April 15, 2018, New Bedford, MA, South Coast Today: Dartmouth officials gather to discuss town’s fiscal 2019 needs http://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20180415/dartmouth-officials-gather-to-discuss-towns-fiscal-2019-needs School budget The Dartmouth School Committee was looking for input on its proposed fiscal 2019 budget of $43 million, a 2.8 percent increase of funding over fiscal 2018, Assistant Superintendent for Finances & Operations James Kiely reported. “It is primarily a level services budget,” about $1.1 million more than appropriated this year, Kiely said. Superintendent Bonny Gifford said a few new positions were proposed in the budget, mostly dealing with the district’s increasing focus on the social and emotional needs of growing numbers of students. Most of the new positions called for in the public school district are for counselors, therapists and support specialists, the superintendent said. Dealing with the ups and downs, mostly ups, of rising special education costs is an ongoing financial challenge, Kiely said. …
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.