdale Superintendent Mark Fredisdorf stating that the current board of education approved changes to the special education program. These changes include getting rid of the full-time director of special education and hiring a part-time replacement. This move is to reduce administrative overhead.

The board should be ashamed of themselves for short changing Pleasantdale's neediest and most at-risk students in the name of reducing overhead. They should have looked into other ways to reduce overhead without putting the special ed students at such a disadvantage. My daughter who is in first grade is receiving more hours of special education then she is in her classroom.
The current director, Maria Smith has been very helpful to me in the last two years. Last year I was faced with the tough decision of whether or not to hold my daughter back in kindergarten or to send her through to first grade knowing that she would struggle. It was my decision to make and the team was very helpful, mostly Smith. I choose to send her to first grade and they have increased her special ed hours.

It's sad that our School Board and administration plans to forge ahead with a remodeling project that will cost the taxpayers over a quarter of a million dollars while putting the needs of the special education students on the back burner. Wake up voters, it's time for a change!

Julie Ryan