Monday, December 03, 2007

Big News Coming Out Friday at 5:00 PM

As of this point, any decisions regarding school calendar and student assignment are still speculation.  A lot of the speakers at the Community Engagement Meetings stressed the importance of “creating” more traditional seats in the system.  During the first 3 meetings Chuck Dulaney stressed “All 3 of the new elementary schools will open on a year-round calendar” and also “My department will not recommend converting any of the MYR schools back to a traditional calendar”.  However, at the last Community Engagement Meeeting he did mention that “one option being considered is converting some of the MYR schools back to a traditional calendar.” Whether you believe he said that because he is truly considering this option OR you think that he only said it because he knows that the School Board is considering it doesn’t really matter.  We’ll all see the draft on Friday and go from there.

Some of the speakers asked for special consideration regarding the assignments of their particular nodes.  The whole concept of keeping track of neighborhoods and nodes is mind-boggling to say the least.

It’s no secret that we are one of hundreds of families at Leesville Elementary School hoping to be converted back to a traditional calendar.  I know many other families are hoping for the same thing to happen at other schools too.  Nothing has been said as to how they will evaluate which schools (if any) to consider in this draft plan.

Regardless of what you are hoping to see, this is just a “draft”, and there are 2 more revisions that will be done before the School Board signs off on the final plan.

No matter how you look at it, I sure don’t envy WCPSS for the task they’re being faced with. 

As you think about the draft plan, what are you hoping for?  What are you expecting to see?  Are you anxious?  Excited?  Hopeful? 

Have a GREAT week!

Lisa,
As with almost every other year at this time with WCPSS, it is a mixture of all those emotions you named, but this year in particular, personally it is with exhaustion and dread for more of the “same old, same old”...I have said I envy you your optimism and I could surely use some as this coming year when my youngest (and last) will enter school (whether or not it is WCPSS is truly still to be seen) and just the thought of potentially seven more years of a split schedule, assuming they don’t convert LES back to T,and never convert LMS to YR, is emotionally draining.  For 11+ years I have watched (this is actually only our second year in WCPSS, we did private for the eldest for three years,then another school system for two) WCPSS and Chuck Delaney, decimate neighborhoods, split apart families, separate siblings all in the name of “diversity” and it is heartbreaking each and every time.  I have seen families take on rent to keep sibs in the same school (realistically tuiton for public school!?)and do whatever they can to manage the chaos enacted on them year after year after year.

Your comments on keeping track on nodes, etc is spot on and should be seriously considered when talk about deconsolidating the school system comes up.  This district is far too large, both student population and geographically to be maintained by one administrative body and one school board with only district votes to get in office.  The entire legislative process needs an overhaul to say the least and the politics need to be removed from public schools...bottom line.

Draft?  truly??  Revisions??? seriously??  Exactly how well did the “public comment” portions of the CEM’s work with regards to “hearing” what the parents had to say? Was Chuck receptive?  Jovially, supposedly at the last one but that was in the face of political figures of town mayors, so again, how realistically?

I wish more than anything for this year to be different, but as I have truly seen over and over, a leopard doesn’t change its spot, so I don’t hold out much hope.

But Lisa,you keep on keeping on, keep up the tireless work you do, the reporting you do for school families and never lose your optimism, hopefully you’ve got more than enough to cover the rest of us!  :+)

Hi Angela:

Thanks for your post.  From everything I’ve been told, your frustration and your feelings are shared by HUNDREDS of families at our school alone. 

Last year there were some who were “willing to give YR a try”, but have now decided that having kids split onto different schedules is more than they bargained for.  They’re planning to opt-out next year if Leesville doesn’t go back to the traditional calendar.  Others weren’t too concerned last year, but now their oldest child is a rising 6th grader, so if Leesville doesn’t convert back to traditional they’ll be facing the “different school calendar” dilemma too.

I’m also really sad for the Leesville families who may be reassigned to Sycamore Creek.  Our school is such a tight-knit community, and it will be heartbreaking to lose students/families who have been at Leesville for years.  Last year we were “BEGGING” to be “left alone” until we could see how the opening of Sycamore Creek would affect our school population.  At our PTA meeting last January we were told that the new school opening was not a factor because it “would not draw from the Leesville population”.  Now, (if what I’ve been told is true), we’re seeing that things appear to have changed, and it’s a very real possibility that Leesville will be losing some students to Sycamore Creek.

Unfortunately, putting our children onto different tracks has created enough of a division at our school already.  I hate to even think about it, but forcing families to leave the school they know and love will be horrible.

There is not much we can do between now and Friday when the draft is released. 

All I can say is thanks for staying involved, and please continue to do so.  Maybe (just maybe!) we’ll be pleasantly surprised on Friday!

Lisa,

Thanks, as always, for your fair and balanced posts. Much of the community at Salem Middle School is feeling the same way that you at Leesville feel. The year-round calendar has forced many families onto different schedules. Furthermore, it has cause the quality of education at Salem to decline. We were also a very tight-knit group and it has torn us aprt. Our fundraising efforts have fallen short this year and we are having a very difficult time getting volunteers.

Many of us also said we would give year-round a try. However, we can already tell that it is not working for so many reasons: different calendars; no real break as students must be at school for extracurricular activities even during track outs; compromised elective classes; unbalanced class sizes, etc. The number of families in the Cary/Apex area who plan to opt for a traditional calendar next year is staggering. We have been trying to communicate this to the school district but do not feel as though they are listening!

I do not envy WCPSS their job either. However, they could make it so much easier by listening to parents. Most people are reasonable and just want what is best for their family. By accomodating those who want a traditional calendar as well as those who want a year-round calendar, they could balance schools more evenly. Instead, they force some families into year-round while denying others their request for year-round, leaving both groups upset!!

Hi Michelle:

I’m glad you added your post.  It truly is a sad and frustrating situation for many of us.  I completely agree with you that if they just allowed families to have their calendar choice they just might surprise themselves and find out that the numbers would be more balanced than they are in the schools today.

I also believe that people are reasonable and just want what’s best for their families.  I’ve been called a fool for even saying this, but I also believe that some of the School Board members are truly seeing the reality of the situation that was caused by the MYR mess.  I still think that regardless of what Growth Management recommends, there is a chance that the School Board will step in to convert some of the MYR schools back to traditional.  (hopefully Leesville Elementary and Salem Middle are on the list!)

I’m not holding my breath for this to happen, but I sure haven’t given up hope either.

Thanks for staying involved, and I look forward to following the happenings at Salem Middle School.  Happy Holidays to you!

The following was posted today on a different thread by “Tricia”.  Less than 24 hours until the draft plan is available for viewing and the ball is rolling!

From Tricia 12/6/07 - “We received our intent form this week, 12/3.  It looks like those families that opted out of yr for a traditional calendar school in Feb. are guaranteed there traditional calendar school that they are in now for the remainder of there schools configuration.  Those that opted out of yr after the lawsuit will not have that same guarantee.  I don’t think that this is really fair.  If the system gets flooded with traditional calendar requests, they are in a world of trouble.”

Whats your view on fully funding NRP and using the Neighborhoods originations as a communication resource, as a city growth mechanism and as the means to engage the community?