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Welcome to the community development in support of Silver Street Elementary. We are citizens concerned with keeping and maintaining this community anchor and historic landmark.
Please feel free to express your thoughts and opinions about ways to benefit our community school.
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7 comments:
I think that it will be VERY important tonight for everyone to remember that the school board members should be treated as our friends. We are simply providing them with some facts that they might not have, because we want them to be able to make their decisions and votes, in good conscience with plenty of unbiased information.
WE DID IT!!! It was a bit intimidating but we did it!!!! And we did fantastic! Amy thanks for being the first up. I am so proud of everyone for working so hard and staying focused. Woohoo! GO FOSSE! And that was just round one, next time we'll be even better!!!
Michelle,
I am so glad you posted this tonight. I have been checking to see how it went and am looking forward to hearing more. Thank you so much for being there to represent us!
I want to note that Mrs. Wiseheart replied to an email and stated that using the word "sink" was not meant disrespectfully, that she would have used that word for any school.
We had nine people step-up and talk. Everyone spoke very well and made so many great points!
After we finished, it soon moved to the superintendent's report. He said he appreciated the respectful way we approached them and proceeded to explain what the RFR committee was created to do: to enhance student learning and efficiency. He said he asked all of the school principals for recommendations of various people to be on the committee and that is how it was formed. Then he brought Amick as a consultant. He said he would like to share the journey of the RFR and the work the committee has done over 20 meetings. Then he introduced Amick, Dooley, and Carpenter who took the podium.
Amick reviewed things from their notes without detail: that they've reviewed demographic reports, financial reports, classrooms, facilities, schools and boundaries, feasibility, etc. She said the committee is in agreement that 85% capacity is optimum and to start looking at expansion construction at 90%+, that ideal enrollment should span 300-600, that schools with predominantly low income should be smaller, that efforts should be made to keep children in the same school for the school year, etc. She said they have considered all schools. They want to give their variety of options and hear from the public to see if there is an option they haven't considered. She gave a timeline of September-October at being completed.
Then Gardenour told of her "real disappointment" in our outcry without having all of the data. Another board member (Neal Smith I believe) said that he knew nothing and has learned more from the paper than anywhere else. Implications were made that the paper wasn't presenting the whole story (side note: the paper did meet with Dr. Brooks, where opportunity was given to him to explain the whole story). But Gardenour was disappointed in our outcry prior to having the options presented to the public. She, Brooks, and Wiseheart all made a variety of comments, stating that no one was asked to leave the committee and that no one had asked to be removed and that Principals don't get paid depending on the number of students in a school - that they are paid equally (I'm not sure how that applies to the topic-at-hand). Dr. Brooks did iterate their mistake at having not posted the notes from the beginning, but that has been corrected and said that he hopes by the time all of this is finished, we will see just "how transparent" the process has been. He stated that "two individuals showed up at one of the committee meetings uninvited" and that he asked those individuals to leave because it was closed door. They told about how there was nothing "secret" about any of it, then someone mentioned that "information had been leaked." Wiseheart stated that we weren't aware of all of the options, one was to sink $6 million into Silver Street and another option was to do nothing. She then commented about having attended our first meeting and said it was well organized and there was information presented that she had not been aware of.
The school board then proceeded and 7-0 agreements were made to "sink millions" into the athletic facilities of Floyd Central and New Albany high schools.
I vote that we don't give up and that we present more data at the next meeting!
I second that vote ...
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