I am requesting that you postpone the agenda item for Wednesday’s budget meeting regarding the Children’s Center evening program. My daughter attends the children’s center and has for the past four years. I have been extremely active with the children’s center and participated on the Parent Advisory Committee for the past two years. Last year, I served as the chair of the committee. In the State Hornet article published online today, Carol Ackerson is quoted as stating that the Parent Advisory Committee was consulted regarding the elimination of this program. As chair of the committee, I can assure you that no such advisement took place.

I am deeply concerned about the absence of forthright disclosure concerning this matter. I am aware of a group of social work students who asked that flyers be posted in the Children’s Center to encourage parents to attend the budget meeting. Their request was denied by the director of the center and by an associate director of ASI.

It seems that ASI has a right to inform the students it is intended to serve. The children’s center serves many day and night students. With the upcoming “title wave II” on the horizon, it will become increasingly difficult for students to take classes in the day and they will be forced to take evening and/or Saturday classes. ASI needs to become proactive and evaluate what the actions taken today might do to the center one-year from now.

Once you have delayed the agenda item, please let the concerned parties (the parents) know when a discussion will be rescheduled. You’re doing the current students a disservice without first listening to their thoughts as well as considering the impact of furture students.

I strongly urge you to remind yourself of the mission statement that ASI is supposed to stand for.

This agenda item should be postponed until the correct process of informing the students and holding a public forum can be schedule.

Timi Ross Poeppelman