Q&A with Tim Southerton

Since school re-opened in September, the topic of discussion at every public session with the Board of Education involves the . Parents have protested in droves and a  was recently held to brainstorm ideas and possible solutions.

Tim Southerton, President of the Sayville Teachers Association, has a unique perspective on the situation. He sits in at nearly every Board of Education meeting and understands the challenges and difficult decisions the board must make. On the other hand, he empathizes with the teachers, who are now faced with less time for lesson planning and students who lack that release time that recess provides. It's obvious where he stands on the topic though – he's donning his "Kids Need Recess" button, an accessory many teachers are also displaying.  

Q: Being privy to both sides, what is your perspective on the school lunch cuts?

Southerton: The teachers really feel badly for the kids. I was here for those board meetings when they decided to make the cuts and I'm sympathetic to the issues they faced. The board is really doing the best it can for these kids and with the budget being so strained, there wasn't much else they could do. That being said, I feel that this cut hurts too much for the payback they got out of it.

Q: How would you say the elementary teachers are feeling at this point?

Southerton: I think the teachers are hurting more for the kids. Most of the elementary school teachers are women, and many are mothers so there is a lot of personal identification for them with what the kids are going through. When there was a 50 minute lunch period, teachers could provide some extra help for students who needed it. Now these same teachers are uncomfortable doing that; they feel guilty stealing that playtime away from the kids and they are going through a great deal of angst over it.

Q: How are teachers responding?

Southerton: We are trying to be respectful and cognizant of the decisions of the board members. It doesn't necessarily mean that we agree with those decisions. We do understand where they are coming from.

Q: It seems that the teachers have adjusted better than the elementary parents. Are you surprised by the parents' reactions?

Southerton: I'm not surprised by the parent's concerns at all. If this was just a teacher issue, we would have acclimated by now. But while the adults can get used to the situation, the kids can't. We already have one of the longest school days on Long Island. This creates an even greater demand on these kids. Even in the most structured environments, kids are given adequate downtime.

Q: At this point, it doesn't look like the lunch time will be reinstated. How do you feel about that?

Southerton: I'm a union guy, so I never take no for an answer. I will never stop fighting for what is right. But you also have to look at things globally sometimes. I feel for the board and the tasks that are coming down the pike. We all see this freight train of harsh, unprecedented economic times and what they will do to our budget.