There were 23 responses to this week’s Tele-Talk question: “Would you support reducing the number of credits required for graduation at Kennett High in order to save money?” Six people said they would support reducing the number of credits for graduation; 10 people said they would not support the change.

I’m calling in regard to the credits required for graduation at Kennett High. I truly feel that education is key to America’s success and I don’t believe we ought to start cutting that short too. Full credits should stay in place.

Absolutely. If it has anything pertaining to sports. Too much sports and not enough books. This is a disgusted Conway taxpayer.

It would not be a good idea to drop the graduation requirements to 20. The state may recommend that as “minimum” requirement but it is just that a recommendation.  They also recommend class size to a maximum for different levels in schools but we do not stuff that many kids in our classes. A better gauge would be the average of credits required to graduate from the schools across the state. During the four town co-op fiasco years ago, Conway was in the process of raising the requirement from 20 to the current amount, as it was felt that it gave the student a better education. If folks are really concerned about the cost of education these days, they should look at what has caused the crisis in our education system as well as the costs.  Check out the demise of local control since the federal government got into the fray in 1966! My father, an elementary school principal, told me at that time that this would be the ruin of education in the United States and, unfortunately, he was more prophetic than I had thought! Just look at how the government requirements have driven up the costs and reduced both state and local control! Jim Shuff, Freedom.

The fact that the N.H. Department of Education only requires 20 credits to graduate should hold more standard and more clout than the school board/Kennett High School requiring 25 credits. That makes absolutely no sense, zero. And for Mr. Digregorio to say that the reason we have those high credits is to do better than the state standards, that’s ridiculous. Let’s get with the program. If you only need 20 to graduate, let these kids graduate and get on to college and on with their lives. It’s completely absurd. I have a daughter right now that if she were to drop a class that she chose to take then she would only have 24 credits, which won’t let her graduate. So, she supposed to struggle with this class? That makes no sense, zero, when she has great grades in everything else. Come on folks, let’s get with the program.

I believe our educational dollar is being squandered and something urgently needs to be done, but more so with the aspect of quality, honesty and efficiency as opposed to cred account and a buffet of useless information. Columbus didn’t discover America. The Indian nations existed for thousands of years, which is much more than the several hundred by its current tenants. A too big to fail government and union system needs to be kept in check, as do the adults that surround and influence our children at school and at home. I come from a dysfunctional family, as I suspect most of us do. I am deeply saddened by the pain and suffering our children experience daily, but more angered at a nation that looks the other way as if it’s business as usual. With all due respect to those who suffered in Connecticut, millions are killed by abortion and figuratively millions die a thousand deaths going  home to dysfunctional families. It directly impedes their learning ability and jeopardizes our country’s future. So therefore we need to step in, step up and remove bad teachers and bad parents immediately from their environment. Given the drummed up hysteria, Obama, the politicians and unions look like they’re trying to cash in on the need for health care and school security, just like Bush and Cheney did with airport security and Clinton did with the war on poverty and the need for affordable housing. Honesty, efficiency, accountability. The children are watching and need you to do the right thing. Do it.

Absolutely not. If anything the number of credits should go up. We’ve got plenty of teachers, plenty of money, the kids do not need to have fewer credits to graduate.

Since the state of New Hampshire only requires 20 credits for graduation, Kennett should offer 20 credits for graduation.

No, I do not support reducing the number of credits required to graduate. The youth of today need far more education than their predecessors ever needed.

My name is Bob from Conway and I think it’s ridiculous. I would not support reducing the number of credits for graduation. That’s absurd. Why make it easier for kids to graduate when they go out into the real world.

Yes, I do agree that they reduce the credits to save money, as long as the students get a very good education. Lord knows we need to save money. We pay enough taxes now. But education takes priority over saving money.

I think we should leave the credits alone at the high school. I think it is far more important to have a quality education than trying to save a few bucks. It’s always come down to education vs. money. There’s sometimes you can’t distinguish the two. You have to educate them and you have to spend the money.

As someone who has worked with Kennett students with summer jobs and also someone who has worked with foreign students, particularly last year from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Romania and Peru, there is a great difference. The foreign students are very smart and knowledgable, very smart in math, where the Kennett students have no interest in their work. The female students often have to be told how to dress properly, how to clean up their foul-mouthed language. There’s a difference between the two and it’s very disturbing. So, I would say that it’s important that these maximum credits stand.

It’s a hard question to answer without more information. For instance, what’s the breakdown between the cost of academics and the cost of extra-curricular activities, like sports and so forth? What are the required courses; what are the electives? Are all the courses really worthwhile? Are they all truly, soundly education? The content of the courses matters more than the number. The quantity does not necessarily guarantee quality and for education, quality is what matters most.

You’re darn right I would. Anything to help reduce costs makes sense this year. And once again, spend-crazy Mike DiGregorio is the only person on the budget committee who thinks this is a bad idea. This person should do the honorable thing and step down because he is not representing the taxpayers for whom he took an oath. Totally disgusted.

Of course it should be 20 credits to graduate. The high school offers way too many classes, which in turn requires more personnel, health insurance, etc, two of the three biggest drivers of the budget. We have been trying to be everything to everybody and I think people are finally now realizing that approach is unsustainable. When does it end? If the state of New Hampshire has decided 20 credits is just fine, that should be end of discussion. If administrators and school board members actually care about the pocketbooks and lives of the residents, then state standards should be good, especially in this economy. “We want to do better than that” is thrown around like it’s an option. I want to do better personally too, but unfortunately I don’t have a group of people to heap my expenses onto so that I can do better. Live within our means please and try and join the rest of us in reality. It’s quite sad people are losing homes and having lives changed just because the state standard isn’t good enough. The people in charge are “better that that.”

This is David from Bartlett. Although I don’t have any children going to the high school, I was appalled to see that the school board wants to reduce the number of credits in order to save money. What the hell are they thinking? They should be increasing the number of credits so these young men and women who are attending Kennett, aren’t sent out into the world lacking basic educational skills necessary to compete in this competitive workplace. As a young high school student, I had to achieve 40 credits to graduate. If not, you stayed behind another year. We  had three fields of study to choose from, based on your academic record and guidance counselor recommendations, specifically:  advanced college, college, and business. If you’re looking to save money, eliminate some of the extraneous, worthless courses now being offered, get rid of the glut in staffing, and stop pandering to the special interest groups.



The following Tele-Talk responses were posted on The Conway Daily Sun’s Facebook page:



Oh dear, let’s dumb the kids down more? Too much for them? What’s up with this question?

I think it would be be detrimental to the students. The first classes that will end up being targeted are the ones that can inspire the student toward their future careers. They are not going to cut English or math, but more of the secondary classes. Those are the classes that kids find their passions in. If you asked me what I learned in 10th-grade English, I couldn’t tell you. But if you asked me what I learned in health occupations, I could go on for hours. Less credits equals less classes available.

Sometimes kids find their passions in English, you know. English is the most useable class in high school, but judging by the way most people write and speak, they must have skipped that class a lot. As long as kids can still choose their electives, then it’s all still good.

Unless things have changed in 20 years, I did not learn anything in high school that I use to make my living. They should focus more on hands-on skills like auto, metal, wood shop, etc. Yes, the basics are important but I have never met anyone who makes a living doing book reports or using Latin. Unless you go on to higher education, a high school diploma does not mean much.

Why?

Why not just give them a diploma? No child left behind is the equivalent.

Absolutely.