Monday, February 02, 2009

The reassignment drama in our school district grows more contentious and louder...and the thing is just about a done deal. Basically, our school will lose four or five "nodes" and gain one; this will change the number of students receiving free and reduced lunch, and change the number of families who have traditionally supplied the school with stay-at-home moms who volunteer their time and monies. Our school is not alone. And I think our school was pegged by the school board and made to suffer needlessly. I have not always felt this way. In fact, I used to think that perhaps our school needed a little mixing up. But the way that the school board members and reassignment coordinator handled the parents, the facts, the figures, and the pressure was completely disappointing. We now join hordes of other angry parents in other parts of the county. I daresay this is a new dawn for the county - and I'm not sure that is a good thing. Even mayors are getting involved. People are starting PACs to unseat board members. I have a headache.

Every three years, I fear we'll be sent elsewhere or be forced to make a change. Whilst I know my children and I would adjust...I just don't wanna! And they certainly don't. Nothing short of a move to London, Manhattan, or somewhere equally urbantastic would make me happy at this point, so I completely sympathize with the families in our county who are currently upended. Me: the bleeding heart, always worried about the disadvantaged kids, now advocating for well-off families who have only to go to a different school. Yeah? What of it? I've seen it all in our scant six years in the system, and I just don't blame anyone who opts out of it.

2 comments:

Moi said...

Hi! Seattle's school district was similar. Each year you had to 'apply' to go to the school of your choice but there were no guarantees. Some parents had wee ones that had to ride the bus for over an hour just to get to school. And, talk about breaking up friendships--can you imagine not knowing the kids in school every year (possibly). And--having your buddies from school live gosh knows where? Everyone moved to the burbs when they had kids for this reason.

Lynn said...

I hate this mess!