Post by gatordog on Dec 13, 2007 12:33:38 GMT -6
Exhausting enough reading recent thread. Let me spend a bit of effort trying to be constructive 
Rew and others asked a very good question. Can you show me boundaries that work? And I agree, from making things "work" in terms of the list of distance, achievement balance, walkers, etc it does appear to be a conundrum.
One question was not on the list. (tip of the cap to macy, who posed a quest on this weeks ago that gave me a spark). And I think it may be the key to sensible and fair boundaries: what do we want to do with MS assignments?
There are two fair options: maximum the number of 100% feeders (wont be all of them of course) OR maximize the number ~50/50 split feeders (again, wont be all of them.)
Lets debate this, and use THAT as a guiding principle for final HS boundary determination. Note, this applies to ANY site, not just a controversial northern one. And this is an equal-opportunity issue in that virtually all areas have a stake in this. Not just a "border-state" issue. Or a former BB-assignment issue.
I have said before, and I know many agree, I think we should shoot for maximizing split MS. I think having, a bulk of kids and families getting to know each other through MS years, then still be friends and (former) school mates even though at diff HS, will go a long way to cutting down on any divisions within our district. (I think this is way be better way to promote "perception equality" than merely shaving points on averge test scores.) However, I fully acknowledge people could make plausible arguments that its best for the bulk of student when and if possible to not be in a split MS. If they can make the case, lets hear it.
Let me run with this in potential real world terms. (how is that for a contradiction... potential real world
). Assume a north site happens.
My quasi-eductated guess from early thread was this:
If you wanted to maximize split MS's: Mcc and Steck (nonwalkers) push north, while bulk of Watts/Cowl (south of Ogden) stay at WV.
If you wanted to minimize split MS's: bulk of Mcc and Steck stay at WV, and its Cowl and Watts pushing north.
I think the Mcc and Steck going north has geographical feature in that the dividing line ("what is the north?") is ogden ave. I gotta get spreadsheet double checked....but as I look at current ES enrollments, there is indeed enough students north of ogden to fill MV. (WV by coincidence only circa early 1970s is on the wrong side of Odgen....big deal!)
A few details (but dont get bogged down in them!). My split showing enuff students north of ogden assumes 90% of Mcc, 100% of St, 10% of Watts, and 33% of Cowl available to MV. (for near term total HS enroll of 9134, I project MV at 2676 enrollment). Note: MV would have a future growth area assigned to it as well, the meijer area Lehign St of Watts.
A word on walkers. Drive by or check out aerial image. Within a 1/2 mi radius (approx 30 min walk) for Mcc its apt and townhomes. For steck its a few houses south of the lake. The bulk of single family home walkers within 1/2 mi are Gtown. Yes, the appt area from Mcc should "split" from there ES. But it is highly likely that they werent in that apt during there ES years anyhow. The few number of St walkers, they can go where they want or decide themselves, and their small number will not influence in signficant way either MV or WV enrollement.
Summary: lets use MS boundaries as guide for HS boundaries.
Rew and others asked a very good question. Can you show me boundaries that work? And I agree, from making things "work" in terms of the list of distance, achievement balance, walkers, etc it does appear to be a conundrum.
One question was not on the list. (tip of the cap to macy, who posed a quest on this weeks ago that gave me a spark). And I think it may be the key to sensible and fair boundaries: what do we want to do with MS assignments?
There are two fair options: maximum the number of 100% feeders (wont be all of them of course) OR maximize the number ~50/50 split feeders (again, wont be all of them.)
Lets debate this, and use THAT as a guiding principle for final HS boundary determination. Note, this applies to ANY site, not just a controversial northern one. And this is an equal-opportunity issue in that virtually all areas have a stake in this. Not just a "border-state" issue. Or a former BB-assignment issue.
I have said before, and I know many agree, I think we should shoot for maximizing split MS. I think having, a bulk of kids and families getting to know each other through MS years, then still be friends and (former) school mates even though at diff HS, will go a long way to cutting down on any divisions within our district. (I think this is way be better way to promote "perception equality" than merely shaving points on averge test scores.) However, I fully acknowledge people could make plausible arguments that its best for the bulk of student when and if possible to not be in a split MS. If they can make the case, lets hear it.
Let me run with this in potential real world terms. (how is that for a contradiction... potential real world
). Assume a north site happens.My quasi-eductated guess from early thread was this:
If you wanted to maximize split MS's: Mcc and Steck (nonwalkers) push north, while bulk of Watts/Cowl (south of Ogden) stay at WV.
If you wanted to minimize split MS's: bulk of Mcc and Steck stay at WV, and its Cowl and Watts pushing north.
I think the Mcc and Steck going north has geographical feature in that the dividing line ("what is the north?") is ogden ave. I gotta get spreadsheet double checked....but as I look at current ES enrollments, there is indeed enough students north of ogden to fill MV. (WV by coincidence only circa early 1970s is on the wrong side of Odgen....big deal!)
A few details (but dont get bogged down in them!). My split showing enuff students north of ogden assumes 90% of Mcc, 100% of St, 10% of Watts, and 33% of Cowl available to MV. (for near term total HS enroll of 9134, I project MV at 2676 enrollment). Note: MV would have a future growth area assigned to it as well, the meijer area Lehign St of Watts.
A word on walkers. Drive by or check out aerial image. Within a 1/2 mi radius (approx 30 min walk) for Mcc its apt and townhomes. For steck its a few houses south of the lake. The bulk of single family home walkers within 1/2 mi are Gtown. Yes, the appt area from Mcc should "split" from there ES. But it is highly likely that they werent in that apt during there ES years anyhow. The few number of St walkers, they can go where they want or decide themselves, and their small number will not influence in signficant way either MV or WV enrollement.
Summary: lets use MS boundaries as guide for HS boundaries.