School Rezoning Maybe Long

[reddixie]

Ok this maybe long. I am living in the fastest growing county in US. Of course we have growing pains. Our schools are way overcrowded and they are talking of rezoning. They built a school that was to be elementary. Well they are talking about making it a Middle High School. 2 of our current elementaries will become K-2. Two will be K-6. Our two current middle schools will become intermediates 3-6. They are right next to the two K-2 schools BTW. Our new school and the 2 current high schools will be middle-high 7-12. They say that 5000 of our current 11000 will be rezoned under this plan but we won't need a new school for 2 years and that rezoning will be easier then. The other plan is to leave the 4 elementary schools as such and the 2 middle schools as such. Add the new school as elementary and divert 1000 kids from 2 of the current ones. Then take 1000 of our 6-8 grades and put them in one of our high schools making it one high school grades 6-12 and one 9-12. This would mean only 2000 rezone. With this plan we would need a new school each year for at least 5 years and then we will need to rezone yearly with more upheaval county wide. So now we have to put in our two cents. I posted a poll about bussing and made it a separate thread because most parents are opposed to bussing with the first plan. The other opposition comes from putting 7-12 together even though they assure us that 7 and 8 will be by itself. So what are the opinions of the Dis. Plan 1 or Plan 2 and why?

 

[Barb D]

I'm not clear on how dividing the ages differently will make the schools less crowded. You'd still have the same number of kids and the same amount of classroom space. Plus, kids would be constantly changing schools. I don't have a problem with busing (for a reasonable distance) but it seems like it would make more sense to just deal with the issue by creating more space.

 

[golfgal]

I'm not clear on how dividing the ages differently will make the schools less crowded. You'd still have the same number of kids and the same amount of classroom space. Plus, kids would be constantly changing schools. I don't have a problem with busing (for a reasonable distance) but it seems like it would make more sense to just deal with the issue by creating more space.

Not necessarily. The K-2 grades might be a lot larger then the 3-6 grades in a growing area, especially one attracting younger families.

Our public schools are currently split by grade level and pretty much everyone I know hates the set up. I know one family that has kids in 4 different buildings in town which means that they go to 4 different nights of parent/teacher conferences, 4 different Christmas concerts, 4 of everything.

 

[taximomfor4]

I vote plan 1. Rezoning etc from plan 2 gets very pricey, at a time that is already going to get pricey (huge ciommunity growth). A new building every year for 5 years is a LOT of money, not the best use of resources, and rezoning every year you would have some kids changing schools way too often. JMO.

My kids ride buses. There have been problems at the bus stop, but not on the bus. Most of the kids at the bus stop are TERRIBLE. I complained to the school more than once, talked to several mothers (who leave for work while the kids are still at the bus stop), etc...the final solution is that the younger kids wait on my side of the intersection, while the older kids wait on the other side. They are still terrible, but my kids are not getting dragged into it anymore. Wait, one kid on the bus (kindergartener) was teasing my 2nd grader because he is bigger than her. We helped her deal with it, issue over. Our buses always have the kindergarten kids sit right behind the driver, and the first graders right behind them.

 

[reddixie]

A few are expressing concern over the 3 different school thing as well. I think the district could help with that though. They could stage things like parent conference night. You know 6:00 for K-2, 7:00 for 3-6, and 8:00 for the rest. They could do it on two nights and stage it as before. We do have sister campuses for the K-2 and 3-6 so I think that it is easier than driving them all over town KWIM. They are also expressing concern for well it really ease the overcrowding and how. I want to know and am going to go and ask about the 2 left that are K-6 that had 33 percent growth this year. How are they not going to be overcrowded as well. So keep your thoughts coming. I am already seeing that some of the concerns would be asked anywhere and not just the I am better attitude that I thought most of these parents had. I personally think that change is inevitable. I guess I can't judge fairly as I grew up in the districts with the highest growth in the nation. I think oh well just deal and wanted everyone's opinion. Thanks