Post by Chris_Wendt on Feb 10, 2011 15:54:58 GMT -5
A Cautionary Tale!
Closing unnecessary schools is an option available to every school board in this state. It is NEVER a popular option, ALWAYS a contentious option, but, it is not an option the use of which any school board should ever foreclose for itself.
Mineola has three unneeded schools. They floated a bond in October for $6.7 Million to make alterations to other schools that would have facilitated the closing of all three unnecessary schools. A critical mass of irate parents from among all three buildings had sufficient voting power to defeat that bond and thwart the district's intention of closing all three schools.
This Tuesday, the Mineola School District held a vote on a revised $4.4 Million bond to build out another school that would have facilitated the District keeping their existing Grade Level Alignments intact after the two excess schools were closed. That bond, too was defeated out of anger by the affected parents from the excessed schools.
So the end result is, two of the three excess schools will be closed, one in each of the next two years, regardless. But instead of their traditional Grade Level Alignments in the district, they will have a modified Princeton Plan, with all of Grades 3 and 4 in one building, Grades 5, 6, and 7 all in another building, and Grades 8-12 all in the High School.
When the chips are down, you gotta do what you gotta do to survive. It is often not pretty, and not popular. Voting "NO!" out of hatred, retribution, or revenge is short-sighted, and usually counter productive at the end of the day.
WARNING!
--from Chris Wendt
Closing unnecessary schools is an option available to every school board in this state. It is NEVER a popular option, ALWAYS a contentious option, but, it is not an option the use of which any school board should ever foreclose for itself.
Mineola has three unneeded schools. They floated a bond in October for $6.7 Million to make alterations to other schools that would have facilitated the closing of all three unnecessary schools. A critical mass of irate parents from among all three buildings had sufficient voting power to defeat that bond and thwart the district's intention of closing all three schools.
This Tuesday, the Mineola School District held a vote on a revised $4.4 Million bond to build out another school that would have facilitated the District keeping their existing Grade Level Alignments intact after the two excess schools were closed. That bond, too was defeated out of anger by the affected parents from the excessed schools.
So the end result is, two of the three excess schools will be closed, one in each of the next two years, regardless. But instead of their traditional Grade Level Alignments in the district, they will have a modified Princeton Plan, with all of Grades 3 and 4 in one building, Grades 5, 6, and 7 all in another building, and Grades 8-12 all in the High School.
When the chips are down, you gotta do what you gotta do to survive. It is often not pretty, and not popular. Voting "NO!" out of hatred, retribution, or revenge is short-sighted, and usually counter productive at the end of the day.
WARNING!
--from Chris Wendt