Welcome to my regular Friday feature, Worst of the Week. As a white, suburbanite husband and dad of two kids, there’s a lot that can go wrong and this entry is all about how to fix it. I hope you enjoy it!
Regular readers will know that I’ve been blogging about the school consolidation the past few weeks. I can now tell you that last night our School Board voted unanimously (7-0) to close two elementary schools – one of which is situated in our subdivision.
My family and I are saddened that it has come to this. One of the primary factors of purchasing our home, where we did, was because of the school. The kids would be able to ride their bikes and having a school so close would help keep our property value up. But come next fall that will not be the case.
I said in previous writings, I understand why our school was chosen and that no matter what the parents did some buildings were going to close – it was unavoidable. However, one of the main concerns, for me personally, was the way that the Board was to reconfigure the grades making Elementary K-3 and a Middle 4-8. Thank goodness that’s not the case, at least in our situation. Patrick and Erin’s Elementary will be K-4, and then in Fall 2011, Patrick will be moving on to Middle School where it will be 5-8. I’m actually OK with that. Sure we will have a bit of a struggle going to a new school, but more importantly it gives us a full school year to prep Patrick for Middle School, something that will he definitely need.
There is still more work to do by the Board, PTO’s, Teacher’s, Administrator’s, and perhaps even City Government. The main motto of the night seemed to be “Staying positive and working together.†That’s easy for some to say, and those people have a better outlook on life than I do at this moment in time, and someday I’ll get there. But for now, right now, I’ve got a big knot in my stomach. My wife and I will do our best to help the kids adjust and we will do everything we can to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible.
I love my neighborhood and my school, but I woke up today and it felt like I living in a whole different place.
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I’m so sorry to hear that, Chris, but you’re obviously taking a realistic view of the situation (which, I’m guessing, may not be true of other parents whose children will be affected by this decision). I’m considering a run for school board in my town this fall, and it’s these types of decisions I dread making. School districts across the country are facing new and harsh fiscal realities that are going to make the small, neighborhood elementary school increasingly a thing of the past. I hope all goes well for you and your son.
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I’m so sorry to hear that, Chris, but you’re obviously taking a realistic view of the situation (which, I’m guessing, may not be true of other parents whose children will be affected by this decision). I’m considering a run for school board in my town this fall, and it’s these types of decisions I dread making. School districts across the country are facing new and harsh fiscal realities that are going to make the small, neighborhood elementary school increasingly a thing of the past. I hope all goes well for you and your son.