When a child is sick, a good parent does not ask whether the child wants the medicine that will make them better. The parent knows that the remedy for the illness may not be pleasant but is necessary in order for the child to be healthy again.
Right now our district is ailing and there are necessary measures that must be taken in order to begin the healing process. Correcting the transportation situation is one of those measures.
At the March 13, 2012 Policy meeting, Vicky Ramos, Director of Student Placement stated, “the high mobility rate of families within the District complicates student placement and efforts to strengthen zone boundaries.”
Jerome Underwood, Senior Director of Operations stated, “the District has been too liberal in granting exceptions to the Parent Preference/Managed Choice policy by allowing families to choose schools outside of their zone” the consequences of which, “represents a significant cost”.
The remedy, the district must begin to enforce its own policies regarding student placement and parents must choose a school for their child(ren) within their Zone.
The transportation issue was revisited at last night’s Policy Committee meeting. Ms. Ramos noted that parents registering their child(ren) for Pre-K and Kindergarten will have to choose a school within their Zone. Siblings will also be required to attend a school within the same Zone.
At the Finance Committee meeting, Commissioner White asked Mr. Underwood why the district couldn’t replicate the success of certain schools in all Zones so that preferred schools wouldn’t have a waiting list and students wouldn’t have to be turned away from their school of choice. Mr. Underwood’s reply, “If you [the superintendent or the Board] decree that . . ., it will be the work that myself and my colleagues . . .execute.
Providing parents with successful schools in all district Zones would alleviate many of the transportation issues the district faces. Sending their children to schools within their Zone would alleviate many of the financial issues the district faces.
Creating a successful system of education for our children would alleviate much of the failure in our district.
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