One issue that the Wake County school board will have to decide for the 2013-14 student assignment plan is what to do with the feeder patterns that were part of the choice plan.
Staff recommended, as part of the now discarded draft base maps, honoring the choice plan feeders for middle school and high school. The board's agreement last week to work with the 11-12 base maps means reconciling cases where the feeders are different from the choice plan.
The Democratic board members have been openly skeptical of the choice plan's premise that parents could be guaranteed a K-12 feeder pattern. But at last week's work session, board member Susan Evans offered what she called a "good compromise."
“I just wanted to acknowledge some emails I have received from some parents in the last few weeks because I was one of the ones that raised the issue that I’m not sure how practical it is to offer grandfathering these choice feeder patterns for 13 years," Evans said. "And I still believe that’s not practical.
But I’m okay with grandfathering them for a certain period of time, and I did hear from some parents who particularly entered the choice and moved their children to a particular middle school on purpose because of the grandfathering and so one suggestion that was made was that we honor the feeder patterns for three years so that the kids that are in middle school could move on to high school. I think that’s a fair compromise.
I’m not near so concerned about the kids in K through 5 needing to know where they’re going to high school, but I do have some understanding for those parents that made that commitment in middle school because of what they thought was their feeder so I’m just throwing that out as something for us to consider as a good compromise that maybe be we could honor those feeder patterns for a minimum of three years."
"To jump one level in school but not two?" interjected temporary Superintendent Stephen Gainey. "We can look at that.”
Board member Jim Martin, who like Evans has questioned the viability of 13 years of a guaranteed feeder, threw in a word of caution about honoring the feeders past the 13-14 school year.
“Even though I’d love to do it, I think we’re smart to promise what we can promise and that would be for the 13-14 school year," Martin said. "Not that I’m opposed to it, but if we put three years into it then we’re committed to three years into it before we break the promise. I’d rather promise what we can promise not what we can’t necessarily promise.”
One thing that the board has agreed on is to keep from the draft the grandfathering of students at their current school. This covers all the students who are set to continue at their current elementary, middle or high school for the 13-14 school year.
But that grandfathering doesn't, unless the board agrees to do so, cover a rising sixth-grader or rising ninth-grader next year who wants to go to the feeder from the choice plan and not the one that was their 11-12 base assignment.
Also, unless the board agrees to the idea from Evans of honoring the feeders for three years, it means a student who made a middle school choice this year would not automatically be entitled in a few years to the high school feeder they had wanted in the choice plan.
Comments
This may be
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 10:31 — redcityunpopular, but I'll say it anyway. Maybe, just maybe you thought that moving your 7th or 8th grader, so that they would get into XYZ high school under this plan, was a good idea. But WHO really thought that the school system was going to be able to promise you that your third grader was going to be able to go to XYZ high school in 10 years? Really thought that the school system that reassigns because of growth every year, was going to be able to predict demand and growth in any area ten years out? That was an unreasonable promise to begin with and while I think the Board should be held accountable for this promise to some extent, I also find that believing it was a bit gullible.
The voters were gullible
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 11:26 — FSandYOUDid they really believe all the truth distortions Martin and Evans told during their campaigns?
What I find even more laughable is that apparently they thought those two fibbers would actually improve things for their children.
When you can't get into that feeder pattern school you were promised in a year or two, blame yourselves!
They could guarantee that
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 10:37 — loriacThey could guarantee that because by using the choice system they knew who was in line for each school via the feeder patterns. If people opted out, spots would open up for choice. Note that all kids in a neighborhood would not have had the same feeder pattern over time, especially as new schools open or some fill up. But - once assigned you would KNOW where you were going. Staff explained this very well, and I find it interesting that Dr. Martin pretends not to understand it. For this concept to work however, the board would have to stay with it for more than a couple months.
That's where we were gullible - thinking they would give this a chance.
yeah
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 10:42 — redcityI didn't buy it then and I don't buy it now. Five years ago, there was no 540 in Western Wake...no target opening in Holly Springs, no TWO Walmarts on highway 55...there is no way they could predict what what is there now, how many homes will follow and what that will mean for children and their patterns in THAT area. If we need 3 new schools in that area, how does that affect Cary? How many of those kids go to charter/private schools which open every year? I didn't buy the feeder pattern thing (great in concept, unrealistic in implementation) then and I just don't buy it now.
It wouldn't matter what
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 11:05 — jenmanIt wouldn't matter what happens in that area. If a family was already there and was in X elem school, they would feed to Y and then Z. Besides adjustments to a feeder pattern for a new middle or high school being built, your feeder wouldn't change. (The choice plan did not have a real plan for new schools)
If I live in Rolesville and am feeder pattern assigned to Rolesville ES, Roleville MS and Rolesville HS, then it doesn't matter if all of a sudden Rolesville sees a huge influx of new developments right across the street from the Rolesville schools. My kid would still be attending those schools. Newcomers would get seats where ever there was room. Some of them might be sent to Heritage or East Wake instead of Rolesville if there is no room at Rolesville, but I would still be there.
Like I said, the plan didn't address new schools all that well and feeder patterns for a school could change if a new middle or high is built. That would be the only issue and even then they could let families grandfather if they wanted to. Parents with kids in early elem might opt to go with the new feeder pattern while those with older kids would be more likely to want to stay with the original feeder pattern.
transportation
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 14:15 — stepbystepAnother still unresolved issue with the Choice Plan is transportation for THIS year. Many more routes with handfuls of students because of many schools' extended attendance areas this year are still causing unacceptable delays in several parts of the county. It will be interesting to see the transportation costs for 2012-13 when it's said and done. A cost-effective yet workable transportation plan did not seem sustainable for a district this size under the Choice Plan. I'm glad the BOE is keeping the parts of the Choice Plan that are a good idea but abandoning other parts. I think we'll get to something better, though of course not perfect.
Maybe...
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 12:34 — redcitybut a guarantee that you'd feed to High School XYZ for 13 years and that newcomers go wherever there is room creates 1) buses driving all over the county and multiple buses in a neighborhood 2) neighborhoods being "split" which was a complaint - you move out, another family moves in, they don't get your slot (do they?) they get assigned wherever there is room.
My next thought is, why couldn't they have base schools with feeders? Your neighborhood is assigned to ABC Elementary, the EFG middle...then, at least if you had to be reassigned for growth or for another reason, your whole neighborhood would be reassigned together. But it just makes more sense to me that folks should have an idea of where their child would go to school based on an address (even if they were offered "choice" to change from that base.)
...
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 13:00 — Sideburns...then, at least if you had to be reassigned for growth or for another reason, your whole neighborhood would be reassigned together.
You don't mean "if". You mean "when". Let us know if it's any less frustrating to be reassigned with parts of your neighborhood. Do you remember all the blue shirt/red shirt meetings? The Board majority hasn't even begun talking about the student achievement factor in this assignment plan. It's just cranking up.
If they truly understood the
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 10:21 — loriacIf they truly understood the choice plan, they would understand how a feeder pattern could have been guaranteed for 13 years. But that implies a commitment to the plan for more than a couple months. I feel bad for the folks who uprooted their kids to get on their preferred feeder pattern.
Question to Keung - what does this sentence mean:
One thing that the board has agreed on is to keep from the draft the grandfathering of students at their current school.
I thought they would grandfather kids at their current school, but you say 'keep from the draft' ?
I think it means that from
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 11:43 — WakeCtyMomI think it means that from the *original* draft of this plan (the one that is online right now with address lookup for 2013, which they have since scrapped) -- they ARE keeping the grandfathering, but changing the maps. So grandfathering is staying in place.
The draft plan consisted of
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 11:26 — KeungHui (author)The draft plan consisted of both the proposed new base maps and the various rules, such as grandfathering, honoring the choice feeders and the open enrollment period. The board agreed last week to drop the new base maps and to largely go with the rules in the plan, including the grandfathering of existing students. Left up in the air is how they'll handle the feeders from the choice plan for rising sixth- and ninth-graders for next year and in future years.
So, do you think they are
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 11:32 — schoolmomof3So, do you think they are still going to go with the open enrollment idea as well?
They didn't object to the
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 12:20 — KeungHui (author)They didn't object to the concept, but the details still need to be finalized.
Well, I know for example
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 13:09 — schoolmomof3Well, I know for example that a lot of families at Salem Middle bused in from ED nodes in Raleigh took advantage of the choice plan last year to send their kids to schools closer to home in Raleigh. That then put them on a Raleigh school feeder plan to HS. To take that choice of staying close to home away from them is really lousy, in my opinion. For the BoE to come back in and say "oh no, WE know what is best for you, you are being shipped 30 miles back to Apex" is awful. I have a hard time believing that this board is going to keep any element of the open enrollment period in the 2013 plan. It gives too much choice to the families, something that people like these HATE. I liked the idea of the enrollment period, and even setting aside some seats at RC schools/high performing schools for kids from ED nodes to take advantage of if they CHOOSE to do so, but this forced busing is just a shame and it takes away so much from the parents that would actually like to be a part of their kids' school life.
Don't know about Salem
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 13:14 — KeungHui (author)Don't know about Salem Middle, but at the work session Debra Goldman said she wanted to know how many Raleigh families opted to still go to Salem Elemnetary and how many opted to go to closer schools. Susan Evans said she had asked for the data before and that it showed that most of the Raleigh families chose to stay at Salem.
More broken promises from Kevin's thugs
Wed, 10/10/2012 - 09:30 — FSandYOUAnd it's only the beginning folks.
The lying continues!