To the Editor of the Mexia News,
"Breakfast comes to MISD classrooms" trumpeted the front page article. "78-79 percent of MISD students are eligible for free or reduced lunches." The word 'free' was used four times in the article. While the program may not cost the students or their parents it is certainly NOT FREE.
This program COSTS 90 instructional hours (30 minutes/day times 5 days/week times 36 weeks/year) at a time when MISD is struggling to maintain an acceptable academic standing. This program COSTS teachers the hassle of serving, monitoring, and cleaning up after the breakfast. MISD has ample experience with serving breakfast in the classroom. It was done for four years at the Mexia Middle School (current administration building) and no one was sorry to see the program go away.
Another COST is that more students will be late for school as parents realize that nothing academic happens between 8:00 and 8:30 except breakfast. So why worry about getting kids to school on time?
The only upside is that everyone gets a FREE breakfast but over 50% of MISD students arrive at school on the bus and the bus schedules allow them time to eat breakfast after they arrive. This program rewards irresponsible student behavior as well as irresponsible parent behavior and it reduces Academic Learning Time. MISD can't afford to lose a minute much less 90 hours! This program punishes teachers by reducing them to lunchroom monitors while taking away precious time from what they are trained and paid to do, teach!
Run the buses earlier, serve the cafeteria breakfast right up until 7:55, but don't take away the one commodity that cannot be replaced, 90 hours of learning.
Bill Matthews
Former Principal
Mexia ISD
"Breakfast comes to MISD classrooms" trumpeted the front page article. "78-79 percent of MISD students are eligible for free or reduced lunches." The word 'free' was used four times in the article. While the program may not cost the students or their parents it is certainly NOT FREE.
This program COSTS 90 instructional hours (30 minutes/day times 5 days/week times 36 weeks/year) at a time when MISD is struggling to maintain an acceptable academic standing. This program COSTS teachers the hassle of serving, monitoring, and cleaning up after the breakfast. MISD has ample experience with serving breakfast in the classroom. It was done for four years at the Mexia Middle School (current administration building) and no one was sorry to see the program go away.
Another COST is that more students will be late for school as parents realize that nothing academic happens between 8:00 and 8:30 except breakfast. So why worry about getting kids to school on time?
The only upside is that everyone gets a FREE breakfast but over 50% of MISD students arrive at school on the bus and the bus schedules allow them time to eat breakfast after they arrive. This program rewards irresponsible student behavior as well as irresponsible parent behavior and it reduces Academic Learning Time. MISD can't afford to lose a minute much less 90 hours! This program punishes teachers by reducing them to lunchroom monitors while taking away precious time from what they are trained and paid to do, teach!
Run the buses earlier, serve the cafeteria breakfast right up until 7:55, but don't take away the one commodity that cannot be replaced, 90 hours of learning.
Bill Matthews
Former Principal
Mexia ISD
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