On March 6, 2020, the superintendent and the school board announced the following positions are being cut from the high school: a VOAG, a science, the librarian, and the foreign language.

In the previous four years, the high school has lost the following positions: a PE, an English, a math, a history, and a VLA. These positions were never replaced, leaving empty classrooms through the building.

Not only has the district experienced the loss of numerous teachers, we’ve lost courses: accounting, home economics, and drama — with health classes solely online.

Without a foreign language teacher, we are forced to take more classes solely online. Learning language in a classroom, with a passionate teacher, is essential. We’re engaged with the teacher helping us learn and understand. How’re we expected to learn language without conversation?

Why are these cuts being made? It’s simple — the school district is experiencing financial problems. Without the 1% income tax, Blanchester schools lost an opportunity to save these positions and teachers.

Cutting these courses limits chances at a brighter future. These cuts prevent the opportunity to receive honor diplomas — necessary for competitive colleges, programs, and scholarships. With these cuts, Blanchester schools won’t be able to properly prepare students for the future. We have no voice without our community.

The school board isn’t just taking away teachers, they’re taking away friends from the people who need them most, from people motivated to attend school because of these teachers. To students, these teachers aren’t just numbers, they’re role models.

While Blanchester schools are cutting courses, other districts, such as CNE, are adding courses and extracurriculars. How? They’ve gained support from their community.

If you live in the Blanchester school district, we need your help. Teachers have voted as much as they can, but they can’t win over the majority of the community. The community needs to stand up, stand together, as a whole to save our schools. The success of our community is tied to the success of our school.

Yet we also need to hold the board members, superintendent, and other leading positions accountable for their role in the levy’s failure. They were expected to spread yet for some reason went against it. If the district completely falls apart, the community will too.

The students’ plea for you, their community, to help them save their education, to save their teachers.

Aeryn Armendarez

Midland