Honor your Commitment to Keep Programs Intact

[Kim Shumate]

I urge the Board to honor the commitment made when the Glenwood closure was approved: that district programs would remain intact.

STEAM2 is one unified program with two interconnected pathways. Its strength comes from students learning together in a diverse community where many children see their languages, cultures, and identities reflected every day. Separating the pathways would fundamentally change the program the Board promised to preserve. The real disruption is not moving buildings—it is dismantling a community built over many years.

STEAM2 is also a fully enrolled magnet program that attracts and retains families in CHCCS. Strong, distinctive programs like STEAM2 are a competitive advantage for the district and influence where families choose to live and enroll their children. Preserving the program strengthens CHCCS at a time when enrollment matters more than ever.

Keeping STEAM2 together also makes practical sense. A single location is more efficient, while splitting the program could increase transportation costs and travel time.

I am not a STEAM2 parent, but I am the parent of two CHCCS students. My family chose this district because of its outstanding programs, and I hope the Board will protect what makes them special.

Please keep STEAM2 together and honor the commitment made to families.

-Kim Shumate Livingston