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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-05-03 CorrespondencePage 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Mary Gantz [margantz@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 11:01 AM To: Council Subject: school boundaries To the members of the Council: Scenario 4F in the proposed choices for redistricting makes NO sense to me and would be entirely disruptive to hundreds of students and their families in the district. Criss-crossing students across town to fulfill "priorities" set by outside consultants and called into question numerous times by citizens of Iowa City is unwise, destabilizing and unstable, and weakens, not strengthens our excellent school district. Sincerely, Mary Gantz 5/3/2010 Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Emily Farber [emilymfarber@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 11:03 PM To: patti.fields@iccsd.k12.ia.us; sarah.swisher@iccsd.k12.ia.us; gayle.klouda@iccsd.k12.ia.us; mike.cooper@iccsd.k12.ia.us; Michael.Shaw@iccsd.k12.ia.us; tuyet.dorau@iccsd.k12.ia.us; toni.cilek@iccsd.k12.ia.us; plugge.lane@iccsd.k12.ia.us; Ann Feldmann; Behle.Jim@iccsd.k12.ia.us; Council Subject: I support redistricting scenairo 4F and here's why The entire redistricting process has, at times, left me nervous, hopeful, and concerned. Now I just feel disgusted. I don't feel our elected School Board members are currently representing the best interests of the ICCSD in regards to redistricting decisions. After months and months of public input and debate, well over $100,000 spent on the process, and the visceral division of the community, the Board now seems to be tossing the hard-bought, educated, logical consensus to the wind. Why? The answer seems to be a very vocal minority of parents is swaying it. When we began this process seven months ago, there were four criteria selected by community and educator polling, and set forth by the Board that the redistricting plans needed to meet: fiscal/operational considerations, enrollment/capacity utilization, neighborhood schools and demographics. Scenario 4F best meets these community-selected criteria. I understand that many community members in the north corridor would like to see a third high school, but the unfortunate reality of the situation is that there isn't the student population or district money to support another comprehensive high school at this time. City High is currently under capacity, and both high schools show declining enrollments. Another thorn in the realization of a 3rdhigh school is that it won't be a high school at all for quite some time, but rather a ninth grade center, then a ninth and tenth grade center for only a small portion of the district's students. The school won't be able to offer all the opportunities, both academic and extra-curricular, as other schools in the district. Are students and their parents going to be satisfied with the short end of the stick? Will they think it's fair? My bet is on no. Let's not forget that the creation of this school, for which we don't have the money, or the student numbers, will also highjack resources from West and City. There's only so much money to go around, and right now that proverbial pie isn't getting any bigger. As if that wasn't enough, it will also create an even larger divide in the FRL numbers between the high schools flying in the face of of one of the triggering points for the entire redistricting discussion. If the School Board is interested in best meeting the needs of the vast majority of students in the district it needs to conclude that now is not the time for a third high school. That day will eventually come, but until it does, let's focus on having two fair, balanced high schools where all students have excellent opportunities. I urge the Board to support scenario 4F because it nearly equals FRL rates between City and West, it assures a balance in population size between the high schools without requiring the expense of additions at either school, it accommodates growth at both school until the numbers show a need for third high school, it best meets the four criteria chosen by the community and set forth by the Board, and it was the chosen winner in a straw poll of the Redistricting Committee, the very same group of people the Board charged with hammering this all out in the first place. Why is the Board disregarding the community's Committee recommendation? As elected officials, do they not represent their constituents? This isn't an argument about teens driving on the interstate, which they already do, it isn't about commute times because those who bought houses in the north corridor by default also chose to drive a significant distance for many things, and it isn't about deep-seated rivalry issues because there has never been a stone tablet etched with district lines. This is about working within the district's financial means during the current economic climate, utilizing available building space, and creating balanced regional high schools that offer an excellent education to all students. Scenario 4F is the best choice for the greater Iowa City community as a whole. Thank you, Emily Farber 5/3/2010 Page 1 of 1 a Marian Karr From: John Macatee [jrmacatee@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 9:19 AM To: Cilek, Toni; Cooper, Mike; Fields, Patti; Klouda, Gayle; Shaw, Michael; Swisher, Sarah; Tuyet, Dorau Cc: Council Subject: letter in support of redistricting scenario 4F Dear ICCSD School Board members, We are pleased that our two daughters will be attending City High School in the coming years but we are concerned that the School Board may unfairly weaken both City and West High Schools in favor of building a yet unneeded third high school. The Redistricting Committee of the ICCSD voted to support scenario 4F which balances the two existing high schools in terms of fiscal responsibility, projected enrollment/building utilization, neighborhood schools, and demographics. We feel that the School Board should reconsider scenario 4F as a more sensible approach. This 4F scenario does not require any building additions as City High has the capacity for at least 300 more students. There are not enough resources at this time to build a third comprehensive grade 9-12 high school in North Liberty without draining both City and West High Schools of students and resources and weakening their existing educational programs. Scenario 4D would initially only create a 9th grade center in North Liberty which would lack the diversity of programs and experience which are essential in a comprehensive grade 9-12 high school. A third comprehensive high school may be needed in time but it should be built only when it does not impair the quality of our present excellent high schools which are quite capable of handling all of the students of Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty for the next several years. John Macatee, D.O. 15 White Oak Place Iowa City, IA 52245 5/3/2010 Marian Karr From: Patti Fields [Patti. Fields@iccsd.k12.ia.us] Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 8:32 PM To: Council Cc: Gayle Klouda; Mike Cooper; Sarah Swisher; Michael Shaw; Toni Cilek; Tuyet Dorau Subject: Meeting on Monday Good Evening, First, I want to state that I write this as an individual and not as an official representative of the board. I will not be able to attend your meeting on Monday, my son's last jazz band concert is on Monday and I have a responsibility to him. Since it seems that the Iowa City City Council is looking to weigh in on the redistricting matter, I want to share with you what I would have shared if I could attend on Monday. Making decisions based on perceptions (or "reputation" as recently described by an Iowa City Council membe) instead of reality is not only reckless, it is irresponsible. The board is having to balance long-term planning while addressing immediate needs. I am sure that this is not a new concept for any governmental body in our area. We had a process with a Redistricting Committee from November 2009 through April 2010. Iowa City was represented by an assistant city planner. This was a decision made by Iowa City, not the district. I am not sure what updates and information you were provided by your representative during the process. Coralville and North Liberty were represented by their city managers, Kelly and Ryan. Hills and University Heights were represented by their mayors, Russ and Louise. I am not saying your were not represented well, but perhaps since you seem to want more direct input, you might want to plan differently with those opportunities in the future. Since redistricting is a complex issue with many factors, I hope that you have all read through the reports, scenarios and information in order to put an official opinion in, if that is what you decide to do. My other feedback is to build working relationships. Since this is the second time in a year that the Iowa City City Council is meeting about a school board/district issue, having open communication and working relationship between the two entities is to everyone's best interest. I think the more bridges we can build outside of big issues, the better our relationship will be during big issues. Obviously, this is not just the responsibility of one side, but since the board hasn't been meeting about Iowa City Council issues, I am going say that we all have to do better. The school board recently went through the hiring of a new superintendent, the most important hiring decision we can make. All of the council members were invited. Thank you to Ross for attending as a council member and a district employee. However, Ross was the only member to attend any of our receptions and/or public interviews with our finalists. This would have been the perfect opportunity to show support for a governmental body that you want to give input to in their decision-making. One council member told me that they did not attend because they couldn't come to all three. well, we had numerous community members and elected officials that could not attend all three and they still attended what they could. Soon, our new superintendent will be officially introduced to our community (including municipalities), I hope that you will take that opportunity to meet and support him. Thank you, Patti Fields ICCSD School Board Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: matt rizzo [matthewrizzo@mac.com] Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 6:04 PM To: Council Cc: Anne Rizzo Subject: ICCSD Redistricting Dear Members of the City Council, There are several issues surrounding the current discussions of school occupancy, buildings and boundaries. A very important one is CHOICE. Our family moved to our current neighborhood because its schools. My wife lived in the neighborhood and attended West High. So did my older daughter, who got a great education there. We want our younger daughter to have the opportunity to attend the same school. While we recognize that West and City High school students score similarly on standardized achievement tests, in our view West provides greater academic choice and opportunities, which fits the educational needs of our children. Some families of City High seem to be dissatisfied because their children are not afforded the same educational opportunities as those available at West. Their issues can only be addressed administratively and not through boundary changes. Routing Lincoln away from NWJH will overcrowd SEJH, underutilize NWJH and force children to attend schools that are much further away from their neighborhoods. The NWJH educational programs will suffer because of decreased enrollment and underutilization, duplicating the problems in the high schools, creating more problems while solving none. Bussing elementary school students outside of their neighborhoods to fill arbitrary quotas is costly because it tears down schools that are operating well and breaks down neighborhoods without improving education. Please think of the children, our Iowa City community neighborhood infrastructure and don't let the School Board destroy the fabric of the neighborhoods that make this a great place for kids to grow up. Encourage the School Board to respect citizen CHOICE and to take more time to solve the complex issues that confront our school district. The boundary change scenarios (recommended by the current outside consultants and anon-representative community boundary committee) will hurt all children's educational opportunities and, in the long run will harm the Iowa City schools and neighborhoods that make Iowa City such a great place to live. Thank you for your time and consideration Sincerely, Matt Rizzo, Anne Rizzo, Ellie Rizzo and Frannie Rizzo 5/3/2010 ,~ ~ 5 ~.~ SCENARIO 4F IS BEST FOR ALL - with NO NEED for building additions • Scenario 4F best achieves the goal of fairness which was the number one priority expressed by respondents in the Community Survey at the beginning of the redistricting process • Scenario 4F (two balanced high schools) was the preference of the Redistricting Committee (66% in favor) • Scenario 4F best balances the School Board's four criteria: 1) Fiscal Consideration; 2) Projected Enrollment/Building Utilization' 3) Neighborhood Schools; 4) Demographics. Scenario 4F assures balance in population size and make-up between our two regional high schools and allows for growth in the high schools, without any building additions before the third high school becomes a reality. However, the School Board favors a new 3`d high school as well as Redistricting Scenario 4D in the interim. * Do scenarios meet the Board's OWN stated criteria? Board Criteria (as ranked) 2 HS (4F) 3 high schools (4D) Fiscal/Operational YES NO-new building is required Enrollment/Capacity YES NO -- CHS/WHS under-capacity long term Neighborhood Schools* YES YES Demographics YES NO -- CHS 25.9 FRL, WHS 12.7 FRL New School 14.3 FRL * High schools are regional, not neighborhood, schools. 4F can be achieved with NO new building additions. FLED MAY 3 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, lowa was/.~..y Excellent Reasons to Support Scenario 4F • Scenario 4F (MINUS building additions) best balances the School Board's four criteria: Fiscal Consideration -maximizes district resources; projected enrollment/building utilization; neighborhood schools; demographics. • Past enrollment figures show 4F can support more students even without building additions until the third high school becomes a reality. City High School comfortably supported more than 1600 students even before its 2004-05 addition. 16 classrooms were added in that addition. • Scenario 4F best achieves the goal of fairness which was the number one priority expressed by respondents in the Community Survey at the beginning of the redistricting process. • Scenario 4F (two balanced high schools) was the preference of the Redistricting Committee in a straw poll (66% in favor). 4F assures nearly equal FRL rates of 22% at City High and 23% at West High. • Don't delay boundary changes now for a high school that may never come to fruition. High school growth rates have declined every year for the past 5, despite projections of growth. Next year's high school population projections already show a drop of 150 students; growth at the junior high level is projected to decline by 100 students. Source: ICCSD's Central Administration Office, 4/30/2010. FILED MAY 3 2010 cry ~°rk Iowa City, Iowa The redistricting process is a City of Iowa City issue. What happens with this process will affect ALL of our communities, and anything the Council can do to raise awareness among its constituents is appreci- ated and necessary. At the ICCSD board meeting on Tuesday, April 27th our BOE did not seem interested in discussing both scenarios presented to them by RSP Consulting and the Redistricting Committee. I would like to pre- sent this discussion on Scenario 4F to them. First, at the high school level 4F meets all of the criteria set by the board. 1 am suggesting they consider Scenario 4F without additions. City High student population was over 1600 in 1999 before the 16 class room addition built in 2004. There appears to be plenty of room in our high schools. Second, at the junior high level we should use the space we have at North West. 1 am suggesting that the Wickham, Lincoln and Twain students come to North West for junior high. Then the Lincoln and Wickham student proceed to City High and the Twain students to West. This would more fully utilize the space at North West and elimi- nate the need to add on to North Central saving the district money. It will also reduce overcrowding at South East. I believe these two changes will better address the first two criteria set by the BOE 1. fiscal/operational and 2. enrollment/capacity. Finally, Scenario 4F balances demographics at the high school level, the final criteria set by the BOE. As a stakeholder in our community school district, I implore our BOE to discuss both scenarios thoroughly and fairly, follow the criteria they set and to "Think global -the community over self' a charge they gave the redistricting committee. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak. ~jLED ~'~'~^. ~~ ~~ ~~ MAY 3 2010 Ci Iowa City eIokwa ~ 1 r ~~~~ "~®'~~ ~ City Council Meeting Schedule and CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas April 30, 20,0 www. icgov.org • MONDAY, MAY 3 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Special Formal (Separate Agenda Posted) TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE • MONDAY, MAY 10 Emma J. Harvat Hall TBD Special Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal (Continue Work Session if necessary) • MONDAY, MAY 31 Memorial Day Holiday -City Offices Closed • TUESDAY, JUNE 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall TBD Special Work Session 7:OOp Regular Formal (Continue Work Session if necessary) • FRIDAY, JUNE 4 Emma J. Harvat Hall 8:OOa Special Work Session -City Manager Search • MONDAY, JUNE 14 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Regular Work Session • TUESDAY, JUNE 15 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 North Liberty 4:OOp Joint Meeting • MONDAY, JULY 5 Independence Day Holiday -City Offices Closed • MONDAY, JULY 12 Emma J. Harvat Hall TBD Special Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting (Continue Work Session if necessary) • MONDAY, AUGUST 16 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Regular Work Session • TUESDAY, AUGUST 17 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • MONDAY, AUGUST 30 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Work Session • TUESDAY, AUGUST 31 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7.OOp Special Formal Council Meeting