Thursday, June 28, 2007

Fundamentally against or for year round conversions

This blog has yielded a lively debate between one who fundamentally supports YR conversion and one who is fundamentally against it.  Where do you stand?

There are only two sides to this debate and both sides feel that they are the ones that are absolutely correct.  Is their a gray area in this?  Can both sides be right? 

One of the arguments is that YR conversions will interfere with extracurricular activities that occur during the summer.  The one that seems to be a particular sticky one is local area swim teams.  One mom stated that her children would not be able compete in the summer program because they would be in school.  She inadvertently challenged me to learn more about the swim clubs in the area.  I looked into them and found that they are accommodating to YR and one particular person who was a representative for a private local swim club has his own children on the swim team and in YR on track 2.  He said it works out just fine.  Is there a gray area here that we are both not getting?

Another argument raised was that summer vacations are needed to visit family that lives out of state.  It’s true we have a lot a transplants here, me included, who do have family that don’t live here obviously.  My suggestion was that when you choose to move here you choose to separate yourself from your family in search of what you were or must have been missing when you lived near them. For us it was a full time job for my husband.  It would seem easier to visit and spend time with your family every 9 weeks for a couple of weeks or so than to spend 2 months near them.  Most of us here do need to work and it would be an impossibility for most of us to go away for 2 months to see family.  Need to work to pay the bills if you know what I mean.  Is there a gray area here?

There has also been discussion about the county commissioners.  Did they do the right thing by withholding money for the conversions?  Was forcing the school to look for other options ultimately backfire on them?  The BOE knows that this area is bursting at the seams and we can’t build schools fast enough to keep up with growth.  Why can’t the county commissioners see this?  They are in large part the problem makers instead of the problem solvers in this matter by not controlling growth as they should have.  But, I know it revenue issue.  More people, more money etc.  But more people = more children = more money needed for education.  Seems like a simple equation or is there a gray area here also?

One suggestion is that YR schools are going to cost us too much money because we have to deal with the parents that have opted out of the YR conversions.  One thing afforded to them by WakeCARES and their lawsuit.  One person who supports WakeCARES made this comment.  As far as I am concerned don’t whine about it costing more money when you are the cause of it and proud of it and this person was.  Seems very contradictory to me. 

My point here is can both sides find even ground?  Can we ultimately come together for the betterment of our children or is this issue going to continue to drive a wedge between people in Wake County for years to come?  Should our children BE a gray area?  Voice you opinion either way here.  Thank you!