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It's hard to argue with the idea of adding the use of therapy dogs in the Warren County School District.
School districts across the country are using them to rave reviews, and scholarly study after scholarly study touts the benefits to students, particularly children with special needs. Test scores have been shown to increase in districts using therapy dogs.
The program being discussed by school board members would cost $6,000 with minimal ongoing costs. Donors and sponsors are paying for dog food and veterinary treatment. Other costs such as liability insurance are fairly minor.
But school board members are asking the right questions. The board has heard quite clearly that staff positions will likely have to be cut within the next couple of years and the board is generally opposed to increasing taxes.
Teachers and school staff members are doing more with less, and board members are right to question how much is too much to add to a shrinking group of employees.
In our opinion, the program's benefits are worth the minimal investment to the district.
Yes, the district will have to make difficult decisions about staff positions in the future. But those decisions aren't truly impacted by the existence of a program costing so small an amount.