There's a success story unraveling at the Patrick O'Hearn School near Fields Corner.

About one in every five O'Hearn students has cerebral palsy or some other serious learning disability. By law and right, Boston must give them a full education. Doing that in a specialized private school would cost us taxpayers over $50,000 per child. The O'Hearn does it for $14,000 per child, and does it better. They "mainstream" the learning-disabled kids with everybody else. The kids learn their most important lesson: even if they're "special," they can make it like everyone else.

The school's ambitious theater program gets hundreds of children working together. The Readers Workshop includes "Independent Reading, Shared Reading, Read Aloud, Guided Reading, Book Bags, and Poems," writes one student in the school newsletter. "Reading with a buddy is my favorite thing," writes another. "If I need help with a word my buddy can help me." You can focus on each child's learning style when, like the O'Hearn, you have two teachers per room. During recess, those extra teachers help everyone play vigorously and safely.

Running the O'Hearn takes a web of people and programs.

The city-state budget crisis is about to pull that web apart.

Superintendent Payzant has asked every school in Boston to cut its budget at least ten percent. In fact, the cuts could reach 20%. What should the O'Hearn cut? "Frills" like art and music? The school nurse? Two classroom teachers?

Over at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Grove Hall, the budget cuts could take out 27 staff. You'll remember that several years ago, the school we used to call the 'Jerry' almost lost its accreditation. The School Department pumped in people and programs. Last year every student at the Burke went on to college &emdash; even though the school still has an inadequate library and gym, not enough science labs, and a heating/air conditioning system that needs upgrading. "These unequal facilities puts the Burke students at a complete disadvantage in taking the statewide MCAA tests," notes the School Parent Council. But the state budget crisis has put a hold on the Burke's $22 million renovation.

This year's cuts come on top of cuts. City budget cuts last year took the fat and some of the lean out of Boston's public schools. The O'Hearn lost state transition funds that used to provide $150 per child for enrichment and extra support. The Burke lost 14 staff.

These cuts don't make educational sense, and they don't make economic sense. "Many cuts will end up costing the school system more money," says the O'Hearn's newsletter. "Budget cuts will force younger teachers out of the profession, wasting all the money that has gone into training them and leaving the next generation of students without experienced teachers."

What can we do?

We can close some schools. Within a mile of each other are four Dorchester schools with only 200 kids. Shutting one or two and moving them into big schools like the Holmes and Mather could save maintenance and heating money that's better spent on teaching.

We can replace the present busing plan with more limited school choice. Busing isn't a race-balancing program any more. But parents can still choose any school in their assignment zone and the city has to bus their kids there. Splitting up each zone and giving parents eight or nine schools to choose from could save tens of millions of dollars.

Closing schools and changing assignments will disrupt kids' education. But cutting teachers and programs so deeply will disrupt them more.

Most of all, we can make the state legislature raise taxes and fund the services we need. What's happening in the schools is happening to Dorchester at large. Our neighborhood runs on a web of services: health centers, youth programs, family support, housing and homeless programs. Cut one and you start ripping the web apart. Cut them all &emdash; which the state is forcing us to do &emdash; and you will pay dearly down the road, in lives, opportunities, and dollars. Maybe we already are. Look at the stabbings and shootings on the T and on our streets.

Pick up your phone and call your state legislators tomorrow at 722-2000. Call the Governor too &emdash; 727-3600. Don't just ask them to fund the services you use yourself. Tell them to fund the whole web.

Mike Prokosch is a veteran Dorchester news reporter and activist. He can be reached at 282-9658 or mikeprok@ziplink.net.