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Good grief. I do not know why the Beacon chose my remarks to focus on, but they did. I have no influence, nor do I have anything to do with policy making in this City. If I am "misinformed" regarding ALAP being a "quota" program, then I stand corrected. However, it is the School Committee you need to convince to save the program, Ms. Scarpellino, not me. If you read my remarks, you will see I was troubled by the fact that some ADULTS on the School Committee were willing to take transportation away from young children in order to keep ALAP. The older kids already walk quite a distance each day on unsafe roadways..have you seen the kids walking down the middle of Warwick Ave. or Post Road in the winter following a storm? Younger children will have their walking distance increased, which would mean elimination of services that they need in order to be safe. Not every parent can drive their kids to school. What I didn't mention in my remarks, was that when a librarian could have been reinstated to the Gorton Junior High School, the School Committee voted not to, and the cost for the librarian was a fraction of what it would cost to save ALAP. Librarians do serve a great need at the secondary level (all levels really) and yet, we saw that position being shelved too. Sadly, it's a sign of the times and until the City Council gets their priorities straight we will continue to see valuable programs and services cut.

From: Added school surplus reduces need for cuts

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