YEAH, lets cut education and let our kids fall further behind the rest of the world!!! Jerry Roth, you are brilliant !!!!

I hope Katy's right. I hope the principal will then come out with "Oh, and we're going to cut spelling out too. After all, kids just abbrievate everything today anyway." If they'd cut reading out in my day, they may as well have just cut out oyxgen out in my life too. Reading is an escapism I wouldn't give up for anything!

I do not think any program should be cut from schools. All programs are needed to produce a well rounded student. This includes music, art, PE, Health, FACE, and Tech Ed. These classes help teach things current employers are looking for; problem solving, getting along with others, work ethic, communication skills, the list goes on. It sounds like Edgerton is reducing the amount of reading class time and not necessarily reading instruction. Research has shown increases in reading skills and comprehension when reading stratgies are taught by other content area teachers (math, science,ect. even HEALTH). All teachers really teach reading within their own classrooms. Along with schools, parents need to be models and teacher of reading everyday at home. This is really where reading habits are formed!!
And by the way, Health classes in the Edgerton Middle School have already been cut several years ago........maybe that is why there has been an increase risk behaviors in the area??!!

Jerry Roth used to be the principal at JC McKenna Middle School in Evansville. I'm relatively sure that he's using a strategy here to make a point and is not serious about this ludicrous proposal. When faced with a difficult choice in a "cut services" scenario, some principals are extremely adament that nothing is left to cut. Instead of stating, "There is no place to find $160,000 in savings," he instead makes a proposal that would make the board look like idiots if they followed his suggestion. They should just tell him, "Try again, Jerry. This is not negotiable."

Most school districts don't have formal reading programs for 7th and 8th graders. This isn't 1st grade where they teach kids to read. Granted, there may be other things to cut first, but it's not like Edgerton is completely eliminating reading from the school system.

We are sorry, no student are allowed to read. Only movies and other slide show presentations will be alowed. No foriegn films with subtitles.... :)

If they had cut reading when I was in school, I wouldn't be READING this article & the comments posted today!!! I have heard some ASSINE things in my life, but cut reading??? That takes the cake!

Cut reading? Are you SERIOUS? I think there are plenty of other things that could be cut. Reading is too important to be cut. Any educator that would even consider cutting reading has their priorities in the wrong place. Any school board that would approve such an idiotic suggestion should be kicked out of office.

I fully agree with quam that Art, Home EC, Teachers ED, and Health should be looked into cutting long before you cut reading. If you ever work in a power house work shop with these kids you will find so many can not read and need the extra help. When a adult you need to know how to read instructions and manuals and be able to understand them to be successful in todays work field. It doesn't take a master degree to be able to draw a picture in art or make a pie in home ec. I hope you get the picture and keep reading in our schools. Since time the 3 Rs have been the back bone of education and now you want to take 1 of them away.

right on wiscoheat - And I have to ask, does each and every school really need a principal? And perhaps a bigger question is, does each and every school district need a superintendent? Couldn't these highly educated 'crats serve more than one school, more than one school district?
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The teachers union really needs to reexamine who they fight with, and go get cost savings not from the classroom, but from a system top-heavy administrators. And DPI, if you cut 20% of DPI, perhaps then schools could keep reading programs.

is "riting" & "rithmatic" gonna be cut next? People already cant count change in a retail transaction without the machine telling them what to remit to the patron.
And the handwriting is getting to be horrendous!

Sure seems like all 3 "R's" are on the decline.Wake up America !!

A school that cuts READING? Are you kidding me?

Cut Gym class for pete's sake. Kids can run around anywhere and get exercise... but you don't just automatically learn to read.

Public schools keep failing and that robs children of a proper education and a chance to be something more than a blue collar worker living in semi-poverty. Take away reading...and you may as well give those kids the keys to the streets right now.

I know it's hard to pick an area to cut, but to cut reading?? I just went to an assessment held for people wishing to apply to become probation and parole agents for the state of Wisconsin and we were given an exam where about 1/4 had to do with "reading comprehension". So my question is, are we actually doing the kids a disservice to cut something that they will definitely eventually need to be competitive in today's world of employment?? The answer is clear to me, but apparently not so clear to others.

I think they should save money by cutting the position of a principal who would recommend eliminating a reading program.
The district should get their priorities straight.

I like how, when they built the new additions a few years back, they said it was a necessary development because enrollment was increasing every year and we were running out of room. Now look what we're faced with, a school that has to cut READING!!!!

This might just be me thinking out loud here, but shouldn't something like ART, HOME EC, TECH ED, or HEALTH class be on the chopping block first?

I would've said gym class, but lord knows that kids today need all the physical activity they can get