[Speed Gibson,
Wednesday January 30, 2008 at 8:55am]
Be True to Your School
It happens every time. Propose closing an elementary school and suddenly the affected parents and staff mobilize to prevent it. It's pretty much the same script. "We understand the need to cut the budget, but when you look at all our school has going for it, clearly closing _________ Elementary makes no sense."
District 279, the Osseo School District, is now making its budget cuts, which include closing schools. Yes, they did get one referendum passed, but two failed and the District has to cut $16 million. Closing Cedar Island Elementary in Maple Grove is part of the preliminary plan, and the protests have started already. Posters and T-shirts have been made, and a "rally" organized and held at the school. Over the next few weeks, they will go through the same process as District 281 (Robbinsdale) did and will do again next year.
Is there a time when the public school system ever has better public support, specifically when a school is close by, particularly at the Elementary level? Clearly not. Talk of rising class sizes and cutting Advanced Placement programs get yawns by comparison. More precisely, these closings reduce public support far more is gained by improving the open schools or the District overall. This is especially true in larger districts with significant differences in demographics. But here it is happening just within the monolithic Maple Grove area served by the Osseo schools.
Retailers know and promote the products their customers like best, and make good money selling them. Everyone is happy, including the customers. Shouldn't the school districts start thinking this way? What is it the parents and taxpayers value most? Neighborhood schools it would seem. But what do the districts do when money is seemingly tight? Close neighborhood schools.
Now some closings must happen if enrollment drops significantly, especially if the District overbuilt when it was rising. But the Baby Boom has played out and we're not likely to see such waves in most urban districts again. Is it wrong to now first seek stability in school facilities, what the parents seem to value most?
District 279, the Osseo School District, is now making its budget cuts, which include closing schools. Yes, they did get one referendum passed, but two failed and the District has to cut $16 million. Closing Cedar Island Elementary in Maple Grove is part of the preliminary plan, and the protests have started already. Posters and T-shirts have been made, and a "rally" organized and held at the school. Over the next few weeks, they will go through the same process as District 281 (Robbinsdale) did and will do again next year.
Is there a time when the public school system ever has better public support, specifically when a school is close by, particularly at the Elementary level? Clearly not. Talk of rising class sizes and cutting Advanced Placement programs get yawns by comparison. More precisely, these closings reduce public support far more is gained by improving the open schools or the District overall. This is especially true in larger districts with significant differences in demographics. But here it is happening just within the monolithic Maple Grove area served by the Osseo schools.
Retailers know and promote the products their customers like best, and make good money selling them. Everyone is happy, including the customers. Shouldn't the school districts start thinking this way? What is it the parents and taxpayers value most? Neighborhood schools it would seem. But what do the districts do when money is seemingly tight? Close neighborhood schools.
Now some closings must happen if enrollment drops significantly, especially if the District overbuilt when it was rising. But the Baby Boom has played out and we're not likely to see such waves in most urban districts again. Is it wrong to now first seek stability in school facilities, what the parents seem to value most?