Saturday, April 4, 2009

RDale and Wold - Math Facts Matter

Let's start this one with... I need help with my "Just the Facts".

Here are the following rumors I have heard lately from multiple sources....
  • PLE may be needed as a Kindergarten center because there is not enough elementary room in the communities where we closed the elementary schools. Not needing the space was one of the key reasons for displacing the PLE families.
  • RSI may not be able to expand because they have room for additional K-2nd classes.... However they do not have room for additional 3rd - 5th classes... Growth potential was one of the key reasons for displacing the Sunny Hollow families and moving RSI there.
Now I am hoping these are incorrect and can be proven so. Or I hope RAS has requested a full refund from Wold. Please reply with correct information if this is inaccurate or misleading.... I will happily write a retraction and help crush these rumors if that is all they are. Better to deal with them than let them fester.

Thanks John

6 comments:

Sue said...

I thought the key reason for moving RSI was to enable them to close a middle school. Once Sandburg is closed and all middle school students are housed in the 2 remaining middle school buildings, RSI no longer fits in RMS with the larger middle school population. So RSI has to be moved out.

Was it Wold people who said RSI could be expanded? Or RAS people? The possibility of expanding RSI was a byproduct of the move to Sunny Hollow, not the reason for the move.

Christine said...

Sue, I think you're correct in that RSI moved to make room for the middle school. However, there were school board members who repeatedly said that expanding RSI was one of their key goals, based on public input. The Wold report specifically said that there would be room to expand RSI by one section per grade level.
I also heard these rumors, and asked for confirmation or denial from 281, which I did not receive. I called RSI, and the secretary there confirmed that they have not added the extra section of kindergarten due to space concerns.

John said...

It was claimed many factors were considered in the adoption of the Facility Right Sizing Plan and many benefits were claimed. Right Sizing Benefits Facility Page Now we need to just watch and see what is real.

The other option that did not get a fair evaluation in my mind was the closure of North Port and Lakeview. Then RSI could have stayed put, and Sandberg and PMS could have been the middle schools. Unfortunately folks feared the co-located elementary schools at the RALC building so much that they labelled it the MEGA elementary concept... Equity?

So which came first.. Chicken or Egg ?

Sue said...

In Sept. we will find out how well the kids fit in the remaining buildings and then see how accurate the Wold report really is.

I'm also interested to see how much it is really going to cost to fix up Northport.

Anonymous said...

Seriously?

"Here everyone: read these rumors and gossip I've heard--I'm going to record them and demand that the district provide proof if they're incorrect."

I like Andrew Sullivan's blog, but back during the election I was disgusted how he kept personally demanding Sarah Palin's medical records. No one owes him and his blog a thing, especially if he can't provide any substantive reason why his demands should be met. "Prove me wrong" has never been a valuable rhetorical device. I lost respect for him and gradually quit reading him.

I've just lost respect for this blog. If you're interested in creating positive change, do a little legwork, get some skin in the game and look for answers. Don't be part of the problem and fan the flames with misinformation.

I used to find information and thoughtful discussion here. Lately it's been one-note criticism and hostility. I'm sad to have lost a voice I once valued.

I wish you well, but I'm clearly not your audience anymore.

John said...

Anonymous,
Unfortunately myself and others have done our homework and these 2 rumors are the result. They came directly from RAS school personnel in multiple schools. I did not post them lightly and am truly hoping someone will step forward if they are incorrect. The RAS admin did not answer a request regarding the RSI topic. And remember RAS not leasing PLE to BA due to "some other potential district need".

As for your readership, I will truly miss that. I am hoping that reader's like yourself will comment more often. As I have often said, please tell me when you have an opposing opinion.

I don't think I have ever mislead my readers. I am a fiscal conservative that believes strongly in citizen's funding and supporting community schools while demanding accountability and better test scores. I know there are many who disagree with me, and my blog is open to all viewpoints. So let your voice be heard.

So from your comments... I am probably your best friend when you need a levy passed, and "negative" when it comes to discussing things that can be improved or I disagree with. I guess I am ok with that, but I always read your comments and try to learn from them.