T-U SCHOOLS BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING TESTIMONY

 My name is Ambure Leavitt, and I worked for Thomaston-Upson County Schools for six years.

I loved my job. I loved the students, the teachers, and this community. But eventually, I had to leave because I could not survive financially on the salary being provided.

My paycheck was around $1,200 a month.

As a parent, that was not enough to support myself and my child. And now, the same community is being asked to afford groceries, utilities, housing, and property taxes while being asked to accept another 1.51 mill tax increase.

Before taxpayers are asked to give more, they deserve answers.

Over the years, support positions have been cut, absorbed, or left unfilled. My former position as an attendance clerk was one of them. Now those responsibilities are falling onto teachers who are already overwhelmed.

The work does not disappear when positions are cut. It simply gets pushed onto the people already carrying the heaviest load.

We are not losing employees because they don’t care. We are losing them because they cannot survive financially.

That should concern every person in this room.

At the same time, paraprofessionals and support staff are being reduced in environments where students need more supervision and support — not less.

Teachers are evacuating classrooms during behavioral incidents. Staff members are overwhelmed. Students and parents continue expressing concerns about bullying and classroom behavior.

If children are truly the priority, why are classrooms losing support instead of gaining it?

I also noticed a proposed assistant social worker position in the budget at nearly $50,000 a year.

And I want to be clear — this is not criticism of social workers. I worked closely with ours, and I know how valuable they are to students and families.

My concern is about priorities.

At a time when classrooms are losing support staff, teachers are stretched beyond capacity, and taxpayers are left wondering why existing classroom needs continue going unmet.

Could that funding help place another teacher in a classroom?

Could it help restore support staff positions?

Could it help relieve some of the pressure being placed on teachers every single day?

Those are fair questions for this community to ask.

And I think one of the biggest frustrations in Thomaston-Upson County is the message people feel they are receiving.

Academic scores remain low.

Bullying concerns continue being reported.

Teachers and staff are overwhelmed.

Yet the main thing this community continues hearing is that more money is needed.

People want to know:

• What is being done to improve student outcomes?
• What is being done to improve safety and behavior in schools?
• What is being done to retain good teachers and staff before asking taxpayers to carry an even heavier burden?

Families across this county are already making sacrifices in their own homes every single day. People are cutting back, working extra jobs, and trying to survive rising costs however they can.

I want our schools to succeed.

I want teachers supported.

I want students safe.

But the message being sent right now is that the burden keeps falling on classrooms, teachers, staff, and taxpayers while they are expected to do more and more with less and less.

And at some point, we have to ask:

How much more are teachers, staff, parents, and taxpayers expected to carry before enough is enough?

At some point, the people making decisions for this district need to be willing to make sacrifices too.

Tonight, I am asking this board not to approve this millage increase until this community sees stronger accountability, stronger classroom support, and a clearer commitment to the students, teachers, and staff carrying this district every single day.

Thank you.