SOS: Save Our School: Sussex County Technical School

The following speech was delivered on the following days regarding cutting of theater arts, graphic design and architectural technology at my local technical high school:

Sussex County Commissioners' Meeting on April 24, 2024 (link to meeting)

Sussex Technical Board Meeting on April 17, 2024

Introduction

My name is Frank Cunha.? I live in Hardyston NJ and I have two sons currently enrolled at Sussex Tech.? Their older brother graduated two years ago.

I’m here today to speak on behalf of the Architecture program.

I am speaking as a concerned parent as well as someone who has dedicated my time to support the students of this important program as an advisor, mentor and juror to the students.

I have three points of discussion:

1) Students?

First and most important is the students.

These student have dedicated 1-2-3 years of their lives to pursue the career of architecture.

In teenage years that’s like 10-20 years.

It is heartbreaking for the students to learn that their hard work invested in the program was all for nothing.? All those countless late nights and weekends working on countless projects and presentations all for nothing.? Especially after pouring their blood sweat and tears into the projects.?

Broken promises and abandonment by the people appointed to serve and protect them.

The architecture profession is a challenging one that blends art and science.? The program offers students a wide array of skills from public speaking to creativity, things like model making, computer drafting, problem solving and team work.? Overcoming challenges and facing their shortcomings strengthens their resilience and helps them grow as individuals.

2) Programs?

This looks like a targeted attempt to eliminate certain programs due to some sort of political agenda.

As we all know the Humanities are a critical component of a well rounded education but they have been under attack lately - by the very people who claim to be liberal minded.

The humanities, the very programs you propose to eliminate, prepare students for college and the real world to be well rounded individuals.? Each one shining bright in their own way.

They become people who can think for themselves in a world where thinking for yourself is no longer the majority.? The humanities teach us ethics, values and tradition in a world that increasingly has no value for these lessons.

The rigor and structure of the program instills work ethic and love of knowledge in each student.? It also teaches each student who they are through their projects.? It gives them a positive way to express their creativity.

Is there a rational reason why these programs are being cut without consideration for evolution, expansion, or consolidation?? There are new technologies and innovations that should be considered, technologies like AI.

In my opinion it is extremely short sighted to eliminate programs unilaterally and without a phasing plan.

For those who may not know this program is a pipeline for the profession by preparing students for university admissions.

These students go on to find work as architects in firms throughout our state after they graduate.? The students go on to represent who we are as a community.

Without this program we will be underrepresented as a county in the profession of architecture? - our children have no other feasible alternatives.

3) Funding

We need a better accounting of how the board is spending public funds and why these programs are being defunded abruptly.

As a practicing architect I did not have the opportunity to attend a technical school.? I did not have a head start and had to play catch up to keep up with my college classmates.

My wife and did our best to get our children excited about careers early on in their lives during grade school and I remember attending Tech Trek back in 2017 with my oldest son who graduated 2 years ago.? Each of my kids attended Tech Trek and were impressed and thankful for all of the available programs Sussex Tech offered.? All three went in a separate direction but each child extremely passionate and dedicated to their chosen shops and taking advantage of this opportunity their grandparents could only dream of.

I would have never imagined in a hundred years that the opportunity afforded Daniel and his fellow classmates would be taken away from them with a stroke of a pen.

I conclude my statement with a serious plea for the board to reconsider options for how to hold on to these important programs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as an advisor I have known Mr Makris for the last four years and can attest to his character and dedication to the students, the program and the field of architecture. ? Although not all the students will go on to become architects the program provides the? students a big tool box that will prepare students not only for their careers but also transition them from children to young adults.

I humbly ask the board to be creative and come up with acceptable alternatives and solutions to their funding issues.? This program has a rich tradition and legacy that should not be undervalued. ?

I am not only thinking of my child but each student all of whom I have grown to admire and respect as I have seen their creativity and skills develop over the past few years under the nourishing guidance of their teacher.

The most important thing we build is not buildings, the most important thing we build is people.

What’s the point of having a technical school that doesn’t meet the needs of its constituents?

Thank you for your time.