the proposal?

[lulu]

another question, actually two. when cedar heights was rebuilt several years ago, what was the student capacity before and after?
when lincoln was rebuilt, what was the student capacity before and after?
thanks for the info.

[psund]

Yes, that is the bottleneck. I suggested that they use a classroom(s) to eat lunch, and that is a possibility. However, the biggest issue is SCHEDULING. Per the administrator I spoke with, he said the State of Iowa mandates that children have a certain number of PE classes per a specific period (every week?) and that is really the largest challenge. Too many sections of classrooms per building makes it impossible to satisfy that mandate.

...bottomline, they will move kids! I am not trying to be a pessimist, but a realist, and that is where it is heading. Especially with the comment you said earlier about Stoakes talking with KWWL.

I encourage the residents of CF to come to the next Cedar Falls Kids First meeting. Instead of sitting back and feeling like you can't do anything...you can in this group, and in a positive direction...mark your calendars to be there at 4 p.m. — bring your friends, family, and neighbors...time is ticking away and the Board will make a decision soon!! We will move forward as a united front NOT as divided neighborhoods.

[tdodd]

Yeah, you got it.

[psund]

This issue should have been handled years ago...this all seems RUSHED...rushed to do something now ...it appears there has not been a proactive approach to address enrollment in place. Ultimately, who's job is this???

[lena]

Well, this board dosen't seem to be very forward thinking on any desision they make. I guess its easy when your spending other people's money. Now they seem to be trying to controll where the growth is and that isn't their job. The city could try by offering tax incentives but certainly not the school board. They should put our money where we are!
I guess I still don't fully understand how they could build a new cedar heights, a new lincoln, new classrooms at southdale all in the last few years but yet our facilities still cant handle the enrollment? How does that happen?

[kidscount]

we are all responsible for allowing these bad decisions to be made. we were asleep at the switch, assuming those in the decision making positions knew what they were doing. now that our eyes have been opened, and we are awake and minding the store and not letting the hired help run the business, we must continue to be vigilant. the Board is supposed to represent "us". we elected them to be our eyes and ears. i my opinion, they have let us down. the voting booth is a good place to start.

[ben]

I actually spoke to some Waterloo School employees recently, so I think I need to address the comment that one district was actually getting things "right." Yes they are closing Longfellow, but no new building is going to be built. There are other buildings within the Waterloo district that are under capacity, so they will absorb the Longfellow students. This is being done b/c of financial concerns. I keep hearing in the tones from many of the postings that closing North Cedar is the answer - "It's going to happen anyway, so why not just get it over with?" People are concerned about a very small number of students being moved with this boundary study. Do you realize what would happen if they closed N.C. and build a new building south of town? N.C. students would be moved into Hansen and Lincoln, and Hansen and Lincoln students would then be moved, and so on. A HUGE number of kids/families will be affected by something like this. And for those people who are so against wanting to leave Southdale, would they still fight to stay there if a brand new building was built in their neighborhood. I hope they would since they have been saying that's the only reason they purchased their homes. I do agree our focus needs to be on Kids First. But let's stay united as a community and remember the focus of this group. Kids First! Not my kid first!

[Misli]

I agree ben, I don't think they need to close N. Cedar at this point. But the best predictor of future trends is past trends and I would hate to see them put a lot of money and neighborhoods over there and then be locked into a decision that may ultimately be a mistake. We do need to stay united which is why they could just use open enrollment for now and give it at least 3 years to see what enrollment does. Then they could make the tough decisions when they have more data.

[crabbie]

I realize that closing NC and building new to the west and south will cause a large shift in students, but this shift will be a long term solution. I am more than willing to have my kids move schools as long as they do not have to move again in 2-3 yrs. We have to face the facts that really hard decisions need to be made, and alot of money will have to be spent. I hope this new group will help to follow the school board and kept them accountable for there decisions. Lets all stand together to help keep CF the great family commuinty it is known to be.

[ben]

I've really been trying to understand where everyone is coming from throughout all of the discussions that have been held in regards to this boundary study, but I find myself left with the same question - Why does redrawing the boundaries seem like a short term "fix" to so many people? I agree that building a new elementary and shifting the majority of CF kids will be a long term solution, but I believe the boundary "shift" would be as well. Maybe someone could help me understand why it wouldn't be. It sounds like there's a great deal of negativity out there towards North Cedar and Orchard Hill. I'm sure that's now how people are intending to come across, but nevertheless, they are. I think something we all need to remember is the way our words and actions are being modeled for our children. I think it's great that people are standing up for what they believe in, but shouldn't we also be modeling how we handle things when they don't go the way we want them to?

[Misli]

Ben, I can only speak for myself, but I think when people look at the enrollment trends they see redrawing the boundaries at this point like putting a band-aid on a broken arm. You can try to controll where the growth is going but I see that as a losing battle. It has been said and most people agree that CF has some of the best schools around. But we have to be able to look at the facts objectively. If we can't, maybe we should invest the money and hire a consulting firm to come in as was suggested on another post. As far as modeling for our children, I agree. Things don't always go the way we want them to in life but the fight is far from over. But, I for one, am inspired for the first time that I (one person) may be able to make a difference. And I'm going to keep fighting for what I believe is right until the bitter end. If I should not get the results I am after I will certainly model to my children how to be a gracious loser but we aren't there yet.

[mdodd]

I wanted to clarify a few things for ben. I personally have no negative feelings toward N. Cedar or Orchard Hill. The reason moving the boundaries does not seem like a long term solution to me is because the proposals to date have always moved so few students, 20 here, 40 there, maybe 60 total. If moving 60 students is a long-term solution, I don't think there was much of a problem in the first place. If it is determined that is the extent of the problem, dealing with open enrollment should be enough of a solution. At least putting open enrollment students at N. Cedar will give that school a student population that will not age out of elementary school in three years. The other reason I feel moving the boundaries is not a long term solution is the proposal currently has students moving out of a crowded school, that has sufficient classroom space, to a school that will be even more crowded, but without sufficient classroom space, in less than three years. This is not long term thinking.
For my part, I am modeling for my children how to stand up for what you believe in, do it without compromising your character, and do it in a positive way. I would like my children to learn how to stand up and be heard, and to not back down when faced with a bigger opponent. I would also like them to learn that they always have choices. We may or may not attend Orchard Hill if that is how this plays out, but my children will be involved in making that decision when the time comes.

[lena]

I've heard this argument before...about how we should be better parents. I don't quite understand that. It seems that people get so offended when we start talking about the fact of enrollment trends and growth potential at particular schools but those same people turn around and question our parenting when they have no facts about how we raise our children. I mean this with all due respect. I for one have not told my children anything about this. And I don't intend to. I will wait until I know for sure what school they will be attending then I will say "next year you will be going to a different school. You'll get to meet lots of new friends and I'm sure you'll have a great time. Now, what do you want for dinner." It won't become a dramatic thing in their life just something they will endure. I really shouldn't have to explain that to anyone because frankly it is no ones business, however the decisions regarding this school district is all of our businesse's as we are the taxpayers and it is ultimately our money running the show.

[sw6201]

i read a quote in the Cedar Falls times today in which a lady stated that she felt her human and civil rights were being violated and that she moved here to for the schools, if the boundries change, her kids will still be going to CF schools, i am amazed at some of the thinking people are putting into this. I talked to a person that didn't like the bathrooms at N. Cedar, I have heard so much about this, from ridiculous comments to comments that make sense, bottom line, boundry lines need to be moved.

[cfschools]

Bottom line is boundries do not need to be changed. Changing boundries is sometimes necessary. Not this time though. It really shouldn't matter why certain people do not want to move. We can all agree that moving children is not the ideal and should be avoided when possible. It CAN be avoided now. They can use open enrollment as a tool this time.
Sometimes I get the feeling that a lot of people have had their minds made up for a long time, facts be darned.