In the intervening time between the meeting that we held on January 25th and our next meeting on February 8th, we have time to continue to look at the data related to school closure. There is no question that we have to find a way to reduce costs. There is no question that given the fact that we are experiencing significant ongoing reductions in enrollment numbers district wide, we must consolidate the number of schools that we currently operate. The question is, given that communities were designed so that schools would be close the students that they serve, how do we close schools in such a way that we will impact students the least?
As I have said before, I have not made up my mind. I have vacillated between several solutions, none of which is easy. At our last meeting Superintendent Lawrence shared with the Board and audience a solution that closes Glenbrook and a choice between Holbrook Elementary or Wren Elementary. Per his proposed solution, the Superintendent suggests that if we re-purpose the two schools and use them to bring in house some of our alternative programs and special education programs, we can save enough money to avoid having to close a third school. Also included in his solution is a requirement to modify boundaries to relieve overcrowding at several schools, most notably Meadow Homes Elementary and Delta View Elementary. I would expect that the boundaries would have to change soon enough to impact next school year which is going to impact many students.
So what is on the table? What choices can the Board make? The Board can choose any option that has been proposed or an option that hasn't yet been proposed. The Board can look at the data and decide that all options are too difficult for students to deal with, but if that was done, the Board would have to come up with budget reductions to achieve $1.5 million in cuts. We have made so many cuts in our district, I honestly don't know where those additional cuts would come from.
I believe that the Board has a responsibility to act at our February 8th meeting. Board Members have had the data for some time now and we have all had the opportunity to meet with and discuss possibilities with staff members. I have spent hours in those discussions and hours with the data. We have been contemplating school closures for over a year now, so there should be no accusations that the Board and the district have rushed to conclusion. Of all of the reductions that we have made over the years, this is the most thoroughly studied and has had the greatest opportunity for public input. Parents, students and staff members are waiting for the decision to be made so that they can begin to plan for next school year. Extending the date for a decision will be extremely difficult to deal with on many levels.
There has been some questions and criticisms because I requested the Superintendent give his presentation after public comment at our January 25th meeting. I viewed the Superintendent's presentation for the first time at 5:30 PM on January 25th and I don't believe that any other Board Member saw the presentation prior to the meeting. I wanted to give the public an opportunity to speak prior to the Superintendent suggesting a solution. If you will recall, I was criticized for asking that Sequoia Elementary, Sequoia Middle School and Monte Gardens Elementary be removed from consideration for closure at our January 19th school closure meeting prior to public comment. I think that no matter when a solution is suggested, the timing, the committee make up, the rationale that the committee used, the rationale that the Board used, the motivations of everyone, and everything else will be criticized by those who are impacted. I understand it given the importance of the decisions being made as well as the many people who will be impacted. That said, I have seen no evidence that would impeach the data or prove that any member of the committee or member of the Board has any interest other than what's best for all students.
At our January 25th meeting I suggested that we hold the meeting in the Monte Gardens MU room because of the potential that the Board room would be too small to hold the audience. Unfortunately, even MG was too small. I have requested that our February 8th meeting be held in the MU room of one of our high schools to make sure that we have ample room for the audience. We will have a location for that meeting determined at some point this coming week. We are trying to find a high school MU room that is large enough and has connected Internet so that we have the ability to stream the Board meeting live over the Internet.
As I have said before, I have not made up my mind. I have vacillated between several solutions, none of which is easy. At our last meeting Superintendent Lawrence shared with the Board and audience a solution that closes Glenbrook and a choice between Holbrook Elementary or Wren Elementary. Per his proposed solution, the Superintendent suggests that if we re-purpose the two schools and use them to bring in house some of our alternative programs and special education programs, we can save enough money to avoid having to close a third school. Also included in his solution is a requirement to modify boundaries to relieve overcrowding at several schools, most notably Meadow Homes Elementary and Delta View Elementary. I would expect that the boundaries would have to change soon enough to impact next school year which is going to impact many students.
So what is on the table? What choices can the Board make? The Board can choose any option that has been proposed or an option that hasn't yet been proposed. The Board can look at the data and decide that all options are too difficult for students to deal with, but if that was done, the Board would have to come up with budget reductions to achieve $1.5 million in cuts. We have made so many cuts in our district, I honestly don't know where those additional cuts would come from.
I believe that the Board has a responsibility to act at our February 8th meeting. Board Members have had the data for some time now and we have all had the opportunity to meet with and discuss possibilities with staff members. I have spent hours in those discussions and hours with the data. We have been contemplating school closures for over a year now, so there should be no accusations that the Board and the district have rushed to conclusion. Of all of the reductions that we have made over the years, this is the most thoroughly studied and has had the greatest opportunity for public input. Parents, students and staff members are waiting for the decision to be made so that they can begin to plan for next school year. Extending the date for a decision will be extremely difficult to deal with on many levels.
There has been some questions and criticisms because I requested the Superintendent give his presentation after public comment at our January 25th meeting. I viewed the Superintendent's presentation for the first time at 5:30 PM on January 25th and I don't believe that any other Board Member saw the presentation prior to the meeting. I wanted to give the public an opportunity to speak prior to the Superintendent suggesting a solution. If you will recall, I was criticized for asking that Sequoia Elementary, Sequoia Middle School and Monte Gardens Elementary be removed from consideration for closure at our January 19th school closure meeting prior to public comment. I think that no matter when a solution is suggested, the timing, the committee make up, the rationale that the committee used, the rationale that the Board used, the motivations of everyone, and everything else will be criticized by those who are impacted. I understand it given the importance of the decisions being made as well as the many people who will be impacted. That said, I have seen no evidence that would impeach the data or prove that any member of the committee or member of the Board has any interest other than what's best for all students.
At our January 25th meeting I suggested that we hold the meeting in the Monte Gardens MU room because of the potential that the Board room would be too small to hold the audience. Unfortunately, even MG was too small. I have requested that our February 8th meeting be held in the MU room of one of our high schools to make sure that we have ample room for the audience. We will have a location for that meeting determined at some point this coming week. We are trying to find a high school MU room that is large enough and has connected Internet so that we have the ability to stream the Board meeting live over the Internet.
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