Friday, November 26, 2010

Make sure your opinion counts



I was perusing the responses to the online survey for the 2020 Vision and found that they had some themes:
  • All schools are not perceived as equal. Even schools geographically close can be wildly inconsistent in educational opportunities.
  • Therefore, people do not want to redistrict schools that currently do a very good job. 
  • If the board simply rearranges attendance zones, people will either leave or move to be in the school zone of choice, making redistricting futile.
  • These feelings are amplified at Fernbank, Dunwoody and Chamblee.
  • Montgomery parents are upset at severe over-crowding.
  • People are concerned about the impact of property values.
  • People are concerned that they will lose their neighborhood feel and the ability to walk to school.
  • The consensus on magnets is split. Many want the magnets left alone. Many think they usurp funds and opportunity.
  • Overall, most respondents recognize that our schools have deteriorated into a vortex of disrepair and inequity. Parents that can, have worked very hard to improve and maintain a good neighborhood school. They will fiercely protect it.
  • Many people commented that the board is not to be trusted. They questioned who is serving on the committee.

Some quotes:

Fernbank and Dunwoody seem to be the most prolific responders -

Fernbank elementary school has a lot of international kids from Emory families. Many of these families live around Emory University which is on the outer edge of the Fernbank school area. These kids contribute a lot to the credits of international baccalaureate for this school. In addition, most of these families pay attention to education very much, I do not think they will send their children to another school that they are not satisfied with if they are cut out of the Fernbank area. I heard many parents said that they will move into the new fernbank school area or move to the area of another good school, which will make consolidation less effective.

Please do not jeopardize the success of Fernbank elementary by redistricting.

Fernbank Elementary School is a great model. The district should not be altered which would chnage something that works very well.

Like where the kids are now at Vanderlyn. Would like very much if Oxford Chase subdivision stay at Vanderlyn


Chamblee HS responses were also high -

Keep magnet program at Chamblee HS

I do not wish to be redistricted away from Chamblee HS


And there was a fairly large supply of opinions from Towers HS parents who had these comments -

Keeping neighborhoods intact is very improtant to me. Towers HS has a new technology wing. This addition is vital to our future.

It is important that Towers HS receive all monies that have previously been allocated forimprovement in both science/technology as well as providing improvements that have been requested for exterior appearances. this should be compatible with schools in North DeKalb!

Treat this school like it was on the north side of town. give it the funding that those schools receive


In fact, to add to the north/south debate, someone left this comment -

North Dekalb gets too much money allocated. South Dekalb, darker in hue and having the bulk of the more impoverished neighborhoods, needs the funds to be at least evenly distributed. Why do we always have to threaten public exposure and discord in order to get what we pay for? Keep Wadsworth open and stop playing games to prevent enrollment increase. We need more Wadsworths in South Dekalb. That will improve the performance of the county as a whole educationally and justify greater federal funding.

(Oddly, there is only one response identified as being from Arabia. But then, none of this effects them. Most comments are from over-crowded schools in disrepair with an assigned attendance zone.)

Concerning property values, these are some responses -

concerned about very negative impact on housing values if neighborhood is redistricted to Cross Keys HS

Be very careful with your changes. Dekalb has lost a ton of families and students as of late. The wrong changes and Dekalb could lose much more in the wrong areas. Your choices can seriously affect property values and the tax base for the county. In this economy, Dekalb could turn into Clayton very quickly.


And overall, the mistrust of the school board was a consistent theme in the responses -

school board must establish trust, transparency, accountability

Nobody trusts the board.

I don't believe the BoE will implement the plan as delivered.


I found one comment that I think states the crux of the problem in a nutshell -

Redistricting is a futile effort if there is no coherent plan to bring all of our schools up to par academically. Parents whose children are in under-performing schools will always find a way to move their children to better schools.

But overall, I agree most with this comment -

Please place the goal of providing the best education experience for the children of the county at the very top of your list of goals.

===

At any rate - please go to the website and add your opinion. The school district is asking and posting them for the world to see - I'd call that transparent! Now do your part and participate!

Click here and then click Take the Survey. You can only take it once per computer, as the software keeps track of IP addresses and locks you out.

After that, make sure you attend one of the remaining Charettes below.

Henderson Middle School, Mon. Nov. 29, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Peachtree Middle School, Tue. Nov. 30, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

===


Update: It looks like the word got out in the Lakeside cluster.  Many in that district have filled out the survey and want to maintain the Oak Grove, Henderson, Lakeside lines.  There is also a consensus to send all of Sagamore to Lakeside (some now go to Druid Hills). 


Keep it up! Please encourage folks from other school districts to fill out the survey! It seems that the only reason they aren't is because the awareness is too low. Spread the word.

For more information, read our some of our other posts on the subject,
School Closings and Transparency
New Attendance Data to Review
DeKalb County School Closures and Redistricting are coming and listen to Board Member Sarah Copelin-Wood argue at the inequities
Yeah Task Force!!!

210 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 210 of 210
Anonymous said...

Tucker HS was rated an 82 for educational adequacy. It's a BRAND new high school and they got a low B grade for educational adequacy?

Arabia Mountain HS is a newer Brand new HS and they got a 75 rating? A C grade for their educational adequacy?

Read the rating scale 80 and above means just needs tweaking. The individual rating sheets cover a wide range of items. I understand the Arabia scored low because it needs more physical ed equipment. The real numbers to keep you eye on are those below 70. If new construction or renovation gets those up above 80 I am happy as a clam. YOu might also note that most middle schools ranked high and that is doe to SPLOST. You might note that a building isn't everything. Chamblee Magnet ranked 33 and Lakeside 22. Of course, they might even be higher performing with an 82.

Anonymous said...

Consultants invited parents, teachers, principals to join the educational adequacy visits. Kim was on one of these tours. Did the group influence the ratings or just point out percieved problems?
Consultants did the ratings. Architects don't design perfect schools often. Nor do they have to suffer for any mistakes they make. It works best if they listen to the people who use them after they are built. That part of the process did not happen enough until Ms. Tyson came in.

Sagamore 7 said...

The score ranges are the following:

90+ = Excellent: The facility is new or like new and meets all of the educational program requirements.

80-89 = Good: The facility is designed to provide for the educational programs offered. It may have minor issues but generally meets the needs of the educational program.

65-79 = FAIR: The facility has some problems meeting the needs of the educational programs and will likely require some remodeling.

You don't want to know the rest!

I was on my schools (guess which one?) Educational Adequacy Facility Tour with the MGT consultant. Vic was from Idaho and was very knowledgeable and has been a teacher and administrator for 40 years, until his current position with MGT for the last 5 years.

NONE of us in attendance had any influence over the results of his evaluation. I doubt the principal had any influence. All he did was ask questions about the facility. None of the learning cottages (trailers) were included in the facility evaluation. They are not considered part of the permanent structure of the facility.

My point about our new HS's is that they should NOT be Good or Fair! They should be excellent! They should be not only "up to date" but leading edge technology!

Miller Grove HS got a 92 and that structure is much older (not by much) than either Tucker or Arabia.

Anon 12:07pm

Please divulge your source or how you came across your information regarding:

"I understand the Arabia scored low because it needs more physical ed equipment."

Who do we ask for detailed explanations regarding our school's evaluations?

Our evaluator didn't even go to our gymnasium and was not concerned about NON-educational or recreational activities as PE.

I will ask for an explanation if you can help guide me to the right person.

Respectfully yours,

Sagamore 7

Sagamore 7 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sagamore 7 said...

Sorry.
The blog printed my post twice.

Sagamore 7 said...

The 2020 Vision update will be on the website tomorrow.

Hopefully, each school will be explained.

Arabia scored so low due to SMALL ROOM sizes compared to the Dekalb High Schoool size standard.
That's on eway to keep your class size down.

Not enough PE equipment????
I guess NOT.

I guess our previous administration cut some corners...

Anybody giong to the Palace tomorrow to hear about the new Super requirements?

Sagamore 7

Anonymous said...

My point about our new HS's is that they should NOT be Good or Fair! They should be excellent! They should be not only "up to date" but leading edge technology!

Too late to worry about that. The horse has already left the barn and the people wo left the gate unlocked have been fired. Let's worry about how to go forth and do good (or at least cause no harm).

Anonymous said...

I will ask for an explanation if you can help guide me to the right person

I guess we will have to wait to see the individual sheets for each school

Anonymous said...

I was on my schools (guess which one?) Educational Adequacy Facility Tour with the MGT consultant. Vic was from Idaho and was very knowledgeable and has been a teacher and administrator for 40 years, until his current position with MGT for the last 5 years.

This is heartening news

Sagamore 7 said...

Anon 3:36.

The people haven't been fired, they are going to jail.

I am very concerned about the future. Not only of the facilities, but more importantly what is happening inside of them.

No more "Friends and Family" regarding DCSS. That was the main theme at the Columbia HS forum with Ray and Associates that I attended.

We'll see what they say tomorrow morning at 10am.
I hope I can make it. This whole final day of school with kids getting awards and holiday parties is putting a damper on my civic duty social life.

Is it ok to wish everyone a Merry Christmas?

Merry Christmas to all.

Sagamore 7

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