The Lacy-Stough and Garner-Southeast Raleigh moves were approved Tuesday, but not without some melodrama.
As noted in today's article, the board majority voted 5-4 to reverse the 2009 reassignment of three nodes from Lacy Elementary School to Stough Elementary. But the vote came after Deborah Prickett objected to media coverage about how the Lacy families had given political donations to help the new board majority last fall.
Prickett called it "political" that the N&O had run a story that mentioned the contributions on the day of the board vote. She said the article gave the impression that "affluent parents aren’t supposed to have a choice."
Prickett said parents have a right to give money to whatever political organization they want to give to.
"I don’t think of this as being political," Prickett said. "I see this as a situation where parents are being forced."
The words also got heated when it came to the issue of reassigning the students from Garner High to Southeast Raleigh High.
School board chairman Ron Margiotta had previously urged board members to restrict changes on Tuesday to nodes that were either in the three-year plan or would help relieve crowding.
Board member Keith Sutton argued that the Garner High moves didn't fit the criteria as they weren't in the three-year plan. But board member John Tedesco said it would relieve crowding at Garner High.
Sutton accused the board majority of "blindsiding these families" by moving them without giving them a public hearing.
Both Debra Goldman and Prickett said they could see both sides of the issue but they backed moving the students out of Garner.
Comments
Personally, I do not think
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 23:48 — user12345Personally, I do not think public school is very good in general. Remember we homeschooled and I can tell you kids are capable of 2X to 4X more than they get at even the best schools here ... so for most public school families, I am guessing the just don't want a bad school ... I know it sound sad and not racing for the top but public school is not performance orientated IMHO … so, if ALL the school in this system were at least OK that would allow people to live where ever they wanted and get the same OK education … today, both parents have to work to get their kids into a good public school to afford the neighborhood who has those school … there are a lot of good places like Garner that are affordable but has unacceptable schools …. All you have to do is see how much chatter there is about the good schools on this forum to see them get much of the attention … I think the circle idea would at least eliminate any moaning that someone lives 40 miles from his or her school and as I said, I expect a lot of politics going into the path of each zone line …. Circles have less political flexibility which is why I am guessing John would not want them… so, given that everyone is trying to crowd into the good schools my idea is to just maintain the good schools and eliminate the bad schools first … if we raised the bad schools to at least OK … many people would find that acceptable … on the high poverty schools … I am ok if they are unavoidable but a plan needs to be created to help … personally, I do not think the school system can make up for parental neglect but I do think we can at least “save” many of the kids by getting them at least a good 9th grade education and a skill from a vocational school to make a living at 18. High poverty schools are not evil or destine for failure … they just tend to be neglected and under resourced … with a little smaller classes … alternative schools for some and a few more TA’s even high poverty schools can be OK … note, I am not shooting for the star where they all get accepted to college … I am shooting initially just to get them to read, write, do math, and be employable when they graduate … if more money comes in … more options can be added …
Good points!!
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 19:05 — duvalI agree. I worked in Durham and Chapel Hill since 1992 and changed my career to be closer to kids and school.
If I had the option of schools further out that would have made my life much easier!
I have never heard Chris Malone utter more than a few syllables. No offense meant, but that is the truth!! If he does have some ideas on this subject I sure do wish he would speak up!!
I do not like the fact that Tedesco and Co. have no plan whatsoever to show that they are crafting anything that will be good for our county.
Yeah, Chris doesn't say
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 20:12 — jenmanYeah, Chris doesn't say much. :-)
I agree
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 18:41 — turnerk1I agree
I think that the problem is
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 17:14 — jenmanI think that the problem is that there are more seats in that part of town than there are students. I don't know who would fill Underwood if it was demagnetized. They have 65 kids living in two non-F&R nodes adjacent to the school, but otherwise everybody else is assigned to other schools. Its a well-off area but there just aren't enough kids to fill all those schools.
You might be able to demag another school in that area but I really don't think you could demag more than that without having a bunch of half empty schools. While I don't think things can continue the way they are, I wouldn't want to turn around and create the same problem for them that Stough, York & Hilburn have. KWIM?
About a year or two ago I started looking at the numbers and F&R percentages of the entire ITB area. I was trying to figure out how to have true magnets (no base) while still making sure that residents there would have local schools that were still 'healthy'. It got overwhelming doing it by hand though and I gave up. ;-)
This would be more my
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:41 — carson79This would be more my argument... give Stough a magnet so it can "attract" people, not have to "force parents" like Ms. Prickett kept saying. But then people would argue that we are giving "goodies" to people who don't deserve it.
You can't win.
"give Stough a magnet so it
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 21:50 — Apexter"give Stough a magnet so it can "attract" people, not have to "force
parents" like Ms. Prickett kept saying."
Stough actually has a good deal of affluence in its base areas; a lot of that has been sucked out because a larger number of those students have been allowed to magnet out.
If you magnetize Stough, perhaps some of those affluent students will come back home to have special programs in their local school. And then we will be paying extra funds to offer affluent families to stay in their own local school. Sorry, I don't buy that.
Magnets are a major part of Stough's problem. This is the same of a number of rim schools with high F&R populations. That is why I think WCPSS would do well to learn solutions other than throwing in magnets. Magnets don't exist in a vacuum, and they can have unwanted consequences for surrounding areas.
If you magnetize Stough,
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 22:04 — jenmanIf you magnetize Stough, perhaps some of those affluent students will
come back home to have special programs in their local school. And
then we will be paying extra funds to offer affluent families to stay
in their own local school. Sorry, I don't buy that.
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AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!
throwing in magnets. Magnets don't exist in a vacuum, and they can
have unwanted consequences for surrounding areas.
Even the most vocal Stough
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:37 — jenmanEven the most vocal Stough parent is not in favor of giving Stough a magnet program as the solution.
The problem is if Stough, why not York? Or Lead Mine? Or Fox Road? Or Dillard? Or. . . .?
Since I think we should have
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:45 — carson79Since I think we should have more magnet schools on the rim, I don't really see this as a problem.
I'd like to see more magnets
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 17:01 — jenmanI'd like to see more magnets in the rim, but how many magnet schools would you add? Seriously--do you think the system could handle adding magnets at Stough, York, and Lead Mine?
Also, if they add more magnet schools on the rim, it will take away applicants from 'downtown' schools. That's been the excuse over the years for not de-mag'ing schools like Fox Road. I have several friends and acquaintances in far N Raleigh and Wake Forest who look at Brooks, Millbrook & Douglas because they are closer to home.
I'm willing to give it a try if you are
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 20:35 — raleighlauraI agree!! I think adding
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 21:15 — carson79I agree!! I think adding magnets at the rim will address the spreading concentrations of poverty to this area and increase the seats available to parents who want these programs and benefit the base kids who are at those schools.
At this point, if you live ITB and you are stilll arguing that Hunter will be hurt by adding magnets on the rim I don't know what to say. I guess I understand but we have to innovate or we are going to lose magnets and diversity and efforts to prevent polarization and resegregation completely. There are good parents who are not getting into magnets at all - not just htat they dont want their kid on a bus, or dont want them to go to high poverty schools, but that they are denied a seat completely even when willing to ride the bus! And some are in schools with poverty percentages higher than magnets.
I have said for a long time that magnet programs must be spread to the rim. I guess it's my version of if you can't beat em join em :)
At this point, if you live
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 22:09 — jenmanAt this point, if you live ITB and you are stilll arguing that Hunter
will be hurt by adding magnets on the rim I don't know what to say.
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We can win if we start
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:44 — woodstockWe can win if we start acting like the job of a school system is to educate children and not to manipulate people in a social engineering experiment.
Any assignment plan is
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:51 — danofncAny assignment plan is social engineering.
No, it isn't. Assignment
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:32 — woodstockNo, it isn't. Assignment zones based on where people choose to live and raise their families is not social engineering. Forcing them into situations they don't agree with, and that advance policies they don't subscribe to, is.
Zone, node, cloud,
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 22:53 — danofncZone, node, cloud, galaxy...whatever you want to call it, it's going to be defined by lines.
Somebody (Tedesco, Margiotta, Pope, somebody) is going to draw those lines.
They aren't going to be straight lines. When they zig, they could also zag.
There's going to be a line that determines which kids in N/NE Wake go to Knightdale or East Wake and which go to WF-R or Heritage.
It is social engineering when you draw those lines.
I pray for the day when
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:41 — woodstockI pray for the day when people in Wake County don't know what F&R or assignement nodes even mean. We spend so much time and energy massaging the system around these essentially meaningless numbers -- F&R, for instance, is not even remotely accurate and is never verified -- that we forget what it is a school system is supposed to do.
You're saying that giving a
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:44 — danofncYou're saying that giving a certain group a base magnet program to keep them from going private is wrong, while at the same time supporting reassigning families back to Lacy from Stough which was done to try to keep some of those families in the system (or entice them to come back).
I think that's why he's saying it's inconsistent.
I never argued that kids
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:27 — jenmanI never argued that kids should be moved back to Lacy to keep them from going private. I think that would be a bogus reason for moving anybody, personally.
I am still torn on the Lacy-Stough moves. If the BOE would have moved them 4 years ago when they were originally slated to go, it wouldn't be as big of a mess. Sure, they were unhappy just like anybody who gets reassigned but it was about growth then. Many many moves over the years have been because of the domino effect of new schools opening. So the moves themselves weren't out of the ordinary at the time. Now, the moves are about diversity as much as (or even more than) growth.
I understand the Stough side of it--they were never given base nodes to fill the school after BC wiped them out. But I also understand the Lacy side of it--why are they not working harder to recruit people in their own nodes to attend the school? I do also find it offensive for somebody to ask for particular nodes to fill their school.
Truthfully, did anybody really think that moving those nodes in was going to do anything? Its the same thing with Fox Road. The WWF-Fox Road moves did nothing but hurt both schools. Fox Road's F&R went up 10% and WWF's PTA was halved & they had to rebuild parental involvement.
The problem is that WCPSS's only solution in the past was to move kids around to adjust F&R.
So...
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:49 — Bob_SconceAssuming that was the reason for the Lacy conversion, it's possible that some mechanisms for trying to keep students in the system are acceptible while others are not.
Dear Jennifer, While most
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:04 — askmisterbrownDear Jennifer,
While most of the base assignments of magnets such as Conn and Powell are low-income, there are some middle class areas near these schools. WCPSS figures that, since the goal of the magnet system is to prevent concentrations of poverty, it makes no sense to send away the middle class families, when these schools have poverty rates of 45% and 55%
Matthew Brown
Matthew, I was thinking of
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:50 — jenmanMatthew,
I was thinking of the magnet schools that aren't located in high poverty areas and are well under 40% F&R. Brooks (32%), Joyner (28%), Wiley (28%), Underwood (30%), Martin (29%) are some of those.
I admit that schools like Conn (42%), Powell (54%) & East Millbrook (49%) are more problematic or complicated. Yes, there are some higher income nodes assigned there but the overall school is above the 40% threshhold and they are located in higher poverty areas. BUT, what about people who are at Fox Road Elem (65%) or East Wake Middle (54%)? They get nothing extra at their schools and are expected to 'endure' the same or higher poverty percentages.
I do not believe it is right to give magnet programs for 'free' to some families and not to others. We're talking about academic opportunities that other schools are not allowed to offer. The rest of us must apply for the seats and fight it out yet approx 1/2 of all magnet students are assigned there as base. Not to mention the great sacrifice that some people make to send their kids to far away magnets. Ideally, I'd like to see magnets with NO base at all but I think no middle class base is a good start.
Magnet bases
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 12:20 — askmisterbrownDear Jennifer,
I agree that if a magnet school's F&R numbers are too low, it is not accomplishing an important part of its purpose. But all of the magnet schools you mention used to have higher percentages of F&R. The numbers have gradually declined as their programs become more established and popular, and as more families move into their base areas. In these cases, WCPSS can either de-magnetize them, as it did with Olds and is now doing with Broughton, or it can reassign some of their base. Either course leads to criticism, so you can understand why WCPSS drags its feet.
Conn & Powell are at 45% and 55% according to the Dec 17 figures.
Matthew Brown
Muddying the waters is the
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:51 — jenmanMuddying the waters is the unstated goal of some of the magnets: 'bringing back the base'. I heard this a lot when we were at Joyner--how the magnet program was bringing back the base. It was also given as a reason to keep Daniels' magnet status. Without the magnet, base families will leave for private and charter schools, but the magnet program keeps them at their base.
This is just fundamentally wrong to me. If the basics that everybody else is expected to be happy with is not enough for some people, we give them more than everybody else to keep them happy?
I think its time for an objective review of the overall magnet program, its goals, and how well individual magnets are achieving those goals. I know that they did a review of elem a couple of years ago and then the middle and high schools. From what a former board member told me, there was great resistance to doing the review in the first place. It took a couple of years to get it to finally happen. Like you said, its unpopular so WCPSS and the BOE dragged its feet.
Also, the original matrix that WCPSS used showed Douglas and Brooks being top on the list to be de-mag'ed, but they didn't like that outcome so the matrix was adjusted. There were a lot of flaws in the way the matrix was done in the first place. I'm hoping that with the new assignment plan being developed, that a comprehensive review of the magnet program will part of that.
I believe that magnets have a place in our system, but I think we've gotten so far away from their original intent now that we've got to reevaluate.
Magnet review
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:06 — lferreriI think a magnet review is a great idea. Your point about keeping families at the base by giving them extras that other schools don't have makes a lot of sense. I think it's time to rethink what we're trying to accomplish with magnet schools. At the same time, we could think about reforming the curriculum to make all of the schools better. Some of the "extra" programs that are offered at the magnet schools are things that my school offered to everyone. I hadn't heard the history of the previous magnet review so that was interesting also.
At the same time, we could
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:21 — jenmanAt the same time, we could think about reforming the curriculum to make
all of the schools better. Some of the "extra" programs that are
offered at the magnet schools are things that my school offered to
everyone.
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If the basics that everybody
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 14:03 — carson79Could it be that they are given things more consistent with their needs and interests? Much like your "community schools" concept where the programs provided are what the "community" wants?
Could it be that they are
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:42 — jenmanCould it be that they are given things more consistent with their needs
and interests? Much like your "community schools" concept where the
programs provided are what the "community" wants?
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What school are you talking
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:18 — jenmanWhat school are you talking about? Daniels was 80% base and around 30% F&R. All the board members agreed that Daniels had a healthy base. Do you disagree?
I'm much less interested in tearing things down than building up the least successful schools and PTA's.
Interesting since I recall you agreeing with Broughton's de-mag. Keeping Broughton's IB program is much easier to argue for than Daniels.
magnet review
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:57 — turnerk1The magnet review is now done yearly, and they are certainly making decisions based upon it -- look at the Daniels de-magnetization. That was done with no recommendation from the magnet office, but in fact was a complete surprsie to them.
They haven't done another
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 15:12 — jenmanThey haven't done another review of the elem since the first one. They originally said that they were going to review them yearly, but they haven't done the elem again. Last year was the first year for the middle and high school magnet review.
The magnet office argued to keep Daniels' magnet program because they were afraid that without the extras, the middle class base would leave. All the BOE members agreed that Daniels had a healthy base, and even Ansbacher didn't argue that. He only argued that without the extras that the middle class base would 'take advantage of' the nearby private schools.
P.S. Or, another alternative
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 12:27 — askmisterbrownP.S. Or, another alternative would be to cut some of the electives that make a magnet school popular. The criticism to that would be that it "punishes" the school for being successful in attracting students. But no alternative is perfect.
Matthew
Magnets with no base at
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:59 — magnetParentMagnets with no base at all...
Many years ago, year round schools were like that. People pitched a fit because they felt YR schools were given special privileges and were not diverse enough. So they were forced to add a base assignment to each of the YRs. Then, people pitched a fit because those that were in the base for those YRs were being "forced" into a YR calendar. So they provided a traditional opt-out.
It just seems like we are going full circle here, only now wrt to magnet schools.
I expect FoxES and EWMS to eventually become magnets too, if they can't get those F&Rs down - now depending on the new boards plans that I haven't seen - if they can get the funding to create them as magnets.
You're right about the
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 11:16 — jenmanYou're right about the YR--they started assigning low income nodes there several years ago because some parents complained that YR schools weren't carrying their 'fair share' of F&R.
I don't see the issue with magnets as the same. Magnet schools are given extra academics and programs that NOBODY else can have. I don't remember people complaining about special privileges at YR schools. What were they? I can't imagine since most of the YR middle school offer significantly less in terms of AG, electives and differentiation in instruction.
I don't think that Fox or EWMS would have been made magnets under the old administration for at least 5 years, if at all. There was just NO interest in doing that because of the fear that it would hurt the schools 'downtown'. I can absolutely see Fox becoming a magnet in a community schools plan. Not sure about East Wake.
I believe way back then the
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 12:22 — magnetParentI believe way back then the YR schools had smaller class sizes. And I imagine they fact that they had a "safety net" from reassignment was also considered a privilege.
My main point is in general. That the grass is always greener on the other side. People will complain. They will change it, then other people will complain.
I have no idea what the old school boards 5 yr plan WRT magnets was. They do try to identify which schools need it and which schools no longer need it and act accordingly. Though, I doubt they were acting quickly enough. Is it because of budget? or some other reason?
If you start with no base,
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:54 — danofncIf you start with no base, doesn't that totally go against the "no forced busing" mantra that most of the political organizations who now represent majority opinion support?
No, since it has never been
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 12:04 — jenmanNo, since it has never been about going to the absolute closest school. Schools are very close together ITB and in the rim for the most part. For instance, Ligon could remain a magnet (perhaps countywide) and Carnage could be a community school. The two schools are only about 2 miles apart IIRC.
We aren't assigned to our closest elem school, but I don't anticipate our assignment changing under the new plan nor would I lobby for it to change.
How woudl this
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 12:36 — carson79How woudl this work?
Wouldn't Ligon then be full of affluent kids with involved parents and Carnage would be 100% poor and black?
How would that reduce racial isolation or help the poor kids benefit from the resources and programs that would be in place less than 2 miles away?
Why are you not assigned to your closest school now and why would you NOT think that would change under the "zone" plan? I almost think they have to go with a move to the closest school policy for transparency - otherwise you'll have what we have now with Garner to SERHigh moves.
Poor minority nodes (I think) being treated differently than affluent nodes. Does this not bother you and WSCA?
It depends on what kind of
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:17 — jenmanIt depends on what kind of magnet programs we implement in the schools as to what kind of students they will attract. I think that WCPSS could do a much better job of attracting higher poverty and minority students to the magnets. But now there is no incentive to do so--the incentive is just opposite. WCPSS is not currently encouraging or pushing its low income and minority students to achieve.
Community schools means so much more than just putting everybody in their closest school. It means meeting the needs of the community. Of being more than just a school. I do not believe that the reassignments will be an overnight thing. Athens Drive HS has some elements of a 'community school' already.
We're not assigned to our closest school because one was originally a VYR. Some nodes in our neighborhood are actually assigned there but that's because they fought for a closer assignment. They were originally assigned to Lead Mine (or Lynn, I can't remember) but wanted to be somewhere (anywhere) closer and that school had space. The other school is a converted MYR and has never really been considered part of our neighborhood. The neighborhood adjacent to ours has historically been assigned to our base (WWF) and so it wasn't a big deal when we were assigned there too.
Our assignment could change, but I don't expect it to because our neighborhood really has no 'logical' choice. No school that you could look at and think "that's a no-brainer, why aren't they going there?". Now of course, that's for elem. For middle and high school we definitely have a no-brainer but Kevin Hill seems to have lost his brain for the high school assignment. ;-)
We can't go with the absolute closest school because its not possible. For many years schools were built in the 'busable rim' instead of where the growth was, resulting in an excess of seats in some areas and a lack of seats in others. Some areas have seen declining enrollment, and others have schools very close to each other. Its never been about going to the absolute closest school.
The goal of the magnet
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:22 — woodstockThe goal of the magnet system is NOT to "prevent concentrations of poverty" as you indicate it is to "assist in the desegregation of public schools by supporting
the elimination, reduction,
and prevention of minority group isolation..." (this is a direct quote from the U.S. Department of Education).
As was pointed out in an article in the N&O during the BoE elections last year (I will try to find the article), Wake County is generally very diverse from a race/ethnicity standpoint and neighborhood/community schools would not lead to segregated schools.
the goals of the WCPSS
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:43 — JSBinNCthe goals of the WCPSS magnet program are: (as per their website)
Magnet Programs will be used to foster healthy schools throughout the Wake County Public School System by using choice to help:
That is fine, but in
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 10:50 — woodstockThat is fine, but in reference to getting the Magnet Schools Assistance Program federal grant money, which seems to be the concern now, those goals are essentially irrelevant.
ahhh
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 11:05 — JSBinNCok - gotcha. thanks...
Didn't the Conn move open up
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 09:07 — danofncDidn't the Conn move open up magnet application seats?
Wouldn't that be something that WSCA would have supported?
If you move kids out of Conn to make room for magnet applicants, do you move them past Lacy to Stough (away from their "community" school), or do you shift a few nodes to make room for them at Lacy so that everyone is still relatively close to home?
If Stough is underenrolled and has over 40% F&R, doesn't that suggest they may need a magnet program of their own?
If Stough is underenrolled
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 09:36 — shank56If Stough is underenrolled and has over 40% F&R, doesn't that suggest they may need a magnet program of their own?
On 8/24/09 there were 771 public school students in the Stough base, but only 486 of them attend Stough. That is why they are underenrolled. 145 of them attend magnet schools- the most of all El schools in WCPSS. The FRL % in the base is 28%. However, take these magnet students, transfers, and calendar out , then the FRL is 42%.
The Stough attendance zone are has some very nice
upper income housing (Olde Raleigh, Brighton Park, Laurel Hills area.) The problem is Growth Management has bled these neighborhoods at a much higher rate than in WCPSS. If I were sitting out in North Raleigh at a crowded school and turned down as magnet, I 'd be PO'ed and wondering why parents at Stough are hogging the seats.
Jenman can weigh in on this, but if Stough were to be given magnet status, it would create the same problems/questions like the Daniels , Broughton magnetizations.
I agree with what you're
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 11:03 — jenmanI agree with what you're saying shank. I don't think that giving Stough a magnet program is the answer and even one of the most outspoken Stough parents agrees with that. I also wondered how so many Stough students were able to get into magnets under the old system. One Stough parent told me that Hunter used to have a 'backdoor' and that a lot of Stough parents got their kids in that way. Some Stough parents were fighting to keep the old magnet selection system because they didn't want even more of their students to be able to get into magnets. While I understand their position, I can't support giving some kids an advantage for getting into a magnet based on how much money their classmates have.
If Stough were given magnet status, it would just end up hurting other surrounding rim schools like York, Reedy Creek, and Jeffrey's Grove as more kids from those schools would leave.
Also, I have a real problem with giving people extra magnet programs as a 'reward' for staying in their base school. That's part of why I think magnets should have no base (particularly middle to upper income base).
Bases at Magnet Schools
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:00 — MichYankeeJenman,
I have to agree with you on eliminating bases for magnet schools. Seems to me that would make them true magnets. I'm in a unique situation in that my child has attended two magnet elementary schools and the experiences in both North Raleigh schools couldn't have been more different.
As a Kindergartener she was a base student at Millbrook Elementary (even though North Ridge was MUCH closer to us). I loved the IB magnet concept and was excited about the opportunity for her to become a part of a unique program. By November she didn't want to go to school. From what I could tell the school suffered because of a large base. Probably due to the number of close-by apartment complexes. There were a large number of Hispanic and Black students and the IB curriculum wasn't a good fit for that base population. I was very involved in PTA and gave it another year. By the end of first grade it was clear I could no longer keep my daughter there another year.
I used her Father's address to base her into another magnet school (I know, my bad -- but I was desperate!). She started 2nd grade at Brooks Elementary and when her father was evicted from his apartment I moved from the condo I shared with my parents, to an apartment complex that was in Brooks base to keep her at Brooks. By her 3rd grade they had shrunk the base (a concept I agreed with after our experience at Millbrook!) but that meant our apartment complex was now "shifted" to Leesville Elementary! Fortunately, somehow - we achieved magnet status and she didn't have to attend what would have been her 3rd elementary school.
I guess my point to all this rambling is that I can see both sides of this issue. The neighborhood schools concept is a step in the right direction, but I think that entire apartment complexes need to be treated as a "community" just like the more affluent subdivisions are and not divided up to various schools. I'm hopeful that with our new board, this type of social engineering will stop.
Finally, looking ahead to Middle School, one of the reasons I chose the apartment community I chose was because I was dumb enough to believe things would be the same looking ahead a couple of years! I was excited that Brooks fed into Daniels and by the prospect of her returning to the IB curriculum (if she could handle it). Obviously that changed when the school board 'de-magnetized' Daniels. OUCH!! Given the location of our apartment complex - Creedmoor Rd, north of Crabtree Mall, I would LOVE for Daniels to STILL be a choice for us. It is not. If she doesn't 'track through to Moore Square' then she is assigned to Leesville Middle. I don't consider myself to be 'poor' but I guess the fact that I can't afford to buy a house right now, makes us "poor" according to WCPSS.
Anyway, Jenman - it seems like you 'get all this' -- I would definitely support your run for a district seat! Thanks for listening to my story.
??
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:52 — turnerk1Why was the IB curriculum not a good fit for the Hispanic and Black population at your old school?