It is a shame that after hours of public comments, media attention and public outcry the message still seems unclear. We don't want a school to close, we don't want ANY school to close. There is a fundamental difference. All of the CRPUSD schools have wonderful teachers, students, parents and programs. I have no doubt that if our children had to change schools they would be welcomed with open arms and adapt as they do at the beginning of every new school year with new teachers and new classmates. As you can see from other information on the blog, there is ample evidence to suggest that smaller school sizes benefit everyone. The issues associated with increasing student populations to 500-600 on a campus impacts everyone in the community including office personnel, teachers, crossing guards, yard supervisors, lunch workers, custodians not to mention people who simply live on a street leading to schools with hundreds of additional cars driving there at least twice a day. This is not just an issue for Gold Ridge and La Fiesta.
In addition, I have attended every meeting on this issue and at no time have I heard any speaker request program cuts. The district raised the premise of cutting sports, music and libraries and the tactic appears to have worked. It has divided a group that should be united. I have heard parents suggest that declining enrollment appears to be a short term problem requiring a short term solution. Closing schools is not a short term solution when the two year cost is close to a million dollars in capital funding to save $600,000 in the general fund. It is a reaction not a solution.
I have heard speakers ask the board not to rush to judgement. I have heard speakers suggest that perhaps the enrollment issue is not as dire as it appears to be. Information from the University Plan EIP suggest more elementary age children than the district is forecasting. The Sonoma County Health Department records show that birth rates have remained not only steady but increased slightly in 2002. Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics show that although there has been a recent decrease in elementary enrollment they anticipate slightly increased rates through 2014. Lower housing prices means more affordability for families. I have heard speakers ask for another year to look at increasing our ADA rates which are based on a thirty year old proposition that no longer fits the times. I have heard speakers ask for time to look at private donations, magnet schools, charter schools and a variety of other options. I have never heard a speaker stand at the podium and ask to cut music, band, sports, libraries or any other enrichment program.
Every parent in the district knew that school closures were an item of consideration for the district office. If the Superintendent's statements that no particular schools had been identified are true, then this was a community concern. Whether Gold Ridge ignored it may be an item of personal opinion. Over the last few years Gold Ridge has enhanced their academic support services, significantly increased test scores, attracts one of the highest numbers of intra-district transfers and had the highest attendance rates in the district last year. In my opinion, this actually added value. Ask any real estate agent how they respond to buyer questions about schools and they will tell you they refer them to the state's STAR testing data. It was disgraceful to hear the leader of our educational organization downplay the achievements of improved test scores. Intra-district transfers is ADA money that comes from outside of our boundaries. And as we all know so well now, ADA is attendance based and the majority of our general fund. High attendance equals more money. What Gold Ridge may be at fault for is not realizing the Superintendent would focus almost exclusively on the structure, the carpet, walls and roof instead of the system within it. If a homeowner didn't adequately maintain their house for 20 years I have no doubt it would be virtually uninhabitable. Perhaps if equal amounts of the capital improvement and deferred maintenance budgets had been allocated over the last 20 years the building would be in the same condition as the community functioning within it.
To end as I began, this issue affects us all. I truly believe the Board of Trustees does not want to close elementary schools and is open to listening to options. I believe that waiting a year, which does not put us in deficit, and exploring all other avenues and verifying all projected numbers will allow everyone to make fully informed decisions. And lastly, because I believe in what we are hoping to accomplish as a community, I will sign my name.
Jodie Palmigiano
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7 comments:
This is very powerful! Did you mail this letter to the board and superintendant? You inspire me!
Thank you. No but I will. Please, if anyone else chooses to comment and you believe in what we are trying to do sign your name. We are people with names not just numbers on a spreadsheet. If you dont have a google account hit nickname and type your name. Jodie
Very well said Jodie. I agree with all of your comments completely. I agree that closing schools is a short term solution to a short term problem. I feel that the long term problem is our capture rate of kids within the district boaundaries. According to the school closure matrix there are nearly 4,000 elementary aged students living within a mile mile radius of one of our 8 elementary schools that do not attend in our district. That is quite a large figure. Closing elementary schools is certainly not going to convince the parents of those children to stay within our district schools.
Jennifer Chesley
Thank you , Jodie, for this outstanding post. I completely agree with you. It saddens me to hear people voice the opinion that school closures won't negatively impact children. Yes, children are resilient, but I don't believe that means that we should not try to protect them from harm when we can. School closures will be stressful for our children. Adjusting to a brand new school with different staff, students, buildings, rules and procedures is much more of a change than just going from one teacher to another at the start of a new school year. To compare the two is ridiculous. This is not just a parent issue, it is an issue that effects our entire community, and hardest hit will be our children. I am proud to be a part of the fight to save our schools and make our district better for my children and every child who attends. I am proud to be teaching my daughter a valuable lesson- stand up for what you believe in, because you can make a difference. I am proud to sign my name along with yours.
Sincerely,
Jen Stevens
SCHOOL CLOSURE VS. ENRICHMENT
I understand your concern. This has been going on for years. Please recall the failed parcel tax and the 7/11 comittee. I recall the 7/11 comittee coming and visiting all of the schools. Did they miss La Fiesta and Gold Ridge? The threat of school closures has been existent for many years. There is NOT enough money to go around. If we do not close a school than we WILL make cuts to programs. I understand you don't want to see either to happen. The school board agrees with you. Simply put there is not enough money, if all of the schools remain open than program cuts are unavoidable. If we cut programs we will continue to lose ADA which will result in a greater number of school closures in the near future. This is not a personal attack just a reality of a difficult situation. I hope you will bring your many talent to whatever school you attend next year. Please stop beating this dead horse and focus your energy on something more positive - your children need you!
Perhaps you don't see that we are all looking at the same problem, we are just looking at it from different angles. One way to look at declining enrollment is to accept that it is happening and brace yourself in a way that leaves you in the best position to serve the students that remain, this has been our districts approach thus far and seems to be the approach that the SCHOOL CLOSURE V. ENRICHMENT poster has taken. The approach that many of us are suggesting is to do all that you can to lessen the "blow" of declining enrollment. Do things to encourage our local children to attend our local schools. The districts vision statement is clear as to the direction it wants to go. The statements made are to the effective of being a district that is innovative and sets a benchmark for other districts. Closing school fails to set a positive benchmark example. If your goal is to retain the students that you do have wouldn't taking away some of their choices harm that goal?
Why aren't we focusing on capturing all of the students that we can instead of doing a short term fix that will still leave us with a deficit. If the deficit will be $11,000 in two years with the help of closing two schools but not allowing for how many of the students will leave the district what do you think that the deficit will really be in two years? What will it be in four years or five? Thinking long term closing schools makes NO sense!
Wow, Its getting hot in here!
Well said Jodie!
Those of us that have been spending tireless hours on our computer researching, and formulating what we want to present to the board know that school closures and program cuts are not necessary. Those of us who take additional time out of our day to meet with other parents, teachers, staff and former Rohnert Park Leaders know that school closures and program cuts are not necessary. Those of us that stay awake at night trying to come up with a way to keep our schools open know that school closures and program cuts are not necessary.
Beating a dead horse is exactly what we are not doing! We are being proactive, we are coming together as a community, we are forming relationships that otherwise may have never been formed.
Asking for time, raising funds, putting measures back on the ballot...these are just some of the reasons why school closures are not necessary and why program cuts are AVOIDABLE.
Its unfortunate to think that there are some out there who when presented with this situation, simply choose to accept it.
I do not and will not accept it!
My children do need me, and I am here for them. Schools opened or schools closed. They are learning a very valuable lesson from all of this. That lesson is that if you believe in something, THEN FIGHT FOR IT!
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