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Post by linnea on Sept 10, 2008 13:22:33 GMT -5
Would you care to share what district you are moving to, and how you are confident that their school board is able to predict the future accurately? And how your children feel about having to adjust not just to a new school, but to a whole new town?
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Post by Election Results on Sept 10, 2008 13:54:04 GMT -5
My 3 children are not yet of school age, but will be next year - if you must know. As far as the district, I do not yet know, but rest assured, I will be asking tough questions of the administration, school board, and residents of the community. While I realize that no district will be perfect, as a parent I must weigh the good and the not so good and make the decision that is best for my children's needs. And, it is not a matter of predicting the future, it is planning for the future - two very different things.
When we moved to CF (before having any children), one of the major factors that influenced our move here was the school system. In the years that I have been here, I have kept my eyes and ears open to what goes on within the district, and now sadly, it is my opinion, I repeat my opinion as a parent, that my children will receive a quality education elsewhere.
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Post by NC Parent on Sept 12, 2008 10:25:46 GMT -5
I have to say I am glad the election went as it did. My hope is that Brown, Cornish and Edgington do not lose that passion for getting involved and making a difference, or that any of us do for that matter. I truly believe there needs to be new life in the board, I just don't feel that this is the time for a large learning curve. I hope to continue to see them involved with board meetings, attending, getting up to speed so in three years, they can take over the spots, lessen that learning curve and work toward making even more change. I know I can personally say that this has opened my eyes and I will stay involved. My child has only 3 more years at North Cedar but many more in the CF public school system. As well, I am a North Cedar lifer and will continue to support my community and it's school. It is a shame that some feel they need to jump ship rather than following proper channels and staying involved and keep working for that positive change. I fully support the current board and feel they will continue to do what is best for our children and us as taxpayers.
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Post by AL9GGJM on Sept 12, 2008 18:36:58 GMT -5
"jump ship"....school choice is a goal we should all strive for.
Throughtout the last year, many of us learned that we also have a great choice in Price Lab.
Did you know however that while there is a buffer zone that allows K-6 residents within the buffer zone to attend at $600 tuition (rest of Cedar Falls pays $5500) we offer the $600 tuition to all NON CEDAR FALLS residents.
Yet, we are all residents of Iowa and pay Iowa Income Tax and Property Tax (for homeowners) and yet some are excluded to attend a State (not public) School for the same rate everyone else.
In the interest of education, why would the Cedar Falls administration not address this? Every Cedar Falls resident should have equitable opportunity to attend Price Lab at the same tuition rate.
I am very concerned that Joyce Coil also mislead the public on the K-3 state goal of 17 students per classroom. You can find this on the State website, it is a goal. Sometimes, even experienced members get it wrong. $500,000 is an excellent investment in smaller classroom sizes. Kenyon totally mislead the public with the statement that there is no confirmation that smaller classroom sizes are of advantage, it is the teacher. How many teachers would agree that a class of 27 is better that a class of 17! Dr. Stoakes and Cindi MacDonald have stated over and over in public that "smaller classroom sizes" have been proven to be better for students.
Let's work together to make some improvments and take our schools to the next level
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Post by linnea on Sept 15, 2008 20:44:42 GMT -5
Yet, we are all residents of Iowa and pay Iowa Income Tax and Property Tax (for homeowners) and yet some are excluded to attend a State (not public) School for the same rate everyone else.
In the interest of education, why would the Cedar Falls administration not address this? Every Cedar Falls resident should have equitable opportunity to attend Price Lab at the same tuition rate.
At the elementary level, Price Lab functions like a neighborhood school. That is, you can open-enroll there from another city, but you can't go there from another elementary district within Cedar Falls, just like you can't go to any of the public elementary schools that are not in your district.
I'm not sure why that's their policy, but that's the way it is, and it's not up to the Cedar Falls city government to change it. They don't make the rules for Price Lab; it's part of UNI, and is governed by the Board of Regents.
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Post by chillidog on Sept 16, 2008 9:19:50 GMT -5
Of course Linneas definition of neighborhood school is whatever school, no matter where it is at, you are sent to
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Post by CF Dad on Sept 18, 2008 17:20:39 GMT -5
Linnea.
Right Church...Wrong Pew..
To some extent, yes Price Lab and the Buffer Zone are set up similar to your concept of Neighborhood Schools. It is incorrect to compare enrolling into Price Lab from out of town to open enrolling into CF.
First, there is no additional cost to to a family, any family, that enrolls out to another school district prior to March 1st.
How do you justify someone from out of town attending a state school for $5000 less than Cedar Falls residents outside the buffer zone.
If open enrollment afford all of us the same equitable choices and due process, why would the rules change for a State School.
in the interest of Education and Choice, I would think Dr. Stoakes and our school board would actively promote such a concept in the interest of education.
Your thoughts....
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Post by linnea on Sept 19, 2008 13:56:01 GMT -5
Like I said, I'm not sure why Price Lab's policy is the way it is, but if you think it should change, you need to take it up with UNI, not Stoakes and the school board.
The $600 fee applies to students in the PLS buffer zone as well as students open-enrolling in from other towns. So in that way it's similar to the public schools: neighborhood students and OE students are treated the same. Where it differs is that you can tuition-in from other parts of Cedar Falls, whereas you can't with the public schools.
The tuitioning-in thing ends with 6th grade, by the way. So for 7th grade and up, you can go there from anywhere in Cedar Falls for $600. My guess is that they voluntarily chose to respect the CF public schools' commitment to neighborhood elementary schools, and didn't want to draw kids away from their neighborhood school (unless the family was so dead set on Price Lab that they were willing to pay for it). But like I said, I really don't know how and why the buffer zone system was set up.
I went to a Lab School (in another state) for elementary school. In my town, families who worked for the University got preference for enrolling there, and for other kids a lottery was held to choose who would get it. But then, the town only had one public elementary, so there wasn't a neighborhood/non-neighborhood issue.
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Post by CF on Sept 19, 2008 17:44:11 GMT -5
Linnea.
Do some checking and see if you can conncet the dots between Dr. Stoake and Price Lab. the dots are there, just have to be connected.
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