For all young students, a strong basis in reading and writing is one of the most important aspects of their education. All of the help and guidance given by English and reading departments is critical for building a solid foundation for students’ academic careers. At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, the Las Virgenes Unified School District hired nine new teachers in place of two reading specialists that had previously been employed. This addition is ultimately detrimental to students as it will not significantly reduce class sizes and will deprive them of much- needed specialists who would more directly benefit their education.

Reading specialists provide students with the individual attention they require. Their one-on-one help offers students a greater opportunity to ask questions and gain the skills they need to meet the appropriate reading standards. While a specialist may see 25 to 30 students from each grade level a year, teachers in elementary schools teach all academic subjects. Teachers cannot guarantee that all students will understand a concept in English. A confusing subject will not be expanded upon as it would by a reading specialist.

“My job is to keep elementary school students out of Special Education classes by providing them with extra practice in comprehension, vocabulary, phonics [and] spelling,” said Chaparral reading specialist Kay Dietz. “I remediate students that are one to two years below their grade level in reading.”

As a consequence of the district’s rearranged funds, the new reading specialists have been cut from the budget as the district felt additional teachers were more immediately necessary.

LVUSD Director of Instruction Rose Dunn stated in a board report that “in order to alleviate the loss of the reading specialists, the principal of each LVUSD school has been asked to give the board a description of the actions his or her school will take to accommodate the students who require additional help.” LVUSD also claimed that with these nine additional teachers, class sizes would greatly be reduced. However, since these teachers are spread out among all 15 schools in the district, one or even two new teachers in a school will not significantly change class sizes.

“Essentially it came down to needing both [teachers and specialists],” said Dunn. “We hope to have all of them back when funding is restored. New funding sources are necessary to maintain our class sizes.”

Reading specialists are also essential in schools for students learning English as a second language. According to Dietz, 18 percent of students at Chaparral Elementary School have parents who speak a language other than English at home. It is vital that the district recognizes these students so that they will not fall behind. Without specialists, this problem cannot be improved and students will struggle with reading later in their academic careers.

“Reading is a fundamental skill that [students] need for all subjects. We cannot afford to leave some children behind,” said Dietz.

Reading specialists would also benefit LVUSD because they can travel from school to school within the district, while regular teachers, such as the nine recent hires, remain stationary. Therefore, hiring the reading specialists would be a more efficient use of money as they would assist more students in more schools. Reading specialists provide students with an expansion on a skill that is not only necessary to graduate school, but also necessary in life.

Without any special instructors, students will struggle in school in a variety of subjects. LVUSD must re-evaluate its position regarding the necessity of reading specialists and look to the needs of its students in order to understand what is essential for the well-being of their education. •