School board member Ron Margiotta is talking about a more gentle move to neighborhood schools in 2010-11.
As noted in today's article, Margiotta wants to see if they could make it possible for parents to request seats at neighborhood schools in 2010. This would be done in lieu of a forced shift back.
Margiotta cited that kind of approach as an example of how the new board could show it's listening to parents and letting them decide. If adopted, questions would include whether transportation is provided and how much could this cost.
But one benefit of this approach is that it would avoid the kind of massive shift that occurred in Charlotte-Mecklenburg in 2002 when 25,000 students moved to different schools as the district abandoned busing for diversity.
"It's not a massive reassignment," Margiotta said.
Comments
Magnets
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 20:06 — sarahgoI sure hope Ron M and the rest of the board TAKE THEIR TIME when thinking this thru. As a group, the magnet parents tend to be pretty happy with their schools. In exchange for long to very long bus rides we do get stability and continuity. In a meeting with Deborah Prickett she indicated she was in favor of extending the magnet program (enrichment, stability, continuity) and bringing magnets OTB.
Be real. Kids never came
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 07:33 — changewcpssBe real. Kids never came first with the old board. Families have always been ignored. If funky Wednesdays can be forced on the entire county on a whim, giving families an actual choice and 10 months to prepare will seem like an eternity.
If families are given a
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 08:14 — RevHiDIf families are given a choice- of program as well as neighborhood, then great.
Agree to an extent. If a
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 10:53 — changewcpssAgree to an extent. If a school is at capacity with just neighborhood students you cannot kick any neighborhood students out to make room for students from different base. Also cannot increase enrollment to the point where you revert to MYR to accommodate demand from outside bases. When there is space available, let anyone and everyone in.
More magnets too, not fewer. Get this animal under control.
Absolutely more
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 11:22 — RevHiDAbsolutely more magnets!
I'm hoping they'll stop the domino reassignments, and consider schools that would be under-enrolled when new schools open for conversion to magnets, especially if they are near low income housing. I am absolutely convinced that magnets need to be the most accessible to people in low income housing.
I would be for slowly reassigning some nodes from a school that could be come a magnet, with extremely generous grandfathering. No current student or younger sibling is moved to make room for magnet students. Only nodes close to another school get moved to that school... eventually. This would ONLY work if the new magnet program is on the same calendar, and does not move to an extreme program that meets very specific needs, but has limited appeal.
For example, Direct Instruction and Montessori schools are polar opposite extremes on a scale. Most kids can do well with a little of both. A few kids really need one style or the other to succeed. Transitioning an existing school to all DI or Montessori could really hurt kids on the opposite end of the scale, so I don't think it should be done with an existing base. However, a GT program has elements built to address the needs of many kids. Some kids don't NEED it, but they would probably do just as well well anyway.
I do wish we had a successful candidate who had experience converting schools to magnets without increasing costs.
I do wish we had a current
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 12:02 — AngelaWI do wish we had a current BoE who had experience with what Magnets SHOULD be...
If that means schools that
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 15:07 — RevHiDIf that means schools that meet unique needs and expand opportunities located near low income housing so the ones who are least able to pay for them have the most access, I agree.
I also think they should all have a low income base, although it should be easier for base nodes to opt out to another nearby school if the program isn't a good fit.
Magnets could be expanded OTB and still have a low income base. Hopefully, people who want their programs would still be willing to travel downtown, if the closer magnet has no room. But maybe I'm too optimistic. If I'm really dreaming, every node with low income affordable housing should be assigned as base to a nearby Magnet or Community School, with ability to opt out if the program is not a good fit.
It used to be...
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 17:03 — Bob_SconceSeveral years ago, the district had so-called "equity" magnets in various schools across the district and assigned nearby low-income nodes to those magnets as their base. But, the district didn't like how they were taking away from the downtown magnets and demagnetized those schools.
REALLY?
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:03 — AngelaW"deciding how to get all the kids to lunch at a remotely reasonable time"
so you already think 10:30 and 1:30 are OK times for elementary school kids to be eating now?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! But how
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:36 — RevHiDABSOLUTELY NOT! But how will that get better if the schools are more overburdened by trailers? And since that is still happening, how can people make the argument that crowding isn't a problem?
crowding IS a problem,
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:45 — AngelaWcrowding IS a problem, dating back YEARS, back when WCPSS ignored reports about future numbers.
MYR was supposed to "help" eliminate trailers, don't see that happening either.
what about this "miraculous" three year plan (now on hold) that was supposed to help with that, now causing further crowding issues based on poor location choices?
there are obviously TONS of unanswerable questions and issues to be dealt with...it took plenty of years of BoE's to create this mess....it cannot be solved overnight.....I'm sure you've heard of Rome?
That's not fair
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 07:07 — ConcernedParentThe county commissions consistently only agreed to bond packages through the 90s that were much smaller than WCPSS said were needed to accomodate growth.
That is not the same as "WCPSS ignored reports" - and remember, the county, not just WCPSS, generated the growth forecasts.
I think every county
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 08:21 — RevHiDI think every county commissioner needs to do four hours of lunch duty in a crowded cafeteria with the full amplification of cinderblock walls. It should be stifling hot or freezing cold, depending on the season.
Agreed. And I also think
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 08:33 — CaryCurmudgeonAgreed. And I also think that every pro-busing school board member and the growth management office should drag their behinds out of bed at 5:00am and ride the school bus from SE Raleigh out to Apex. Then come back at the end of the day and ride the bus home.
And they should not only do
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 11:35 — RevHiDAnd they should not only do that, but also every neighborhood schools advocate needs to spend a day in a high poverty school, one that is successful, and one that is failing. At that successful school, ask how much is spent per pupil at the school, and in the district. Also, ask if the students are enrolled by assignment or choice. Many of the model high-poverty schools are enrolled entirely by choice, and include student and parent contracts.
yep ... experience reality
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 12:02 — user12345yep ... experience reality
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Revised-formula-puts-1-in-6-apf-1729082827.html?x=0
The level of poverty in America is even worse than first believed. (1 in every 6 Americans)
A revised formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations show that approximately 47.4 million Americans last year lived in poverty, 7 million more than the government's official figure.
No, I don't think they
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 09:58 — SouthEastWakeMomNo, I don't think they should get to leave for the school day. I think they should have the full experience of sitting through a day of class and a 10:30 AM (or 1:30 PM) lunch and then ride the bus back to SE Raleigh (and try to do their homework on the bus).
Another factor may be that
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 07:13 — woodstockAnother factor may be that the current BoE did not have a very good working relationship with the CC. I believe that will change for the better moving forward.
I doubt transportation will
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:00 — RevHiDI doubt transportation will be the biggest issue, given how many people use carpool. The problem will be managing crowding, such as moving/purchasing trailers and deciding how to get all the kids to lunch at a remotely reasonable time. It does seem that people would rather deal with crowding than a longer bus ride, so hopefully they'll be flexible.
On this count, it's good the board makeup is settled. It takes more time to move a "mobile" classroom than you might think.
We already eat lunch at 10:15...
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:54 — midtownmomat an underenrolled school. Can't imagine that would change too much.
Excuse me, your bitterness
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:15 — woodstockExcuse me, your bitterness is showing.
I call it legitimate concern
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:39 — RevHiDI call it legitimate concern about how all this will work. I do think it is better that there is more time to prepare for the impact of the new board's changes. The kids should come first.
YES! Kids -- individual
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 06:55 — woodstockYES! Kids -- individual students -- should come first. That is why voters voted out the folks who thought overall statistics were what mattered. Quality is in the details and the sitting school board and current administration ignored the details.
"YES! Kids -- individual
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 08:57 — user12345"YES! Kids -- individual students -- should come first"
What about taxpayers? Where do they fit in the pecking order?
Taxpayers have no idea...
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 11:17 — midtownmomhow much money has been wasted on mandatory year round conversions, let alone school bus expenses on our wonderful three tiered schedule.
The ones that voted do!
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 13:57 — g88ky07Somewhere after the kids
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 09:46 — NOFANOFWAKEMADNESSParents-- ( who are also taxpayers ) will be overjoyed to have a school board who really does put the children first. After all, this is about the education of our children. We will also be thrilled to know we can have a say in the education of our very own children. And, the topper on the cake---you'll actually know how your tax dollars are being spent. So stay informed and involved even if you don't have children. Maybe paying school taxes won't hurt so much if you see the difference you've made.
I thought we were talking
Tue, 10/20/2009 - 09:30 — woodstockI thought we were talking about a school system. Regardless of the tax situation, the priorities of the BoE and administrators should stay focused on the students they are entrusted to educate.