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Post by doctorwho on Oct 23, 2008 5:53:42 GMT -6
Gotta love the fact that JC wholly supports not opening any 'floodgates' to change because a decision has been made --- this the same SB member who led an organized protest and attempt to change a previous SB decison when it didn't go her or her areas way. How is this not hypocritical ? www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/opinions/1236952,6_4_NA23_EDITORIAL_S1.article School district has fair policy on split-school pupils Recommend Comments October 23, 2008 It has been a long, difficult road for the board and administration at Indian Prairie School District 204 to get Metea Valley High School on the path of construction. Now, the district must deal with the problem affecting families of two or more high school students who will be split between two schools next fall when Metea is scheduled to open. When that happens many families will find that they have a freshman or sophomore attending Metea while they also have an upperclassman who will stay at either Waubsonsie Valley High School or Neuqua Valley High School. THE ISSUE: With the opening of Metea Valley High School next fall will come requests for families to keep their high school students together in one school. OUR VIEW: We're sympathetic to the problem, but Indian Prairie School District 204 has a good policy in place and should stick to it. To this point, the district has stuck by its transfer policy, which basically says that students go to the school to which they are assigned - unless there are "extraordinary circumstances such as family move, request from an outside agency, family hardship, psychological/emotional health or social needs, or administrator placement per board policies and procedures." The issue came up at Monday's board meeting because board member Curt Bradshaw cited the case of a family that has a freshman and two twin juniors. The students, all swimmers, would end up on two different swim teams instead of being teammates unless they can go to the same school. Bradshaw agreed with the family, which has argued it will be a better situation for the family if the teens can all compete together and be at one school for 5 a.m. swim practice, instead of two. He found the request compelling, but basically he ran into a roadblock from administrators and his fellow board members, who for the most part don't want to bend the policy. Board President Mark Metzger argued that the district can't be flexible because of the litigious nature of the community. We agree with that stance, and with the remarks of school board member Jeannette Clark who said that once the "flood gate" opens more people will come in with requests.There are hundreds of families who conceivably would want to have their kids kept together at one high school. As bureaucratic as it may seem, the bottom line is that if the district sticks to its policy all the split-family problems will be solved in a couple of years as Metea becomes a four-year high school. Before long whatever angst exists now will be forgotten. |
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Post by snerdley on Oct 23, 2008 6:57:10 GMT -6
"As bureaucratic as it may seem, the bottom line is that if the district sticks to its policy all the split-family problems will be solved in a couple of years as Metea becomes a four-year high school. Before long whatever angst exists now will be forgotten."
More trivialization of people's concerns.
Not only are the kids affected, but families with 2 kids in high school generally share a car. So splitting families causes financial hardships as well as emotional ones.
But the additude is always "oh well, in a couple of years it won't matter anyway".
Actually it will always matter to those who were affected.
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Post by Arch on Oct 23, 2008 7:02:18 GMT -6
Might as well have printed: "I got mine, F* y'all"
At least then there's no fake altruism.
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Oct 23, 2008 8:22:40 GMT -6
This subject has been resurrected, wonder if there are families that experienced these type of changes the last time around (opening of nvhs). Maybe the folks that experienced this last time can shed some light on how intrusive the move is. Some logistic tips would also be helpful for families that will be juggling "before and after school"activities at different schools.
This issue can be handled at the adm. level and does not have to involve the board imo. Seems to me the local paper dredging up an emotional issue that will affect a small percentage of the school population.
I am very happy that the board is staying focused on larger issues that will affect all district families in these economically challenging times.
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Post by doctorwho on Oct 23, 2008 9:10:32 GMT -6
This subject has been resurrected, wonder if there are families that experienced these type of changes the last time around (opening of nvhs). Maybe the folks that experienced this last time can shed some light on how intrusive the move is. Some logistic tips would also be helpful for families that will be juggling "before and after school"activities at different schools. This issue can be handled at the adm. level and does not have to involve the board imo. Seems to me the local paper dredging up an emotional issue that will affect a small percentage of the school population. I am very happy that the board is staying focused on larger issues that will affect all district families in these economically challenging times. I disagree-- a few hundred families is not insignificant - do they not get the same consideration as others ? This is how it happens -- sorry we won't even acknowledge Watts has a severe transportation issue at the boundary meeting - we'll just ignore it- it's ONLY one area, the bridge ONLY affects x amount of would be walkers- let's make up a baloney story about how the park district won't maintain the bridge and send them a letter- they'll go away , we'.. move these 30 kids 6 miles to ES - it's only 30 kids- a small percentage---- Also it's not the paper 'dredging' it up- they are listening to what people in the district are saying - no offense- but you are not affected by this and therfore it's not an issue for you- I'm happy for you that it isn't, you're very fortunate- but it is a concern for many families who have to face this... shoving it under a rug isn't going to work any longer here luckily at least Curt gets it -- it's never important until it happens to you is not a good way for the board or the admin to proceed. We have a finance director for the economic issues - you can do all the logisitcs you want- when one child is playing VB for Waubonsie at 4:30 and the other is playing VB for Neuqua at the same time ( conference times are the same- oe one is at home and the other is in St Charles- the parents are forced to choose which one they will attend- that SUCKS - period. |
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Post by Arch on Oct 23, 2008 9:10:46 GMT -6
SSSM,
I agree, it should be a small percentage of the school population and therefore should not make as great an impact as the 'slippery slope' crowd seems to be making it out to be.
One difference with opening NV though... How many areas went to a FURTHER school as a result of it opening?
Any?
From what I can dig up, they all got moved to a CLOSER school; but I admit I could be wrong about that... and I'd love to know the area that got one farther away (if it existed).
Again, I'd like to see real numbers and not speculated 'flood gate' rhetoric.
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Post by doctorwho on Oct 23, 2008 9:11:21 GMT -6
Might as well have printed: "I got mine, F* y'all" At least then there's no fake altruism. that meeting was already held- it was called the last boundary discussion. |
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Oct 23, 2008 9:48:57 GMT -6
DW, I certainly hope a few hundred families would not flooding the adm with requests to stay at a given school. As for not being affected you are correct from a standpoint that my kids will not be changing schools, though that does not mean that there are not occasional conflicts between the middle and high school schedules. You do have a good point as to high schoolers playing at the exact same time at different locations, though that can also happen with students going to the same high school.
Arch your concern with students going to a closer school vs a more distant school is a valid concern, but as construction continues at a "ahead of schedule" pace on mvhs the subject is mute imo.
As far as flood gate numbers who knows what they are, but more importantly with the "Sue happy" society we live in why expend the energy and expense with so little up side. I would still like to hear from someone that went thru the change of location when nvhs came online.
There is one more question that has been nagging me. Would we have this type of news coverage and perceived discontent if the location would have stayed at BB?
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Post by sashimi on Oct 23, 2008 9:54:56 GMT -6
I do not know why I ever go over a read the green board (just always fires me up and depresses me at the same time).
In addition to one poster who found it necessary to declare this morning what dispicable and bad people the nine individuals who signed their names to the NSFOC lawsuit are (they are in fact all hiding in the Afghan mountains as we speak), another poster reminds all of us that the issue of splitting families was long ago decided in that we voted against any such exceptions as part of the last referendum (do not even get me started on the irony here...).
The hard reality here is that I really think that the cards have been dealt and those of us who got all jokers only have one option for the long term; to make sure that the current SB incumbents get voted out one by one at each opportunity.
The issue of splitting siblings is going to be a huge inconvenience and hardship on some. However, ALL OF US will be impacted by the fact that the current tax base WILL NOT BE ABLE to support the investment of the 3d high school, so we will either see huge increases in our individual property taxes (which will continue the cycle and drive down property values) OR we will loose significant programs for our children (most likely will see a combination of both).
I am 100% positive that this District is heading towards a serious crisis based on the economy and miscalculations by the Board and Admin on student popultations and growth of the District. The splitting of siblings is in fact going to be one of the least of our concerns.
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Post by Arch on Oct 23, 2008 9:57:51 GMT -6
RE: same coverage if at BB? No one will ever know that answer, but many will believe their own preconceived notion is 'the truth' about it.
As far as sue-happy... if the numbers are known and the numbers can prove a great disturbance in the balance then that justifies the policy of no exceptions. Without the numbers, there is always doubt and distrust... and that will come into play yet again with upcoming referendum votes...especially as the economy marches further into the crapper after the year-end sales numbers come out.... Justify the stance with facts and not rhetoric (bridge memos, for example) and people can live with it. Take the "trust us" approach that turned out to not be the case for several important things and the hand will be bitten eventually.
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Post by doctorwho on Oct 23, 2008 10:13:29 GMT -6
DW, I certainly hope a few hundred families would not flooding the adm with requests to stay at a given school. As for not being affected you are correct from a standpoint that my kids will not be changing schools, though that does not mean that there are not occasional conflicts between the middle and high school schedules. You do have a good point as to high schoolers playing at the exact same time at different locations, though that can also happen with students going to the same high school. Arch your concern with students going to a closer school vs a more distant school is a valid concern, but as construction continues at a "ahead of schedule" pace on mvhs the subject is mute imo. As far as flood gate numbers who knows what they are, but more importantly with the "Sue happy" society we live in why expend the energy and expense with so little up side. I would still like to hear from someone that went thru the change of location when nvhs came online. There is one more question that has been nagging me. Would we have this type of news coverage and perceived discontent if the location would have stayed at BB? remember the 'flooding' is the admin terminology , not mine. We are talking about a few hundred @ best IMHO - they should not be ignored, nor should this be some overwhelming project for our admin. |
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Post by doctorwho on Oct 23, 2008 10:19:34 GMT -6
DW, I certainly hope a few hundred families would not flooding the adm with requests to stay at a given school. As for not being affected you are correct from a standpoint that my kids will not be changing schools, though that does not mean that there are not occasional conflicts between the middle and high school schedules. You do have a good point as to high schoolers playing at the exact same time at different locations, though that can also happen with students going to the same high school. Arch your concern with students going to a closer school vs a more distant school is a valid concern, but as construction continues at a "ahead of schedule" pace on mvhs the subject is mute imo. As far as flood gate numbers who knows what they are, but more importantly with the "Sue happy" society we live in why expend the energy and expense with so little up side. I would still like to hear from someone that went thru the change of location when nvhs came online. There is one more question that has been nagging me. Would we have this type of news coverage and perceived discontent if the location would have stayed at BB? the school is being built- that is a troubling, but mute point- I agree there. HOWEVER, moving kids there from as far away as we are HAS NOT started yet. That is NOT a mute point and can still be addressed. Would you not agree...or is it sit down and shut up time again ? I want to know what the problem is with news coverage. Isn't the local paper supposed to reflect the feelings of the peole it serves ? When they print a Happy Jack article about the schools or school system , that is OK, but when they print what a good number of people feel- as well as the reporters saw what happened first hand also- that is NOT okay. Seems like sensorship is what is being asked for here - that IS disturbing. What part of their article is untrue ? |
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Oct 23, 2008 10:45:27 GMT -6
DW,
There is always time to fine tune boundaries, just as there is a time to change boundaries.
As for truth to newspaper articles there is truth in almost all articles I read. Just as there is truth in almost all lTE that are put out there. The concern I have is that newspaper articles seldom have follow-up stories that portray "the other side" of whatever topic is being covered.
Case in point: The Captains (Dr. Dash) salary. How about a follow-up article about what other districts are paying their supt. Take for instance East Aurora district which is much smaller than our own and the supt is being paid more.
DW you see you will seldom see follow-up articles stating boring analytical data, instead splashy headlines that are low on content imo.
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Post by doctorwho on Oct 23, 2008 10:48:17 GMT -6
Little johnny gets to stay with his brother at WVHS,NVHS, but little johnny has four sibblings that are a year apart (old school parents you see). All of little johnny's siblings play soccer (hockey, band, baseball, football,etc you get the point), the dad of little johnny did not save enough money for all the kids to get to college, so little johnny's dad is banking on scholarships. Scholarships that may not be available at a high school that does not offer varsity sports for poor johnny who is a star sports figure in his sophmore year. This leaves Johnny's dad in "pickle of a situation" . Dad starts raising holy H-ll about a lot of issues but the real concern is Johnny needs that scholarship. What dad needs to do is look at a article written by sssm on blue about how to get to "college on the cheap". This story is fictional and not meant to poke fun at anyone's personal situation, especially folks that are proficient at populating the world with lots of children. It is meant to be over dramatic in the depiction of what the adm could face if traveling down the slippery slope that some have spoken of. Please do not take a portion of it (like some have) and use it out of context. I think the Little Johnny scenario is quite the leap to make in characterizing parents, and as the parent of a scholarship athlete and knowing others- quite frankly find it extremely offensive. So while it is meant to be oiverdepiction - it also is based on bad facts as well as disturbing hyperbole, FACT: outside of Football-- most college sports scholarships come from CLUB sports competitions and national competition. I can tell you most college coaches in Volleyball will tell you the rarely if ever attend HS competition because the skill levels are so uneen on a team-- I know this is also true from a BB head coach I know. IT IS the experience of representing one's school that is important- not the nasty depiction of some money grubbing parents looking for scholarhips. The high school portion that is crucial to a scholarship is the GPA, and the NCAA clearing house eligibility, not if WV beats NV. So I believe the broad bush you have loaded up there is as wong as one could get. I would never have let my daughter attend a school just because she got a scholarship ( she had 17 offers) the schol had to be a good one that offered her curriculum and she had to want to go there- and almost every parent I know around here feels the same way. being an apologist for the admin is your choice, attempting to paint parents here as something there are not is entirely different and it is hard to say, I'm going to paint this nasty depiction, but no one take it seriously - hen why post it ? |
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Oct 23, 2008 11:01:37 GMT -6
DW, thank you for not using part of it out of context. If I offended you I apologize. It was meant to depict a situation that though highly unlikely, could be a problem for the district when families with multiple children are involved in many different type activities. At what grade level do you tell the families that the next sibling has to go to the new school.
I whole heartedly agree and have for months that your family and your neighbors have the worst commute to the new high school. Maybe there is some wiggle room with regard to that situation (I don't know).
And lastly, though I poked fun at an imaginary situation ( sorry again if I offended you), You do have a very valid point with regard to opportunities at MVHS being limited in some situations. I like you would like to see these individual situations looked at. My hope is that there would be a handful of these situations and not the couple of hundred you have proposed.
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