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I admit I play chicken with my car: when the dashboard light warns me I need gas, I keep driving—especially these days with price an upwardly moving target. This morning I broke all records and paid $71.46 to fill the tank. It wasn’t the first time I felt the personal pain of soaring costs, but it resonated more than ever because over the next few weeks, the school committee must create a budget with revenue that hasn’t remotely kept pace with the cost of educating our children. An article in today’s Sun focuses on the bleak task ahead, so I won’t repeat the details except to ask that you be part of the process. In addition to formal budget hearings set for May 16 at 5:30 pm and May 17 at 9 am in Council Chambers, the finance subcommittee will meet this Monday, May 12, at 7 7:30 pm at Central Office to begin the discussion. Only meetings held in Council Chambers will be televised live, but all are open to the public.

We hope to minimize the impact these cuts will have on the quality of education our children receive and make strategic compromises that will enable continued progress. On that note, an important topic from last night’s meeting was the letter and final report from the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) regarding their re-examination of the Lowell Public Schools in 2007. The recent audit by this state agency not only removes the district from its previous “Watch” status but also highlights our strengths and weaknesses. The cover letter to the report states: “the level of improvements in these grades (K-8) is exemplary,” although it also notes “weak articulation of district goals, plans, processes and actions between K-8 and the high school.” The letter continues with, “the Council would have preferred to keep Lowell High School, as a separate entity, in the ‘Watch’ status. However, the current decree doesn’t allow such action…”

As we go forward with the formidable task of whittling away staff, services and programs for kids, we must heed EQA’s concerns. The letter also “encourages the Lowell School Committee to increase its advocacy for appropriate levels of school funding.” Given today’s fiscal climate, that advice may fall on deaf ears. Yet, no matter how carefully we scalp the budget, these cuts are going to hurt. I can’t help but worry we’re playing chicken with the education of our children—a critical factor in their future and our own.