CF school supporter
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Post by CF school supporter on Jun 23, 2008 15:31:11 GMT -5
Guest 23: so you don't travel with your children on "busy roadways. a large bridge, and other dangerous situations"? All roads are busy in CF. I have been over the large bridge and I assure you it is quit safe. I wonder what the other dangerous situations are??? Just more excuses for not attending North Cedar. Have you visited the school and/or spoken to the teachers or the principal? I hope you have really talked to people who work at North Cedar or or the families whose children attend North Cedar. No one else can answer the questions you have about the quality of education, the community/family that is so strong within the North Cedar boundary lines or any other concerns you have. Before making any judgements please talk to the sources who can give truthful information.
guest 123: My questions are similar to you. Have you visited North Cedar School or spoken to the teachers/principal/or families who already attend North Cedar??? Just as I told guest 23, you are getting the wrong information from unreliable sources. Get real information before making decisions about North Cedar.
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Post by linnea on Jun 23, 2008 18:49:02 GMT -5
Guest123, I hope you find a solution that works for your family. I can understand not wanting to add 5 miles each way to your commute, twice a day.
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Post by linnea on Jun 23, 2008 18:51:35 GMT -5
Guest23, you do know that your children could take a school bus to North Cedar, don't you? Moving to a new town (and thus uprooting your kids from all their neighborhood friends and activities) so they won't have to ride the school bus seems a bit extreme.
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Post by guest 23 on Jun 24, 2008 10:43:27 GMT -5
CF supporter, I have visited NC, spoken to teachers, spoken to administrators, etc... I am not looking for excuses not to send my children to any location, the needs of my children are my only focus - those educational needs will be met elsewhere.
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Post by guest123 on Jun 24, 2008 10:53:22 GMT -5
CF supporter - I have not visited North Cedar school yet, and may... but the main reason I am not wanting to send my child there is due to location. Currently she walks from her daycare provider to school and back home after school. Arranging transportation to and from school everyday to North Cedar from the Southdale area would be a pain. And of course buses from North Cedar don't run to where I would need them to take my child.
It's just frustrating. This whole decision to move ANY children from their current schools, open enrolled or not, was not thought through properly. If EVERY elementary is full with district children, which is what I was told. EVERY elementary except North Cedar. Do you really think with the growth of Cedar Falls we aren't going to need a better solution in 3-5 years? Ridiculous.
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Post by NC Parent on Aug 21, 2008 15:24:04 GMT -5
Guest123-This is all very interesting and the thing I find most interesting is that changing the decision will only effect a "different" group. It is hard for me to have sympathy because I live 1 BLOCK from NC and that is specifically why I bought my house. So it is okay for me to drive my child way out of the way but not you to drive yours. You see - this will get us nowhere! Somebody has to change and if the best thing for the entire district (including Jr. High and High School) then lets do what it takes it. If we need to switch school in the future, I will ensure my child has a smooth transition because I will have a positive attitude. It is somewhat odd to me that some people feel we "settled" in NC when I along with MANY, MANY others specifically moved here not only for the neighborhood but mainly for the school. I did my homework and asked around and made the best decision for the education of my child. I just wish people would do their own research - the entire research - and see that all of the CF elementary schools are wonderful. We also have to look at the big picture to be sure and spread any tax payer money to the Jr Highs and High school as well. Elementary is just a small part of their experience so it is just odd to me that this group doesn't seem to be looking farther down the road when only a few years from now they won't even be at that school - lets spread the money as far as we can to improve their full experience grades 1-12. As far as declining enrollment-what some fail to see is that so many move to NC and don't leave! We love it here! Unfortuantely that does mean that new kids don't move in quite as quickly as in other areas of CF. Please keep this in mind when you are only looking at half of the enrollment explanation. I know when my daughter graduates and moves to junior high, we are staying right here!
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Post by my kids on Aug 21, 2008 17:43:13 GMT -5
I am sorry NC parent, but I have done my research and I strongly feel that we are heading down the wrong path. The Boards job is to look at both long and short term projections. The fact is that NC havs alot lower number than the other schools. Some of the other schools are maxed out. I realize that NC is a good school but it is not about myself not wantig to move my kids to NC it is about the fact that is 2-3 yrs the boundries will again hae to be looked at and how many kids will be moved again. I just want the board to look at the long growth and really do something!!
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Post by NC Parent on Aug 21, 2008 19:22:23 GMT -5
My point exactly! It is not about the individual school and if they are good or not. If everyone can put that aside, we might all get a clear answer on what to do. All of this is getting clouded by misinformtion and hearsay. But, what I don't think people are seeing is that it is not a cut and dry answer. This is just one phase of the board's plan and there is a limited amount of money to go around. What sense does it make to put all our eggs in one basket and build one brand new elementry school. Let's say you take NC out of the picture - still, there are upgrades to be done to ALL schools, including jr high and high school. I think the board made a good choice to move as few kids as possible and continue with the long term plan. Build a new school and hundreds of kids will need to relocate. Then there would be MORE uproar. There is no one master answer to this.
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Post by cf schools on Aug 21, 2008 19:42:46 GMT -5
You are right, NC parent...and I'm glad you seem to understand that this isn't and shouldn't be about one particular school or another...it is about doing what is best for the whole district...and you are also right in that nothing the board can do will please everyone...so they need to stop listening to us complain and start looking at the numbers.
You said that there isn't enough money to go around...and I agree with you...the problem, as I see it, is that if you sacrifice the numbers at all the other school to try to boost enrollment at one, there will be even less money to go around doing a huge disservice to all the schools in the district.
If you have a school with declining enrollment you have to first find out why it's declining and correct it (if it can be corrected) before you try to boost enrollment...you can't put the cart before the horse. If you corrected the underlying issues you might find, you don't need to do any boundary changes because enrollment might just increase on it's own. I think the boundary committee understood that and tried to suggest that by encouraging the board to go to a bond and upgrade NC BEFORE they moved kids but for some reason the board didn't want to do that...If I was a parent at NC I'd wonder why...
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Post by NC parent on Aug 21, 2008 20:28:24 GMT -5
NC was scheduled for an addition and some changes but when the issue of boundaries came up, the board made the right decision and put it on hold. This is what is so frustating, there is to PROBLEM at NC that needs to be corrected! Why would we as taxpayers choose to close a perfectly good school that could only use some minor changes and then start completely from scratch. That is not a good use of our money. The school is great and has accomodated the kids wonderfully. The only reason enrollment has declined is largely due to kids graduating through and moving on to jr high and the families STAY in the neighborhood. Why not use the resources we have and allow the other schools to grow as well. The board is thinking about the long-term which is why the necessary school will still get the additional space they need for the growth. As a NC parent, I trust the board and if there were no changes at all to NC, I was confident my child was still going to get a top notch education, there is no reason for me to be concerned. This is not about boosting numbers at one school or trying to make themselves look better, it is about using our resources wisely for the entire district K-12.
I'm all for new blood on the school board, but I just hope it will be for all the right reasons and not just this one.
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Post by guest5 on Aug 21, 2008 20:46:29 GMT -5
You are making great points NC parent, unfortunately some of the people on this website have not even come close to giving NC a fair shot. They wanted to boycott the visit they set up to tour the school and thought it was funny. Only one or two families showed up to the tour, but 30-50 people would show up to the meetings and complain about NC. The building doesn't make the education the teachers and students do. I hope the people that get the votes come on to the school board with an open mind, not a pissed off attitude like I saw at all of the kids first meetings.
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Post by cf school on Aug 21, 2008 21:20:59 GMT -5
NC parent...I don't mean to offend anyone...and we really won't get anywhere if we take things so personally and get defensive.
you said that all schools have needs and could use improvements from time to time...I never meant to imply that they should necessarily close NC...I'm just suggesting that before they try to fix the problem (of declining enrollment) they should put some effort into finding out what is causing the problem.
I know hurtful things have been said on both sides of this issue and it's hard not to take things personally...that's why the board faces such tough decision...it's true...they can't please everyone...so it's up to them to take the emotions out of it and look at the facts and the numbers.
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Post by forthekids on Aug 22, 2008 0:33:48 GMT -5
NC parent, take a minute and see where these parents are coming from. Of course NC is a good schoool. But the district said the building needs over $5 million in renovations, and that scared a lot of people away away--period. Some were at a brand new school. and.. They didn't put the NC renovations on hold because of the boundary issue; they suddenly announced there is no money for at least 10 years and that didn't give people a good feeling about a school said to need so much. People just want what is best for their children.
I see it as more of problem with the decision-making process that has soured so many, whether they were moved to NC, Lincoln, Orchard or Southdale or even if they weren't moved or ever slated for possible movement. People are upset that open enrolled students sit in the chairs resident kids could have. How would you like it if your kid were moved to the third closest school and open enrolled students got to stay? Putting in caps after they move your kid out is not a comfort--it is a slap in the face. No committee members kids were moved except jen hartman's. No board members' neighborhoods touched. And board meetings are such a joke. Everything has been decided in advance on every issue. There is little meaningful discussion and they all vote together. It is the process.
You say you bought your house to go to NC. Other people bought their homes to go to SDale or Lincoln or Hansen and why shouldn't they feel just as strongly as you do about their schools (or former schools)? I think pride in your school is a good thing and wanting stability for your child admirable if a move is not absolutely positively needed.
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Post by Past CF Resident on Aug 22, 2008 6:43:23 GMT -5
After reading the article in the Courier about CF enrollment numbers, it is pretty safe to say that this "plan" did not work out so well for the powers-that-be. I realize with the flooding issues, families are still in a state of transitions, so the numbers at NC will likely rise somewhat. Realistically, the number of students NC will gain will likely be fewer than 10. My questions are these... 1. How many families have moved out of the CF school district because of the board's decision? 2. Were any families granted the option of open enrolling out of the district? 3. How many of the families that were moved chose to send their children to St. Pat's or other private schools? As I travel through the areas "moved" throughout CF, I see many, many homes for sale - this is bothersome - an outflow of people from a district is a sign of major problems within. I hope fresh faces on the school board will be able to turn the ship in the right direction - right now it is sailing the wrong course!
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Post by NC Parent on Aug 22, 2008 8:11:04 GMT -5
Okay, since we will never see eye to eye on the school building issue, I ask this question of those of you who are supporting the 3 new candidates - we now know what their issue is and what is at the heart of the need for change, what solution are they proposing? It will not be as simple as moving Open Enrolled kids because like it or not, there is money tied to it which would effect all of the programs our kids are involved in. How are they going to fix this "problem"? I will be attending the meet and greet on Sunday to hear all sides, but I am curious what the solution is? Heck, if they have a better plan, I am all for supporting whoever will make the best choice for the district. I think we've heard enough of the problem, now what is the solution . . . .
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