Since posting my call for volunteers to help the struggling Orange County Board of Education think of some unanswered questions about the CES/HES merger, I have heard from a few parents. But, none had as many really good questions as Kylie Snyder, the mother of two children at HES.
She sent me so many questions that I think it will take multiple blog posts to list them all.
Here is the first installment of Kylie's contribution to helping thaw the brain freeze that seems to have struck the Board mute.
- What about Efland-Cheeks? Who will you merge them with? You were told right away that Efland-Cheeks had the same stats as Central. Every excuse in the book for ignoring EC was given and you put the laser beam on Central. Then, you acted surprised that you have to punt with the opt out plans. You kept morphing the reason that CES needed to be merged. The scores, no --- the demographics, no --- the FRL. Yeah, that's it, the FRL. Yet, the Supreme Court is recognizing that FRL is just a euphemism for racial tracking. So what is next for BOTH of these schools?
- What will you do when the parents who choose to opt out of CES are not FRL and further exacerbate the FRL stats at Central? CES could go toward 80% if only the non FRL kids opt out. What is the plan then?
- Have you done the math? Merging the schools will not give the FRL number you are trying to get - especially if CES goes even higher this year. You do realize that, don't you?
- What is your "Plan B" when the other elementary schools are overcrowded and CES/HES are under-capacity and on two campuses? Is there a "Plan B"?
- Are you simply trying to avoid redistricting, or are you trying to eliminate HES because it skews the FRL at Central? What happened to the idea of capping the number of children from each school who can attend HES?
- Do you really and truly believe that "collaborative learning" will help children who are not passing the EOGs?
- Have you read any of the research that was provided to you? Many parents did major research on the topic of merged schools. They could only find one example of a successful school that merged. There were many examples of failure. I was told that we were way ahead of the board on the research issue. Then they voted to merge -- and there in lies the rub. An action item put into motion without a plan - any plan.
- What happened to the logistical questions the three subcommittee members came up with that were never addressed? (at the first meeting) "How would it look?" i.e., Staff/Administration, Bus Schedules, PTA meetings, resource sharing.
Wow, that is a really good start. All these questions from a one parent in one day. Now, tell me again why 7 (or 5) supposed education leaders couldn't even come up with one.
Maybe it is because you only want questions you WANT to answer, and not the questions parents you purport to represent want answered. After all, we don't seem to matter in the Board's decision-making process, they are only our children.
10 comments:
Merger or not, the children that need help the most are not being addressed. Moving them across the street or around the corner isn't going to improve their grades. Certainly we have all come to see that light.
Ask yourself these questions. How well would my child be performing in school if I didn't support him/her as much as I do? How well would my child be doing in school if I was not as involved in his/her education as I am? I know for a fact my children would be only average performers if I didn't push them to do their best. I am very involved in their education and in their school, and I firmly believe that is why they are excellent students. I make it a point to know what is going on in my child's classroom. Hmmm, perhaps that is why HES has such high scores. It seems most every child seems to have a parent or other adult that is behind them supporting them. That, my friends, seems to be the golden ticket to success, and every child deserves it.
The website below offers a wealth of information. I think it's time to quit laying so much of the blame for low test scores on the school board. Get to the root of the problem and address it specifically-whether it is a language barrier, a single parent household, grandparents raising children, etc, etc. All the beating around the bush is not getting anybody anywhere, most especially the innocent children who need our help the most.
http://www.ncpie.org/
The school board is too arrogant to answer these questions--who are you kidding? They have very little character. The majority of the Board believes that CES is a poor school because there are too many blacks in the school (Debbie, remember saying this? You can deny it if you want, but we know it is true). Don't believe the junk about Free and Reduced Lunch. They are playing the race card because they are being controlled by Shirley. Free and Reduced lunch is only a smoke screen.
Board members, what are you going to do when the merger actually happens? Guess what? The merger is not going to happen. Do you know why? The HES parents know that there is no chance at all that we are going to send our kids to that slum that you call CES. What do you think about that? You probably agree, but you are too scared to admit to it. The CES parents don't want the merger, either. Why? The schedule.
Where is your plan B? You better have it. If you don't, you are going to be the biggest joke in North Carolina. News flash--getting rid of HES will be the dumbest thing you could possibly do. Use your heart (sorry Debbie and Dennis) and use your brain (sorry Liz).
Sorry about the fonts looking funny on this post. Apparently something got lost in translation and I can't figure out why it won't change.
I think it is wonderful that a fellow HES parent would write such wonderful questions. This proves to me that spending T I M E with our kids pays dividends to all of us. Good job Kylie!!
To all perspective EC and CES parents, please realize that Kylie is one of many hard-working and supportive parents of HES. There are so many parents that spend time making the school the best it can be. A school that have active parents will always be a success.
To all:
The next school board meeting is Monday, August 20th at 7:00 pm, in the Central Office. Please show up and give your support for our schools. We have all been stressed out watching the school board make drastic decisions that affects our kids.
At the meeting each person has 3 minutes to speak. For these 3 minutes you can tell the Board how you feel and what decisions YOU have to make. Serious concerns, like "do I want to send Timmy to another school?" If you show up, the Board will hopefully give your words some consideration. You can ask simple questions like "Is the commitment letter I sigh legally binding?" or the harder question, like "If Mamie Jay wins her lawsuit against the school board, who pays for this?"
It's easy to demonize our Board members (actually it is too easy with all the ammo they give us!) It's hard to stand up for what is right. Please look at your child and see if you can't muster the will to go to the meeting. Maybe nothing will be accomplished: but still, you need to consider if there is a slight chance you will be taken seriously.
Our kids deserve the best from us. We want the best for our kids. Ask the questions that you want answered. They can choose to answer you or ignore you. But you do not have this luxury when it comes to your child.
"that slum that you call CES"!!!! Central (CES) is one block from Hillsborough Elementary. Yet again, what planet are you from???? Central is in no way a slum. That remark is an insult to all children at the school, their families, the faculty, and the neighborhood. You owe an apology to all of the above.
Let's not get confused about CES. CES is a school that did not make AYP. CES is a school with faculty that care.
CES is a slum? That is not the issue. CES is not performing, and there are numerous explanations. The best group to enlighten us are the CES teachers. Come forward, and you will be heard.
Let's re-elect Al Hartkopf! He tells the truth, and is honest to a fault. He doesn't mind stepping on some toes. Getting his hands dirty? No problem. He is a voice of integrity and has the vision to "right the course" for HES. Feel reassured that as long as Mr. Al is on the Board, HES's future is well-secured!
Kylie Snyder wanted to respond to some of the comments posted here, but is having some problems getting her posts to upload. So, here is the message she sent me earlier today:
I posted a similar reply to this in the wrong blog section. I started with Ouch! I'll repeat myself here.
I agree with the post that Central is not a slum at all. The building is clean inside and the staff is wonderful. The whole school has taken some unnecessary lumps.
I can only speak for myself, but I am against merger b/c I think it will eliminate the year-round calendar and it doesn't specifically address the needs of the children in the lower socio-economic arena. Moving these children to a different school will not magically make them pass EOGs. I think that redistricting is the only answer to dispersing the high concentration of FRL children so that they are not a majority in a school. Some of these FRL children need extra help and when there are 20 in one class, it is very taxing on the teachers. That is my understanding of the FRL problem. My sister-in-law confirms this as she teachers at an inner city school outside Philly. It is very difficult to get the children at grade level because of their home situations.
I think that the children from the poorest section(s) of town should be distributed evenly to all of the schools in the district. INCLUDING HES! Yes, it is hard to recruit these kids to a school of choice b/c FRL is very private. However, I think it could be done - even as the Supreme Court is eying situations like these very closely.
Anyway, I want to reiterate that Central does really well with the resources that they have. The principal has done an amazing job at getting support from organizations and the community. Let's stop bashing Central and get to the nuts and bolts of the issue. The entire district is in need of some strategic planning that isn't politically motivated.
Kylie Snyder
Attention all HES parents! There will be an Q&A meeting with the school board members on August 28 at 7:00pm. The meeting will be held at the HES campus. This will be a forum for the parents at HES to ask the board members the questions they need answered regarding the merger.
I hope that everyone can attend the meeting, especially the school board members.
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