What sort of school district should eastern Racine county have? A diverse one, with families forced to bus their children up to 2 hours a day? Or one where the child simply attends the closest school to their home? Which is the best environment to learn? After all, the district's prime focus should be education.
Neither of the scenarios are perfect, and the solution just may lie between these philosophies. Having a district where the parents choose (sans waiting lists, lotteries and racial quotas) would be utopia (at least in my eyes). There will always be families that want to send their child close to home, and other families who are willing to send their child to a school across town because of different program offerings.
Why not let the community decide? Competition is what is needed to make our schools thrive, not busing for socio-economic reasons or skin color - but I have come to realize this could only exist in an alternate universe where everyone values education.
So I ask you, which philosophy - neighborhood schools or increased busing for integration - is the lesser of two evils?
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Increased busing for integration
In continuation of the complex issues that the RUSD board and administration faces, I will examine the possible ramifications of increased busing - based on the Equity and Access Committees’ recommendation of using both race and socio-economic factors. (As a reminder, the RUSD board will be meeting Thursday evening at 6:00 pm to discuss this and other equity and access issues.)
Increased busing:
1. Promotes diversity.
Diversity should be valued in the classroom. Exposing young minds to other cultures and ideas can only benefit the education “experience”. With that said, is it the role of government to force diversity? Wouldn’t it be easier to gently “nudge” diversity by increasing the number of choice schools? Does an inner-city child only excel when sitting next to a suburban one? Or vice versa?
2. Costs money.
The district, according to the latest figures on the DPI, spends approximately $9.3 million a year on transportation costs. KUSD, our neighbor to the south, spends approximately $5.4 million a year. Each of the school districts have approximately the same number of children, so RUSD spends more than 72% more than Kenosha for transportation. (Kenosha currently does not bus for the purpose of integration, they have neighborhood schools. )Wouldn’t those extra millions be better spent in the classroom? Of course, one cannot really put a price tag on something intangible as diversity. This may be one of the hugest factors in making the tough decisions, as our district is continually strapped for cash.
3. Will alienate/disengage parents.
This is a huge talking point. Many advocates of neighborhood schools claim the reason for low achievement is that the parents of bussed children do not attend school functions, parent-teacher conferences, etc. While this may be true in some circumstances, I find that this is perhaps the most subjective and weak reasoning for neighborhood schools. I would venture a guess that many parents whose children currently attend a school in their neighborhood are not “engaged” and many parents whose children are bussed across town are extremely engaged in their children’s education.
The RUSD board needs to make a decision on what this district will look like, and soon. It will not be an easy task, and some population demographics will be definitely not be happy – but the board needs to weighs the pros and cons of each of the 3 proposed scenarios and make the best fit for the most number of people.
Increased busing:
1. Promotes diversity.
Diversity should be valued in the classroom. Exposing young minds to other cultures and ideas can only benefit the education “experience”. With that said, is it the role of government to force diversity? Wouldn’t it be easier to gently “nudge” diversity by increasing the number of choice schools? Does an inner-city child only excel when sitting next to a suburban one? Or vice versa?
2. Costs money.
The district, according to the latest figures on the DPI, spends approximately $9.3 million a year on transportation costs. KUSD, our neighbor to the south, spends approximately $5.4 million a year. Each of the school districts have approximately the same number of children, so RUSD spends more than 72% more than Kenosha for transportation. (Kenosha currently does not bus for the purpose of integration, they have neighborhood schools. )Wouldn’t those extra millions be better spent in the classroom? Of course, one cannot really put a price tag on something intangible as diversity. This may be one of the hugest factors in making the tough decisions, as our district is continually strapped for cash.
3. Will alienate/disengage parents.
This is a huge talking point. Many advocates of neighborhood schools claim the reason for low achievement is that the parents of bussed children do not attend school functions, parent-teacher conferences, etc. While this may be true in some circumstances, I find that this is perhaps the most subjective and weak reasoning for neighborhood schools. I would venture a guess that many parents whose children currently attend a school in their neighborhood are not “engaged” and many parents whose children are bussed across town are extremely engaged in their children’s education.
The RUSD board needs to make a decision on what this district will look like, and soon. It will not be an easy task, and some population demographics will be definitely not be happy – but the board needs to weighs the pros and cons of each of the 3 proposed scenarios and make the best fit for the most number of people.
Friday, December 29, 2006
A Return to Neighborhood Schools
There will be much discussion on returning to neighborhood schools; I will examine some predictable arguments against neighborhood schools.
Returning to neighborhood schools:
1. Is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education did not stipulate the school districts needed to bus children across town in order to achieve diversity, it mandated that schools could not bar enrollment based on the child’s ethnicity.
2. Will eliminate the very popular RUSD magnet schools.
This is a real possibility, after all how can the inner city children return to their “neighborhood school” if the school is full of non-neighborhood children. We must remember why the magnet schools were created in the first place – they were created to draw the children from the outlying suburban areas to the inner-city. While some of these magnet schools have become a haven for the upwardly-mobile suburban residents, others like Red Apple Elementary still function like it was intended.
I am obviously biased, but Red Apple is the best example of what is a magnet school should be. There are MANY children from the surrounding neighborhood attending the school, yet there are still families like mine from the suburbs who choose to send their children there. The school is racially diverse (meeting RUSD’s voluntary desegregation policy) and consistently scores above district and state averages on the WCKE. Why is this? I think it is all about expectations. The parents sign a compact before enrolling their children, promising to be part of their child’s learning. The teachers and staff have high expectations for ALL the children, as do the parents. Schools like Red Apple need to be located throughout the district, making integration a more natural phenomenon.
3. Will create an environment of low-performing “minority” schools.
This is also another possibility, but it can be addressed. Julian Thomas, a majority-minority school located in the central city has created an extremely successful environment for these children to learn. It can certainly be replicated throughout the district. The school receives additional funding, the best teachers and has the added benefit of great parental support. I do not believe that inner-city children need to sit next to a suburban one to learn, I think it is (again!) all about expectations. If we think a child will fail; he most likely will. It should have nothing to do with the color of the child’s skin or the size of his parents’ pocketbook.
Returning to neighborhood schools:
1. Is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education did not stipulate the school districts needed to bus children across town in order to achieve diversity, it mandated that schools could not bar enrollment based on the child’s ethnicity.
2. Will eliminate the very popular RUSD magnet schools.
This is a real possibility, after all how can the inner city children return to their “neighborhood school” if the school is full of non-neighborhood children. We must remember why the magnet schools were created in the first place – they were created to draw the children from the outlying suburban areas to the inner-city. While some of these magnet schools have become a haven for the upwardly-mobile suburban residents, others like Red Apple Elementary still function like it was intended.
I am obviously biased, but Red Apple is the best example of what is a magnet school should be. There are MANY children from the surrounding neighborhood attending the school, yet there are still families like mine from the suburbs who choose to send their children there. The school is racially diverse (meeting RUSD’s voluntary desegregation policy) and consistently scores above district and state averages on the WCKE. Why is this? I think it is all about expectations. The parents sign a compact before enrolling their children, promising to be part of their child’s learning. The teachers and staff have high expectations for ALL the children, as do the parents. Schools like Red Apple need to be located throughout the district, making integration a more natural phenomenon.
3. Will create an environment of low-performing “minority” schools.
This is also another possibility, but it can be addressed. Julian Thomas, a majority-minority school located in the central city has created an extremely successful environment for these children to learn. It can certainly be replicated throughout the district. The school receives additional funding, the best teachers and has the added benefit of great parental support. I do not believe that inner-city children need to sit next to a suburban one to learn, I think it is (again!) all about expectations. If we think a child will fail; he most likely will. It should have nothing to do with the color of the child’s skin or the size of his parents’ pocketbook.
Just another RUSD study session?
Next Thursday, at 6:00 pm, the RUSD will be holding another special study session at the Administrative Office. According to the agenda from the RUSD website, the long awaited results of the latest community survey will be available. This was the survey done this last fall that asked the residents opinions on such matters on equity and access; this was also the survey where they over-sampled the minority population in order to get back enough results to make it statistically significant. The results of the Edulog (the demographer) study will hopefully be available also - this is the study we were SUPPOSED to see at the end of September!
Without the results of these two studies, any decision on redistricting/bussing would be based on personal preference and not on facts, so I do applaud the board for not acting in haste. With that said, the board does need to act quickly and decide what to do. Simply from the shift in populations over the last 15-20 years, some of our schools are overcrowded and some are woefully underutilized. Administration has given the board until the end of February to come to a decision if any of those proposed changes would take effect for the 2007-2008 school year.
Deciding what our district will look like will not be an easy one; I predict the board will put off the decision until the Supreme Court weighs in on the two most recent cases of equity in our nations’ schools. However, I anticipate many arguments about which “method” is better – neighborhood schools or busing for integration. Which is better? What are the potential downfalls? Over the next few days, I will try to examine some of these issues…
Without the results of these two studies, any decision on redistricting/bussing would be based on personal preference and not on facts, so I do applaud the board for not acting in haste. With that said, the board does need to act quickly and decide what to do. Simply from the shift in populations over the last 15-20 years, some of our schools are overcrowded and some are woefully underutilized. Administration has given the board until the end of February to come to a decision if any of those proposed changes would take effect for the 2007-2008 school year.
Deciding what our district will look like will not be an easy one; I predict the board will put off the decision until the Supreme Court weighs in on the two most recent cases of equity in our nations’ schools. However, I anticipate many arguments about which “method” is better – neighborhood schools or busing for integration. Which is better? What are the potential downfalls? Over the next few days, I will try to examine some of these issues…
The Weekly Report Card
I am debuting what may be a regular feature today – the Weekly Report Card. The concept is pretty much self-explanatory; I comment on events from the previous week and grade them. My grading scale is completely subjective and self-indulgent…
For some of us, the war in Iraq is not something we think about everyday. We go on with our daily lives, sometimes forgetting those young people who are far away from home trying to make the world a safer place. Sadly, the citizens of Racine County got a reminder this past Sunday. Evan Bixler, a 2003 Park High School graduate, died Sunday while serving his country in Iraq. Rest in peace, Evan.
Weekly Report Grade: A
Governor Doyle was fined $300 for accepting Packer tickets from a lobbyist. This ethical no-no would normally warrant a failing grade, however since all the fines collected from the Ethics board get redistrubuted to the schools, I thought I’d give our governor a passing grade.
Weekly Report Grade: D-
Laquonda Jones was charged Wednesday for first-degree reckless homicide and child abuse for the death of her 8-month old daughter. Apparently, her child “cried too much”; what kind of excuse is that? My daughter cried incessantly and never napped during the day when she was an infant so I know how bad it can be. Dealing with crying babies is no picnic, but taking out your frustrations on a helpless infant is reprehensible. Can she be the first to “fry” when the death penalty is reinstated?
Weekly Report Grade: F
For some of us, the war in Iraq is not something we think about everyday. We go on with our daily lives, sometimes forgetting those young people who are far away from home trying to make the world a safer place. Sadly, the citizens of Racine County got a reminder this past Sunday. Evan Bixler, a 2003 Park High School graduate, died Sunday while serving his country in Iraq. Rest in peace, Evan.
Weekly Report Grade: A
Governor Doyle was fined $300 for accepting Packer tickets from a lobbyist. This ethical no-no would normally warrant a failing grade, however since all the fines collected from the Ethics board get redistrubuted to the schools, I thought I’d give our governor a passing grade.
Weekly Report Grade: D-
Laquonda Jones was charged Wednesday for first-degree reckless homicide and child abuse for the death of her 8-month old daughter. Apparently, her child “cried too much”; what kind of excuse is that? My daughter cried incessantly and never napped during the day when she was an infant so I know how bad it can be. Dealing with crying babies is no picnic, but taking out your frustrations on a helpless infant is reprehensible. Can she be the first to “fry” when the death penalty is reinstated?
Weekly Report Grade: F
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Big Brother is watching...
Last week I installed some cool code from www.StatCounter.com that not only tracks hits but also tracks IP addresses and the path of each visitor to this site, along with a lot of other information! I can see server host names and am able to see which post(s) attract the most visitors. I can also see the referring links! It’s all very cool, and did I mention it was free?
Success in the Central City: Julian Thomas Elementary
On November 7th 2000, the voters of eastern Racine County passed a RUSD referendum to renovate and expand the former Garfield Elementary School. (The school was renamed Julian Thomas Elementary in honor of the late Julian Thomas, a local civil rights leader.) This school was to be the district’s first “neighborhood school” where it only drew the student population from within walking distance of the school – no busing. The board, realizing that the student population of this proposed school would be mostly (86.2%) minority, extended a waiver from the district’s voluntary desegregation policy.
Fast forward a year or so - the newly hired superintendent, Dr. Thomas Hicks, apparently did not like the fact this school (still under construction) was slated to be a walk-in neighborhood school, so the school was then designated a “choice” school. This was done with hope that the strong science program, foreign language, and Suzuki strings would attract non-minority children from outside the neighborhood. At that time, Dr. Hicks, along with many others, seemed to think that economically disadvantaged minority children can only learn if sitting next to a kid from the suburbs.
Ironically, when the school became a “choice school”, many of the applicants were also minorities. When the school opened in 2003, the school population was still 80% minority. As expected, many predicted this school would fail. Even Dr. Hicks had concerns; he spoke at a board meeting expressing his concerns about creating a majority-minority school.
Fast forward a few more years - Dr. Hicks spoke of the successes of Julian Thomas in his 1st Annual State of the District Address on December 14th. Why do I share this story? Is it to try and prove that Dr. Hick’s education plan is a success, or do I have more sinister motives? No not really…I just find it ironic that the school that he did not want to exist is now the school that has become his major talking point.
The successes of Julian Thomas can be attributed to many things, I imagine. Increased parental involvement, a great staff, and additional district resources probably are all factors in the school’s recent achievements.
I find it extremely insulting that our local media has focused solely on Dr. Hick’s comprehensive reform plan (The Quality District Model), as the sole reason for the recent successes at Julian Thomas. It is a slap in the face to the many hard-working parents, teachers, support staff and community members that are working diligently every day making these small victories possible.
Fast forward a year or so - the newly hired superintendent, Dr. Thomas Hicks, apparently did not like the fact this school (still under construction) was slated to be a walk-in neighborhood school, so the school was then designated a “choice” school. This was done with hope that the strong science program, foreign language, and Suzuki strings would attract non-minority children from outside the neighborhood. At that time, Dr. Hicks, along with many others, seemed to think that economically disadvantaged minority children can only learn if sitting next to a kid from the suburbs.
Ironically, when the school became a “choice school”, many of the applicants were also minorities. When the school opened in 2003, the school population was still 80% minority. As expected, many predicted this school would fail. Even Dr. Hicks had concerns; he spoke at a board meeting expressing his concerns about creating a majority-minority school.
Fast forward a few more years - Dr. Hicks spoke of the successes of Julian Thomas in his 1st Annual State of the District Address on December 14th. Why do I share this story? Is it to try and prove that Dr. Hick’s education plan is a success, or do I have more sinister motives? No not really…I just find it ironic that the school that he did not want to exist is now the school that has become his major talking point.
The successes of Julian Thomas can be attributed to many things, I imagine. Increased parental involvement, a great staff, and additional district resources probably are all factors in the school’s recent achievements.
I find it extremely insulting that our local media has focused solely on Dr. Hick’s comprehensive reform plan (The Quality District Model), as the sole reason for the recent successes at Julian Thomas. It is a slap in the face to the many hard-working parents, teachers, support staff and community members that are working diligently every day making these small victories possible.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men…
I was having a Scroogey kind of day today. First my husband decided TODAY was the day he was going to TRY to find his Christmas spirit. Amidst the plethora of unhung Christmas decorations littering my house, and obnoxious jazz Christmas carols blaring in the background (which he doesn’t even like), I escaped to do some tedious errands. First trip, the grocery store – guaranteed to make my foul mood even worse. Soon after I returned home (which now looks like Christmas Town threw up) I received a phone call from my mom asking if I knew where my cell phone was.
It turns out somehow I had lost my phone at Pick N Save, whoever found it turned it in to the service desk, and they went through my address book in the phone trying to locate the rightful owner. My faith in humanity is restored with this simple act of kindness. Hopefully my newfound warm and fuzzy feeling will still be around even after my husband is done decorating our home for the holidays, but I am not counting on it….
It turns out somehow I had lost my phone at Pick N Save, whoever found it turned it in to the service desk, and they went through my address book in the phone trying to locate the rightful owner. My faith in humanity is restored with this simple act of kindness. Hopefully my newfound warm and fuzzy feeling will still be around even after my husband is done decorating our home for the holidays, but I am not counting on it….
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
More on RUSD off-site meetings....
Must be a slow news day, the Racine Journal Times had a front-page, above-the fold article entitled “Offsite meetings OK for Unified board?” There were some brilliant comments (insert self-deprecating tone) made by a citizen journalist, but all in all, the article was decent and I feel my quotes, although edited, adequately conveyed the message I was trying to make.
From my discussion with the JT reporter yesterday, he admitted that the logistics of having the meeting at the MACTE offices left much to be desired. The conference room was not conducive to discussing school board and administration matters; I wonder if any real progress was made in this uncomfortable and stuffy environment.
I, and many others, encourage the board and administration to keep scheduling these study sessions, and I understand they would like (and need) to do so in a fresh environment that would lend itself to more sharing of ideas.
All I ask is that these meetings, if they must be held off-site, be held in a PUBLIC building with adequate room for both the press and concerned citizens.
My question is this, when is it okay for governmental bodies to meet in a private office building - especially a building that has limited space for the press and concerned citizens? I do not think it is a wise idea – and apparently the state Attorney General’s office agrees.
From my discussion with the JT reporter yesterday, he admitted that the logistics of having the meeting at the MACTE offices left much to be desired. The conference room was not conducive to discussing school board and administration matters; I wonder if any real progress was made in this uncomfortable and stuffy environment.
I, and many others, encourage the board and administration to keep scheduling these study sessions, and I understand they would like (and need) to do so in a fresh environment that would lend itself to more sharing of ideas.
All I ask is that these meetings, if they must be held off-site, be held in a PUBLIC building with adequate room for both the press and concerned citizens.
My question is this, when is it okay for governmental bodies to meet in a private office building - especially a building that has limited space for the press and concerned citizens? I do not think it is a wise idea – and apparently the state Attorney General’s office agrees.
Monday, December 11, 2006
RUSD Listening Sessions - Part Trois
Tonight the RUSD board members are meeting to study all those hot-topic issues (desegregation, busing, neighborhood schools, etc) – I wish I could have been there to hear what I imagine was some very animated discussion. Hopefully the Journal Times will be covering the meeting. In light of not being able to write about that – I will continue my discussion of the listening session I attended last Friday…
When I entered the board room, another board member was entering the board room from a different door and direction. He took one look at me and my friend, and said something to the effect of “Great, the trouble-makers are here!” All heads turned my way – what a self-conscious way to start my day.
Ask a few pertinent questions, and you’re labeled a “trouble-maker” or worse yet a “barracuda”. That’s OK, because I have a few pet names for some of the board members as well, and they are probably not to be used in mixed company.
Now on to more highlights from the listening session; I will pick up where I left off yesterday:
4. Racine does not need new buildings.
Racine has some very old facilities, some dating back to the 19th century and most of them built in the first half of the last century. While these buildings are old, structurally there are in pretty good shape. The group came to a consensus that with updated HVAC, windows that open, and cabling for the 21st century – these buildings could probably last quite a few more years.
5. The administration and board should not keep asking for additional operating revenue via the now “annual” spring referendum.
Duh, you think???
6. Uniforms, meaning the strict dress code implemented at Gilmore Middle School this year, should be implemented district-wide.
This is also a no-brainer. It will most likely cost the parents less at the back-to-school sales in August and it takes clothes factor out of the school experience. Whether it is a competition between the haves and the have-nots, or dealing with risqu̩ clothing Рmaking all the students dress in a similar style makes sense.
I am sure that there are more highlights from the session, but like yesterday, time constraints plague me.
When I entered the board room, another board member was entering the board room from a different door and direction. He took one look at me and my friend, and said something to the effect of “Great, the trouble-makers are here!” All heads turned my way – what a self-conscious way to start my day.
Ask a few pertinent questions, and you’re labeled a “trouble-maker” or worse yet a “barracuda”. That’s OK, because I have a few pet names for some of the board members as well, and they are probably not to be used in mixed company.
Now on to more highlights from the listening session; I will pick up where I left off yesterday:
4. Racine does not need new buildings.
Racine has some very old facilities, some dating back to the 19th century and most of them built in the first half of the last century. While these buildings are old, structurally there are in pretty good shape. The group came to a consensus that with updated HVAC, windows that open, and cabling for the 21st century – these buildings could probably last quite a few more years.
5. The administration and board should not keep asking for additional operating revenue via the now “annual” spring referendum.
Duh, you think???
6. Uniforms, meaning the strict dress code implemented at Gilmore Middle School this year, should be implemented district-wide.
This is also a no-brainer. It will most likely cost the parents less at the back-to-school sales in August and it takes clothes factor out of the school experience. Whether it is a competition between the haves and the have-nots, or dealing with risqu̩ clothing Рmaking all the students dress in a similar style makes sense.
I am sure that there are more highlights from the session, but like yesterday, time constraints plague me.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
RUSD Listening Sessions - Part Deux
On Friday morning, I attended one of the RUSD listening sessions; I was hopefully optimistic that it would be a fruitful and interesting way to spend my morning. It was interesting, but how fruitful the meeting remains to be seen – it really all depends on what the board and administration will do with the information gathered at these listening sessions. Although there were a respectful number of attendees at the listening session I attended, many population demographics were not represented.
But even though the attendees did not represent the demographics of eastern Racine County very well, there were many good ideas and interesting observations made; I will try to summarize a few of them here, I will interject my thoughts (in a different color font):
1. RUSD needs smaller class sizes, especially in the primary grades (K-3).
There are many elementary schools in the central city that already have small class sizes due to SAGE and P-5 funding from the federal government. Other schools (like Gifford) are overcrowded due to the fact of the growing population in our western communities. Redistricting will alleviate the worst overcrowding.
2. RUSD needs to return to the Junior High grade configuration: K-6th grade, 7-9 and 10-12th grade.
Immediately after changing the grade configuration in the 1983-1984 school year, the 9th grade failure rate skyrocketed to 40%. This was expected, as 9th graders faced new challenges; it was also expected that this failure rate would level out over time. After 23 years, the district is still faced with a 9th grade failure rate that is not acceptable. Returning to the junior high configuration definitely cannot hurt the already dismal results we are seeing in our high schools and as an added bonus - this will also help reduce the overcrowding at many of our schools.
3. Like Kenosha Unified and MPS, RUSD needs to return to neighborhood schools. This would help engage more families in the educational process and save money on busing.
No one wants to see Brown vs. The Board of Education overturned; returning to neighborhood schools will not bring us back to a new age of segregation. On the surface, returning to neighborhood schools makes sense. Families will not be forced to send their children across town on hour-long bus rides. However, I feel the best answer to promote diversity in our schools lies between these two philosophies. If every school was a “choice” school and drew its potential population from across the district; diversity would happen naturally.
Obviously, after nearly 2 hours of discussion there was many more ideas discussed but the constraints of both time and space do not allow me to examine any more at this time. Perhaps I will revisit this issue in a future post….
But even though the attendees did not represent the demographics of eastern Racine County very well, there were many good ideas and interesting observations made; I will try to summarize a few of them here, I will interject my thoughts (in a different color font):
1. RUSD needs smaller class sizes, especially in the primary grades (K-3).
There are many elementary schools in the central city that already have small class sizes due to SAGE and P-5 funding from the federal government. Other schools (like Gifford) are overcrowded due to the fact of the growing population in our western communities. Redistricting will alleviate the worst overcrowding.
2. RUSD needs to return to the Junior High grade configuration: K-6th grade, 7-9 and 10-12th grade.
Immediately after changing the grade configuration in the 1983-1984 school year, the 9th grade failure rate skyrocketed to 40%. This was expected, as 9th graders faced new challenges; it was also expected that this failure rate would level out over time. After 23 years, the district is still faced with a 9th grade failure rate that is not acceptable. Returning to the junior high configuration definitely cannot hurt the already dismal results we are seeing in our high schools and as an added bonus - this will also help reduce the overcrowding at many of our schools.
3. Like Kenosha Unified and MPS, RUSD needs to return to neighborhood schools. This would help engage more families in the educational process and save money on busing.
No one wants to see Brown vs. The Board of Education overturned; returning to neighborhood schools will not bring us back to a new age of segregation. On the surface, returning to neighborhood schools makes sense. Families will not be forced to send their children across town on hour-long bus rides. However, I feel the best answer to promote diversity in our schools lies between these two philosophies. If every school was a “choice” school and drew its potential population from across the district; diversity would happen naturally.
Obviously, after nearly 2 hours of discussion there was many more ideas discussed but the constraints of both time and space do not allow me to examine any more at this time. Perhaps I will revisit this issue in a future post….
Dear Santa...
On Thursday, I attended the Honors Breakfast at Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School (JAMS). I thought I would share with you not my obvious pride with my son, but my impressions of Dr. Citron, the new principal at JAMS.
Dr. Citron, who came to this district from MPS, is definitely what RUSD needs more of in principals – he is a firm disciplinarian, yet he relates to the children extremely well. He seems to have struck the perfect balance needed to run a school full of hormonally unbalanced adolescents.
I think I am going to ask Santa to bring more administrators like Dr. Citron to our district…
Dr. Citron, who came to this district from MPS, is definitely what RUSD needs more of in principals – he is a firm disciplinarian, yet he relates to the children extremely well. He seems to have struck the perfect balance needed to run a school full of hormonally unbalanced adolescents.
I think I am going to ask Santa to bring more administrators like Dr. Citron to our district…
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
RUSD working behind closed doors?
The dynamics of the sometimes tedious RUSD meetings are changing, I think. It seems that the board is doing most of its “real work” behind the scenes at study sessions that are not scheduled at the normal meeting place (Central Office).
While I applaud their efforts to keep the regularly scheduled meeting times brief and focused, I am concerned that there is a public perception that these meetings cannot be attended by the general public. I also fear that the public may perceive that decisions will be made behind closed doors.
I understand that no decisions will be made at these study sessions and the meetings (or study sessions as they are called) can be attended by the general public. While I was assured that members of the public CAN attend these meetings, I was left wondering if the board members would really welcome observers.
There is a meeting scheduled for 12/11/06; based on the agenda, I predict that the discussion should be quite lively. Please make it a point to attend the meeting and hear the discussion on redistricting, because when it finally shows up on a regular agenda, there will be little or no discussion on the matter – only a vote.
Also, please consider attending and posting your comments here on this forum; I will be unable to attend this meeting due to my son's middle school Christmas concert which is scheduled for the same time.
While I applaud their efforts to keep the regularly scheduled meeting times brief and focused, I am concerned that there is a public perception that these meetings cannot be attended by the general public. I also fear that the public may perceive that decisions will be made behind closed doors.
I understand that no decisions will be made at these study sessions and the meetings (or study sessions as they are called) can be attended by the general public. While I was assured that members of the public CAN attend these meetings, I was left wondering if the board members would really welcome observers.
There is a meeting scheduled for 12/11/06; based on the agenda, I predict that the discussion should be quite lively. Please make it a point to attend the meeting and hear the discussion on redistricting, because when it finally shows up on a regular agenda, there will be little or no discussion on the matter – only a vote.
Also, please consider attending and posting your comments here on this forum; I will be unable to attend this meeting due to my son's middle school Christmas concert which is scheduled for the same time.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Another delay in redistricting for RUSD?
Yet, another potential delay in redistricting RUSD – yesterday the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the integration policies of our public schools. The justices will consider whether race can still be a factor in public school placement.
Their decision, which is expected next spring, will have far-reaching ramifications for our nations’ schools. Currently, RUSD has a voluntary desegregation plan and is seeking to change/update this plan. Will we now have to wait (for the much needed “normal” redistricting) until the high court of the land hands down their decision? Is it unconstitutional to send an inner-city child to a western suburb like Sturtevant to attend school?
And will it change the current practice of choosing who goes to the district’s magnet schools? Currently, there are at least 2 alternative high schools (Walden and The REAL School) which base their decisions on accepting students partly on the basis of the students’ ethnicity.
I value diversity; I think that there is intrinsic value in having a diverse classroom. But it should also be noted that FORCED busing at the elementary level does little, if anything positive for our district. It disenfranchises parents and adds additional costs in busing to an already cash-strapped district. Why not encourage more parents to attend a non-neighborhood school by making every school a CHOICE school? If our magnet schools are so popular (and they are!), why not expand these programs? Busing will still be an issue, but I envision making busing available for economically-disadvantaged families who DECIDE to send their child to a school across town.
It should be noted that by nature of where our middle and high schools are geographically located; our district would NEVER be segregated. The elementary schools might be racially “out of balance” for a time, but overall the district would reflect the diverse population of eastern Racine County. We need to encourage diversity, not force it.
Their decision, which is expected next spring, will have far-reaching ramifications for our nations’ schools. Currently, RUSD has a voluntary desegregation plan and is seeking to change/update this plan. Will we now have to wait (for the much needed “normal” redistricting) until the high court of the land hands down their decision? Is it unconstitutional to send an inner-city child to a western suburb like Sturtevant to attend school?
And will it change the current practice of choosing who goes to the district’s magnet schools? Currently, there are at least 2 alternative high schools (Walden and The REAL School) which base their decisions on accepting students partly on the basis of the students’ ethnicity.
I value diversity; I think that there is intrinsic value in having a diverse classroom. But it should also be noted that FORCED busing at the elementary level does little, if anything positive for our district. It disenfranchises parents and adds additional costs in busing to an already cash-strapped district. Why not encourage more parents to attend a non-neighborhood school by making every school a CHOICE school? If our magnet schools are so popular (and they are!), why not expand these programs? Busing will still be an issue, but I envision making busing available for economically-disadvantaged families who DECIDE to send their child to a school across town.
It should be noted that by nature of where our middle and high schools are geographically located; our district would NEVER be segregated. The elementary schools might be racially “out of balance” for a time, but overall the district would reflect the diverse population of eastern Racine County. We need to encourage diversity, not force it.
RUSD Listening Sessions
The RUSD board has sent out a call for community input; I have answered their call and am attending one of their Listening Sessions this Friday. It was originally scheduled for December 1st, but with the recent snownami this session was cancelled.
The following is the one question/statement that will spark all discussion at these sessions:
(Please forgive my paraphrasing, I do not have the exact wording!!)
The year is 2015, RUSD is among the top 10 school districts in the country. Please describe the district.
Simple, right? Wrong! I understand that this open-ended statement will spark many interesting and lively debates, but I feel the RUSD board is again trying to redesign the wheel.
We have had numerous surveys, forums, etc in the last 6 years. Overwhelming, the public wishes to return to the Junior High Configuration (K-6, 7-9 and 10-12) and wants to be able to send their child to any school they wish, regardless of the color of their skin or the size of the bank account. They do NOT want their children to be FORCED to ride a bus for 45 minute - 1 hour (one-way!!) to a school out of their neighborhood.
They also want safe schools (duh!!!) and good teachers (double - duh!!!)! How many times do we need to say that?
Will they just keep holding these forums until they get the answer they want? Instead of action, we again are looking to redesign the district "vision"...
The following is the one question/statement that will spark all discussion at these sessions:
(Please forgive my paraphrasing, I do not have the exact wording!!)
The year is 2015, RUSD is among the top 10 school districts in the country. Please describe the district.
Simple, right? Wrong! I understand that this open-ended statement will spark many interesting and lively debates, but I feel the RUSD board is again trying to redesign the wheel.
We have had numerous surveys, forums, etc in the last 6 years. Overwhelming, the public wishes to return to the Junior High Configuration (K-6, 7-9 and 10-12) and wants to be able to send their child to any school they wish, regardless of the color of their skin or the size of the bank account. They do NOT want their children to be FORCED to ride a bus for 45 minute - 1 hour (one-way!!) to a school out of their neighborhood.
They also want safe schools (duh!!!) and good teachers (double - duh!!!)! How many times do we need to say that?
Will they just keep holding these forums until they get the answer they want? Instead of action, we again are looking to redesign the district "vision"...
Why can't we all just get along?
When I first starting blogging it was definitely a therapeutic tool; I used this forum and others like it to reduce my stress level. Now, it seems that when I read blogs everyone is SOOOO angry. I do not need more anger in my life, hence; I have not been posting as much as I would like.
I enjoy a spirited debate; but why do some feel it is necessary to blast others for their opinions? Is it the anonymous nature of most sites that fuel this anger?
I enjoy a spirited debate; but why do some feel it is necessary to blast others for their opinions? Is it the anonymous nature of most sites that fuel this anger?
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