Thank you for helping the effort to make sure the BoE hears a balanced set of reconfiguration options:

Option #12: Use trailers in 2009-2010
Option #9: New 4/5 Construction at Renfroe
Option #6: Use existing facilities
Whether your motivations are based on fairness, financial responsibility, neighborhood primary school models, or others equally important, we are working toward a BoE proposal which will show that the problem of increasing enrollments can be viably addressed using existing facilities.

Gabriel Ramirez has proposed that we use the same Reconfiguration Factors Assessment document that was used in the Reconfiguration Committee to compare and contrast our “use what we’ve got” vs. the “build something” option. Doing this would help us to break topic items out into small enough chucks that we can divide it out to fit into the 2 minute public comment sound bites at the January 13th BoE meeting.

For those of us who have time, please take a look at the Reconfiguration Factors Assessment doc (http://www.decatur-city.k12.ga.us/fyi/fyi78.shtml). Consider working through it yourself.

I expect some factors are more decisive to us than others:

Costs
Impacts on instructional programming
Success of 4/5 academy in mitigating problems of racial and socioeconomic diversity
It will be important that we avoid reopening old wounds over the previous reconfiguration. Some parents who are interested in helping with this, have regrettably removed themselves from participating because of their fears that they were lightning rods last time around, and that their participation might bias things against our efforts. I’m probably talking as much if not more to myself, when recommending that we keep it positive, politic, and diplomatic.

Please jump in and share your own analysis.

Find a teacher or school staffer and ask them to tell you what they think “off the record”.

I will be working to put together our collective thoughts. If no one else beats me to it, I will try to have something out later today to kickstart putting together topic items for the public comment session based off the Reconfiguration Factors. If you feel strongly about any particular item, I would hope that you would be willing to speak about it during the public comment time, and perhaps also consider taking an issue which might be less well represented, so that we can adequately cover all the bases.

If you don’t have time, you can still help out by listening and pointing out where our ideas fall short. But most of all, you can help by bringing in other smart motivated parents. Please send them this email and ask them to reply to you with an “I’m In” or “I’m listening”. Then let me know, and I’ll try to send them something which represents the current state of our collective thoughts and who is willing to commit to speak on what. I’ll also try to send out periodic emails to everyone involved so that you can “reply to all” and reach everyone. If you would prefer to be “blind copied” on emails, let me know.

Please help us bring in as many parent and community members as possible. We need parents from all schools. Time is very short.

When talking about development and whatnot, city employees are often good enough to chime in and clarify a point. But with CSD we’re allowed to speculate to our hearts desire without a follow up. Perhaps I need to reach out to them more actively. The one exception is Winnona Park’s principal, who on multiple occasions has given us a bit of insight.

Geez…don’t I sound spoiled!

1) Making Renfroe a 900 student school – which doesn’t seem to fit into the CSD school image
2) Doing more construction – more money, more maintenance, more heating and cooling

Having said that, the recommendation came from a group of like 20 people from the community, so it isn’t just one person. So, if they all looked at the options and this is what they chose, I feel comfortable with that.

Also, as an aside, the vocal people care about the school system just like the ones who side with the school board. A non-vocal dissenter is someone getting ready to leave the system…

As an example, I gave the school board my opinion on how to address their challenges during the redistricting and, lo and behold, the results were fairly similar to what I advocated for. So, to my perspective, they listen really, really well. As far as I’m concerned, I was heard. And then some.

But I don’t expect it to always play out that way.

That’s why the board consists of elected positions. You’re heard through your vote. We put people we trust in place and then we, uhhhh, trust that they’ll take what they hear from constituents and learn in educational circles, research options, consider political and financial facts on the ground, and then make decisions on our behalf.

I mean, sheesh. How much more voice do you want? If you want your finger on the button, run for the position. At least Cranky’s willing to do that (and I can’t wait to see the Vote Cranky yard signs).