Yes vs NO

[kae]

204parent said:

kae said:

Will you be happy if they announce that Howie will retire with $100,000 bonus and a lifetime salary of $250,000 per year paid for by your taxes?

Those are the kinds of questions that should be asked before the 2009 referendum. The money from this referendum can only be used to build the 3rd HS.

Howie could be long gone by then, with your taxes already in his retirement plan.

[stinks]

Yes, there was an issue with that woman who left here with a big bump and is in Florida. But, isn't HC's salary in line with what he does? I remember seeing some table indicating that HC was basically average in th bunch.

Regardless, I wouldn't want his job. People hating and maligning you and having to manage a school district as large as ours. It's a PITA as far as I'm concerned.

I don't understand why people begrudge others their salaries.

[204parent]

kae said:

204parent said:

Those are the kinds of questions that should be asked before the 2009 referendum. The money from this referendum can only be used to build the 3rd HS.

Howie could be long gone by then, with your taxes already in his retirement plan.

I understand, but that has nothing to do with this referendum.

[stinks]

You're right 204P. Comments like that are immaterial and serve as a smokescreen to the present issue.

[lancer]

Has anyone asked their KIDS if they are interested in going to a high school with 5,000 other kids? Everyone is all upset about the boundaries and being separated from friends, but the reality is that they could be separated in shifts anyway. I'd like to hear more from the kids who are already trying to move from class to class at the schools that are already packed. What's it going to be like to put another thousand or so into that school? We need more room now and there's no time to sit around and wait for more options. We all knew when we moved here that we were moving to a growing community with swingsets in almost every yard. Go to any district surrounding us and you'll see they have the same issues. It's easy for us to sit on our computers and debate this issue...but we're not the ones trying to get from class to class, or give up on "trying" out for something because hundreds of kids are. And for some of us parents with kids who have special needs and I.E.P.s, the idea of a mega school is frightening. We moved here because of 204's wonderful reputation for a good education for kids with special needs. And for those parents and kids trying to get into certain colleges in state and out, I can't even imagine what it's going to be like to compete for class ranking status with 5,000 overachievers. I realize the kids aren't paying the tax bill, the parents are. But this whole referendum issue is about the quality of education for our kids. We already pay high taxes, but I certainly don't want to pay high taxes AND have my kids going to school with 5,000 kids, limited activities and opportunities, possible split shifts, etc. etc. At least if I'm going to pay a lot I want what's best for the kids and our future. The only option is the third high school. If you're voting no because you don't want higher taxes and are worried about property values -- remember we have all benefited from increased property values, partly because demand for our school system. Higher home value means higher property taxes. Just like when you buy that fancy 50K car or SUV you pay higher sales tax.

[Arch]

I've got news for you, the IEP beyond the elementary level will probably leave a bad taste in your mouth. I certianly hope that is not your experience, but be aware and be ready to be more involved than you needed to be for grades K-5.
As far as how my kids feel: My 9th grader is having his best year ever this year at WC Gold. I ask him about things being crowded and he says the only thing remotely crowded in his opinion is the bus. My neighbors (5 seniors, 2 sophmores this year) have nothing bad to say about their HS experience at WVHS. Graduating with honors, colleges picked out, applied, some heard back already, scholarships lined up, etc.
Ask them about overcrowding there and the look at you like you're on crack.

[cantretirehere]

archwinsome said:

I've got news for you, the IEP beyond the elementary level will probably leave a bad taste in your mouth. I certianly hope that is not your experience, but be aware and be ready to be more involved than you needed to be for grades K-5.
As far as how my kids feel: My 9th grader is having his best year ever this year at WC Gold. I ask him about things being crowded and he says the only thing remotely crowded in his opinion is the bus. My neighbors (5 seniors, 2 sophmores this year) have nothing bad to say about their HS experience at WVHS. Graduating with honors, colleges picked out, applied, some heard back already, scholarships lined up, etc.
Ask them about overcrowding there and the look at you like you're on crack.

Abolutely Arch -
I have a senior and a sophmore this year. I have asked them about how crowded their school is and they ask me, "what do you mean?" I go on to ask them how crowded the halls are, what is the cafeteria like, do they feel like their classes are too big, etc. They say everything is fine. They said, "the floors by the sophomore lockers are dirty because the sophomores are pigs". BTW - I will repeat that my daughter is a sophomore so she is talking about herself That is what they think is the worst thing about school. If that is the worst thing, then our kids are pretty lucky.

Some of my kid's friend's have opted to take the larger history class in that small auditorium that holds a ton of kids. I forgot what they call it. After they completed the class they said that they liked the anonymity of it and that they expect it will have been a good experience in preparing for college.

As for getting into colleges: My Senior is my average kid. AND I DO MEAN AVERAGE. He took one honors class in each of his first 3 years. He is taking 1 AP class now. He has never gotten an A in any of his honors or AP classes. Even in his regulars classes he works his butt off to get his A's and B's. He had just a slightly above average ACT score. He was accepted by his first choice college within 1 month of applying. The college he was accepted at only accepts 1 out of every 3-4 qualified applicants, and they are giving him a scholarship. If this is how a crowded school hurts a kid then I'm all for crowded. His friends are also having no problem getting into their top choices of colleges and many of them are average just like he is.

[title1parent]

Lancer,

Be prepared with becoming very informed and very vocal regarding IEPs. My son is in 7th grade and the MS did a test run with him regarding no help for his LD. It took him 2 days to take one test and he failed another. Not typical of my son. They wanted him out of the IEP program. I strongly disagreed and refused to sign the paperwork. A friend of mine who deals with IEPs guided me and I was able to put him "on consult". I get to go through the whole process again next year. I am getting testing done through a private therapist to use at the meeting, and have kept assignments he has not done well on as proof he still struggles. As more and more kids enter this school district, more and more kids are starting to get "sent packing" from their IEPs because the district doesn't have the manpower. Scary that this is happening to our most struggling students.

[title1parent]

One last thing,
THe district was the one who labeled my son with an LD....and now they say he doesn't have one anymore. ?

[Arch]

They also have some people who frankly should not even be working with kids. The way to get a student with sensory issues to do something is not to raise your voice and bark orders at them like they are some junkyard dog. You don't hold them to a higher standard of behavior then neuro-typicals either, but that frequently goes on as well.

It appears there is a lack the training and UNDERSTANDING of the multitude of conditions the children have that they're supposed to be helping... So they get frustrated, and this is the behavior that results.

[Arch]

I often wonder if the business practice goes something like this:

If we make it less effective than it was, but still keep it within the law, maybe the parent will put the kids elsewhere.
It honks me off to see many things that fit that pattern of thinking.

There are some in the program who do a WONDERFUL job and are great w/ the children but I feel some are cracking under the pressure of being told to do more with less.

[warriorpride]

cantretirehere said:

archwinsome said:

I've got news for you, the IEP beyond the elementary level will probably leave a bad taste in your mouth. I certianly hope that is not your experience, but be aware and be ready to be more involved than you needed to be for grades K-5.
As far as how my kids feel: My 9th grader is having his best year ever this year at WC Gold. I ask him about things being crowded and he says the only thing remotely crowded in his opinion is the bus. My neighbors (5 seniors, 2 sophmores this year) have nothing bad to say about their HS experience at WVHS. Graduating with honors, colleges picked out, applied, some heard back already, scholarships lined up, etc.
Ask them about overcrowding there and the look at you like you're on crack.

Abolutely Arch -
I have a senior and a sophmore this year. I have asked them about how crowded their school is and they ask me, "what do you mean?" I go on to ask them how crowded the halls are, what is the cafeteria like, do they feel like their classes are too big, etc. They say everything is fine. They said, "the floors by the sophomore lockers are dirty because the sophomores are pigs". BTW - I will repeat that my daughter is a sophomore so she is talking about herself That is what they think is the worst thing about school. If that is the worst thing, then our kids are pretty lucky.

Some of my kid's friend's have opted to take the larger history class in that small auditorium that holds a ton of kids. I forgot what they call it. After they completed the class they said that they liked the anonymity of it and that they expect it will have been a good experience in preparing for college.

As for getting into colleges: My Senior is my average kid. AND I DO MEAN AVERAGE. He took one honors class in each of his first 3 years. He is taking 1 AP class now. He has never gotten an A in any of his honors or AP classes. Even in his regulars classes he works his butt off to get his A's and B's. He had just a slightly above average ACT score. He was accepted by his first choice college within 1 month of applying. The college he was accepted at only accepts 1 out of every 3-4 qualified applicants, and they are giving him a scholarship. If this is how a crowded school hurts a kid then I'm all for crowded. His friends are also having no problem getting into their top choices of colleges and many of them are average just like he is.

Regarding the current HS's not being crowded TODAY, the point of building the 3rd HS is not for this year's high school classes, it's for the kids currently in middle school, and grade school, and pre-school, and those that haven't been born yet.

[momto4]

lancer said:

Has anyone asked their KIDS if they are interested in going to a high school with 5,000 other kids? Everyone is all upset about the boundaries and being separated from friends, but the reality is that they could be separated in shifts anyway. I'd like to hear more from the kids who are already trying to move from class to class at the schools that are already packed. What's it going to be like to put another thousand or so into that school? We need more room now and there's no time to sit around and wait for more options.

Yes, I have asked my daughter who is a sophomore at WVHS.

She says the cafeteria is overflowing, there are more students than seats. Some kids sit on the floor, some eat in the hallway, some go to the library or computer labs where there is no food allowed. She says the hallways are packed at passing periods. She reports she has classes where there are not enough desks for all the students, nor is there room for more desks. Also, the five minute passing period is barely enough time to get from one section of the third floor to the other.

==========================
www.204thekids.org/emailblast/emailblast_feb20.html

[Arch]

What classes don't have enough desks? (Subject, Room#, and period)
Are all the cafeteria seats really taken or do some kids just not want to sit with others, leaving those 'buffer' empty seats all over the place?

[204parent]

My wife was doing some volunteer work at Crone a few weeks ago and saw the same thing. There were three kids in the back of the class sitting in chairs without desks because there wasn't room for enough desks.

What are we supposed to do, complain to the administration? We're the ones that didn't approve the referendum last year. The administration is doing the best they can with the resources we've given them.