I was able to obtain a copy of District 150’s draft “Educational Enhancement and Budget Alignment Plan.” I discovered something. I thought that the district was planning to close Woodruff and distribute its students to Central and Richwoods. That is practically what’s going to happen, but it’s not technically what will happen. Technically, the plan calls for Woodruff and Central both to be closed, and a new school created:
Close Irving and Kingman primary schools, Lincoln middle school, Woodruff and Peoria high schools … re-draw boundaries and re-allocate entering Woodruff-Peoria high sophomore through senior year students to a merged Woodruff-Peoria high school on the existing Peoria high campus.
So the question that immediately comes to my mind is, “Why?” Why state it that way? I believe the answer is that both Central and Woodruff have been in “academic watch status,” or AWS, for five years as of 2008. Do you know what happens if they are still in AWS after six years? They go into State Intervention and Federal Restructuring, and that means some really drastic action could be taken by the state:
The Regional Superintendent removes the local school board OR the State Superintendent appoints an independent authority to operate the school or district. The State Board may dissolve the entity OR the State Superintendent may reassign pupils and reassign or remove administrative staff. Title I schools must continue to offer school choice and supplemental services. Federal restructuring options include the following: classify the school as a charter school OR replace principal and staff OR select an outside management entity OR state takeover and management.
However, if both schools are closed, then the academic warning status is moot. The AWS disappears into history along with the schools’ independent identities. A new combined school will essentially reset the clock of state accountability. A cynic might say that a plan to close and merge schools ostensibly for budgetary reasons is really just an end-run around the state’s accountability standards — and their consequences.
So, despite the protests that will take place Tuesday night before the school board meeting, I’ll bet this plan is put into action anyway. It not only helps fix budgetary shortfalls, it also obviates state action against failing schools.
ed- I totally agree with you on your last note to Jim.
One of my main concerns is that my child is currently a Sophomore at Woodruff and he will have to start all over again. He will have to attend Richwoods if the line boundry is to be changed as it states in the proposal. Many people have asked me what I am so worried about, Richwoods is a good school. Yes, it is. I am so sick over how fast this all has come about. Really!! I talk to so many parents and they feel the same. Please do not judge us with bad comments (‘foaming of the mouth parents’) if you are not if you are not directly effected. You have no idea what we all are going through. My son has worked hard on creating great relationships with the staff down at Woodruff. He is very confident right now and receiving good grades. We have been through some rough times. He would play on the varsity level next year in wrestling, baseball and football when these would be his biggest years to come. Now this will change. I hope not and I would love to embrace this change with a positive attitude like I have been taught in my job. —-I am so upset at how this has all been communicated!!! Seems like old school management.
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Richwoods is a good school but Woodruff is too and this is where I chose my child to attend. That is why I bought my home. The location was good and I knew my child would attend Woodruff. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have bought a house in the Richwoods district and had my children attend the high school STARTING at Freshman year!!!!!
Nicole – You are a great Mom! Just wanted to say that.
Thank you Diane!
Nicole you are so right. High school years are the most important years to a child. To uproot them mid-stream almost seems inhumane. It is obvious that with the most recent proposal, there have been so many other issues that have come out. I don’t even want to get on my platform of if you have to close a high school, the closure should come in 2012 when all of the current high school kids have had the opportunity to finish what and where they started. It is truly overwhelming as to what is being thrown out there. I just really truly hope that all the negative comments that are being put out there are warranted. Definition of that meaning if you had a child in one of these schools, how would you feel. I just can’t stand to see these kids go through the turmoil. This has got to be a tough time for the teachers! On the heels of ISAT testing, the children had a 2 week break for the holidays; mother nature didn’t cooperate; MLK holiday, and now all the turmoil of the proposed closures and all of the disruptions at the schools this week. Wow! Way too much pressure for kids. Because that is what all this upheaval is about……right? Our children of the community and their sound eduacation.
“High school years are the most important years to a child”
Oh yeah? Prove it.
I contend that the first 5 years are the most important to a child. As far as school is concerned the first three years of school are the most important, whether they begin in kindergarten or not.
Shall we have a “sources of misinformation” war?
Jim: if you think you (the board) can avoid the Federal No Child Left Behind mandates by merging two non-compliant schools, (Woodruff and Central), we should put you up for Blago’s place when he is run out of state.