Boundary Info

[Jeff Hammond]

Hi All, here's the latest info on the Marshall boundary discussion.
Yesterday the Staff presented thier recommendations to the school
board.
Option 1, with all of Marshall going to Franklin with the exception of
Harrison Park which would feed to Madision, then in addition, Creston
would be moved from Franklin to Cleveland to releive the overcrowding
at Franklin.

After that was presented, there was a memo from Superintendent Carole
Smith, requesting the staff look for other options that allow for
still keeping Marshall feeding to Franklin, but somehow leaving
Creston at Franklin too.

The option she asked to be looked at further, included the possiblilty
of maintaining a split feeder at Bridger, sending those currently in
the Marshall boundary to Madison instead of Franklin to relieve the
overcrowding at Franklin.

Apparently the district staff are not concerned with the Socioeconomic
Balance at Franklin and Cleveland and the fact that next year Franklin
will be going from an enrollment of 1,050 to over 1,500.

I've posted the two documents in the files section of this google
group for review and discussion.

[Chris DeMars]

Jeff, I'm sure the staff put a lot of consideration into their recommendation, and I'd love to learn more about their thought process. Because my kids aren't yet at Franklin, and I don't have any connections with staff there, can you (or someone else) explain how they came to the conclusion that Option 1 would be the best for Franklin?

--- On Thu, 11/18/10, Jeff Hammond <je...@seallp.com> wrote:

[Jeff Hammond]

Chris, at the meeting yesterday they said the decision was driven by "overwhelming community input stating that Proximity was the most important factor in determining school locations and boundary changes".
Very interesting considering at the same time, they recommended Creston (which is literally within walking distance to Franklin) be relocated to Cleveland.
I also find this interesting because proximity concerns are being dismissed elsewhere.
For instance Woodstock is closer to Franklin, Sunnyside is closer to Cleveland, Richmond is closer to Franklin, Harrison Park is closer to Franklin, etc. Much of the Harrison Park catchment is within 2 miles of Franklin, yet over 4 miles to Madison, but their concerns are ignored.
Staff is not at all concerned with the SES imbalance that is being created. They are primarily interested in keeping students together and affecting the least amount of schools as possible.
That's why every student at Marshall (with the exception of Harrison Park) is slated to come to Franklin.
This way the powerful communities of Cleveland, Lincoln, Wilson, Grant are not affected by this at all.

Jeff

[bonnie hastings]

Hi Jeff, 

This is a huge setback to what was one of the original stated goals of the whole process.  While I know there wasn't a choice that would have been perfect, I am very surprised that the staff's decision was supposedly driven by community input.  I thought our community has been very clear on the issue for some time.  Socio-economic diversity is so much more important than an extra 5-10 minutes commute time.  Is there anything else left for us to do?  Shall I send another round of letters off to the board members?  -Bonnie

[Jeff Hammond]

I would encourage everyone to continue to write letters and testify how this does not address the HS Redesign “Promise” we were “sold”.

This is a sham and I have just about lost all faith in the district leadership.

And now they want $500,000,000 for capital improvements?  Who know’s what they will actually use it for? At this point, I don’t believe a word they say.

 

Jeff

[julie archer]

Don't give up! - keep sending the message.  This is what I sent to the design staff and board members:

 

I am not happy with the current changes to the proposed boundary changes and feel that the district isn't listening to the Franklin community.  We want to be able to serve all of the students who come to Franklin well, and since it is looking like we will be the largest school in the district as years go by, I think it is crucial to address the socio economic stability of the whole campus. In light of the budget cuts that will be coming, it is important to share the load of helping those families who will need extra support among the schools equitably.

 

Julie Archer

[Tammy]

Well said.

 

Tammy

---

From: frankli...@googlegroups.com [mailto:frankli...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of julie archer
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 8:12 PM