We, the parents and taxpayers in the Ramapo Indian Hills High School district, express our strong opposition to restructuring of the Guidance Supervisor positions within the district.  We deeply value the contributions of Mrs. Jennifer Perry and Mrs. Kate Robinson to EACH building and are greatly concerned about the proposed restructuring of this highly effective management structure of our Guidance Departments. We are greatly disappointed that the current structure, widely respected by the community, is undervalued by both the temporary superintendent and the Curriculum Director (who has been here less than two months).

We respectfully ask the Interim Superintendent, Dr. James Baker, and the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education to maintain the current Guidance supervisory structure for the following reasons:

·      Possible Loss of Outstanding Staff: The two new proposed district positions will be advertised. Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Robinson would need to “re-apply” and potentially compete against each other and any other applicants for the “new” positions. This puts our district at risk of losing either or both of these outstanding staff members. How does this benefit our students?

·      Support Mental Health: The Guidance Department is critical to our children’s mental health. The current supervisory structure provides a holistic structure in each building. It reduces barriers for students AND Guidance Department staff for students seeking help and guidance.

·      Builds Trusting Relationships and Better Understanding of Individual Students’ Needs: Each school environment is unique and having a supervisor in each building has a proven track record at RIH. A building Guidance Supervisor is more knowledgeable of each student’s individual needs. This is especially important given that establishing trust is crucial in addressing mental health issues.

·      Crisis Response: Guidance Supervisors in each building enhance the school’s ability to respond promptly and effectively to crises, ensuring immediate coordination for mental health emergencies.

·      College Applications: The current structure best supports the need for quick and detailed input for critical college deadlines. A floating Guidance Supervisor would lack the hands-on knowledge or ability to make the necessary phone calls for students (for example: deferred or wait-listed), potentially leading to the loss of vital resources.

·      Bias Incidents: The current structure, with supervisors deeply connected to the school community, more effectively addresses bias incidents. In the recent bias incidents, the current Guidance Supervisors played a vital role in assisting in these situations.

·      Change for Sake of Change Under Interim: With district and administrative bleed over the past year, a strained relationship between the Board and the community, and current contract negotiations in process, a controversial restructuring of Guidance Supervisors adds disruption to our district at a time when we need stability. A restructuring of this magnitude should not be done by an Interim who will not be here when it goes into place. We respectfully ask Dr. Baker to not make this drastic and disruptive decision given his temporary status at RIH.

The current Guidance Supervisory structure contributes to a comprehensive and effective system that promotes positive outcomes for students’ academic, college, and mental health needs in each building. We ask the administration and Board of Education to respect the community’s regard for the current Guidance Supervisor structure and to keep that structure in place.