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I really hope that doesn't happen. What I hope that will happen if there is a change, that those kids will boost up the scores over time. Within a few years, that school will be a better rated school.
I would tend to agree. I guess it's a chicken or the egg thing, but it sure seems like a big reason Marvin Ridge, Weddington, and Cuthbertson have such high ratings is because the incomes in those areas are high. How many students from Cuthbertson could move to Parkwood in comparison to what's already there? If it's a significant amount, that will most likely raise the ratings, maybe not to as high as the other 3, and as you mentioned it could take a couple years.
But as another poster said, I haven't seen many people offer alternatives, other than basically saying "I don't want my child to go to Parkwood." Is the affected area significantly closer to Cuthbertson than Parkwood? Obviously schools are a big factor in deciding where to move, but in an area that's growing as fast as UC you can't assume that you're going to stay with the same schools forever, unless you live across the street from that school.
It does seem odd that they aren't considering building new schools though.
I understand that the schools need to be safe and not overcrowded. But when educated people purchase a home they look at how the schools rate. They also look at how many kids go onto higher education. Home values are higher where the schools are the best. We are now just coming out of a housing crisis and the values of our homes have just edged up some. They are still not at what many paid for them. With this redistrict it will take our home values down even lower. It has already happened in my neighborhood. No one will even look at anyone's home to purchase because fear of having to go to Parkwood. One family had an offer and it fell through when they heard that we may be redistricted. It is not the responsibility of the parents and children to bring up a school to where the standards should be. It is the School Boards responsibility to find out what the problems are in that school that is not at the same level of education and fix it first. This is why we elect them. They need to reach out to the parents and teachers of Parkwood and find out what they are lacking. Scores can be brought up if the resources are there. Sending us there so they can combine our scores is not the answer. Is it not possible that if they send our children there that they may not be able to keep up and hold our children back from the education they deserve. Where is that fair!!!! I am not saying that all the children at Parkwood are behind but scores do not lie. There is a problem and the Board needs to address that first with that community and fix it before sending us there. Our parents have worked hard to make our school what it is and have no interest in doing it there. We want to be where the scores of the school match up to where we are at now. If that was the case, so many people would not be up in arms.
Don't blame Parkwood's lower scores on the BOE. You can't force kids to learn or learn "better" who either don't see the value of education themselves or have parents who may not be as intense about success as those in Marvin or Weddington. That's not to say Parkwood parents don't want their kids to succeed, but there are certain unconscious habits in high socio-economic homes that may not be present in Parkwood homes.
As for what's "fair," there's no such thing in public education. All those "educated people" who did their research on test scores and graduation rates should have also been astute enough to look at the rapid growth of the area and the previous school turmoil and realize that Union is still a high-growth area and school redistricting is always a possibility.
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As for what's "fair," there's no such thing in public education. All those "educated people" who did their research on test scores and graduation rates should have also been astute enough to look at the rapid growth of the area and the previous school turmoil and realize that Union is still a high-growth area and school redistricting is always a possibility.
Sure, lets blame the tax payers for the education board & politician's incompetence of proper planning ahead... the "educated tax paying people" are not in charge to approve construction of new neighborhoods and/or build new schools, are they?
Other areas of the country have fast growth as well, but with proper development planning they manage to prevent turmoil in tax payers kid's educational future and tax payers home values...
Does anyone know what subdivisions will be affected? I have a friend moving into Shannon vista and they are concerned about this, because they don't live there yet they don't know anyone in there to ask.
The Parkwood move involves a number of factors that I'm sure concerns a ton of parents:
1) home values
2) the current rating of the Parkwood cluster compared to Marvin Ridge, Cuthbertson or Weddington
3) aside from the current educational state of Parkwood, what about those parents that have student-athletes? The athletic facilties pale in comparison to the schools mentioned above
4) the distance and travel time- an 8+ mile trip taking at least 20 minutes just by car. How long are kids supposed to be on a bus?
5) what is most frustrating for many is that the New Town Road corridor is roughly an equidistant 4.5 miles to either Weddington HS or Cuthbertson HS. Wesley Chapel Elem. and New Town or also roughly the same distance as well
Regardless of what transpires over the next few months, I believe that UCPS will endure growing apathy amongst those parents affected by redistricting. Buying multiple boxes of pencils, pens, notebooks, school supplies? I for would only purchase for my children. Boosterthons? Why particpate and raise money for a school that your child will have no affiliation with in future years? It seems to me that there has to be a better solution than affecting two subdivisions on New Town Road (Demere & New Town Village). I for one am hoping they cap our schools and we live with the consequences (they will not be good) that comes along with new homebuyers and the news that their children will not be attending the "local" school in the area.
I understand that the schools need to be safe and not overcrowded. But when educated people purchase a home they look at how the schools rate. They also look at how many kids go onto higher education. Home values are higher where the schools are the best. .
Educated people should have educated themselves on district lines and understood that they were subject to change. The BOE cannot concern themselves with property values, they have 42,000 kids to educate in appropriate accommodations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by momtothree
I wasn't saying it's the answer of the redistricted kids to bring up the scores. It just naturally happens when you get that influx of those kids. Anyone know why Parkwood's scores are lower or what the issues are?
It's the same with almost every school in the nation, percentage of free lunch and test scores are always correlated. Money buys good preschools, tutoring, more parental time, higher parental education, higher expectations, etc, etc. It is very difficult to ask a kid to succeed when they aren't given the proper resources. I do think that test scores will go up and benefit parkwood kids, but it will be to the detriment of the redistricted kids.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoPhils
It does seem odd that they aren't considering building new schools though.
There is about 42,000 students and we have a capacity for about 45,000..... you want to build a new school, which accomodates 1,600 because a few schools have 200 more students..... a lot of which would be about ready to graduate when construction would be completed.
It seems to me that there has to be a better solution than affecting two subdivisions on New Town Road (Demere & New Town Village). I for one am hoping they cap our schools and we live with the consequences (they will not be good) that comes along with new homebuyers and the news that their children will not be attending the "local" school in the area.
It's not just Demere and NTV. If the line is as speculated, east of Waxhaw Indian Trail Road, that would include Wesley Oaks, Wesley Glen, Twelve Oaks, Silver Creek, Berkshire, Belair, and Shannon Vista. That's just off the top of my head.
Does anyone know what subdivisions will be affected? I have a friend moving into Shannon vista and they are concerned about this, because they don't live there yet they don't know anyone in there to ask.
No one knows anything yet. We will have more information after the demographics report comes out. That will be presented at the meeting in early December.
Does anyone know what subdivisions will be affected? I have a friend moving into Shannon vista and they are concerned about this, because they don't live there yet they don't know anyone in there to ask.
Educated people should have educated themselves on district lines and understood that they were subject to change. The BOE cannot concern themselves with property values, they have 42,000 kids to educate in appropriate accommodations.
Educated people did homework and talked to UCPS before buying homes and were told that with Cuthbertson being a new school and having just gone through redistricting taking Parkwood, Weddington, and Marvin kids, they would not go through the process again in the foreseeable future.
Educated people were also pointed to the 2010 enrollment reports posted prominently on the UCPS website here: UCPS - Enrollment Information
Not the reports buried on the facilities page that most people didn't know existed: Reports
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