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Once again, this election is about redistricting. So, really there is no point for anyone who is actually interested in education.
This board has been so effective in silencing dissenting voices through their enemies list compiled during the CAPS lawsuit and controlling the message, I mean you never read a single article in the Union County Weekly about what is going on. 4 years ago, every news outlet was at every meeting and running constant coverage. And we have the same thing happening - thousands of kids being redistricted and parents not happy. The only difference is the parents are being more civil this time. What is this teaching our youngest? - civility does not get you anywhere.
If we go back 4 years, the same people who now sit on the board were saying: do not move kids from the schools they love, listen to the parents who are speaking up at the sessions, emails are getting ignored, the board is going to do whatever they want to do no matter what the people say.
Now in 2018 they are doing exactly what they argued against. This just shows you they were no better than what they railed against, what they campaigned against. They wanted power, they have it, and they will do whatever they want with it, which is move as many kids as needed to get the neighborhoods they want in the schools they want.
Are you in support of raising the mill levy to accommodate the higher transportation costs? Do the higher transportation costs support better operational efficiencies in the current school zoning or vice versa? What's the end result to our tax dollars?
As far as soft costs, what's the long term impact of putting elementary school aged kids on a school bus at 6:20AM M-F as compared to a more normal time of 7-730? What's the benefit to a community of having a more neighborhood centric school zoning?
Are you in support of raising the mill levy to accommodate the higher transportation costs? Do the higher transportation costs support better operational efficiencies in the current school zoning or vice versa? What's the end result to our tax dollars?
As far as soft costs, what's the long term impact of putting elementary school aged kids on a school bus at 6:20AM M-F as compared to a more normal time of 7-730? What's the benefit to a community of having a more neighborhood centric school zoning?
If only that was what this was always about.
It was interesting to hear the Fairview Elementary student explain how it would take longer for her to get to Stallings Elementary than to Fairview because of the traffic.
The elementary kids can’t start getting on the bus at “a more normal time of 7-730” because the buses have to be at school at 7:15 for free breakfast.
This transportation is smoke and bs in a lot of cases.
Also, could someone who knows please explain transportation efficiency or direct us to where we can find out how it is calculated?
Are you in support of raising the mill levy to accommodate the higher transportation costs? Do the higher transportation costs support better operational efficiencies in the current school zoning or vice versa? What's the end result to our tax dollars?
As far as soft costs, what's the long term impact of putting elementary school aged kids on a school bus at 6:20AM M-F as compared to a more normal time of 7-730? What's the benefit to a community of having a more neighborhood centric school zoning?
Wait... whoa... the transportation unicorn - are you regurgitating some theory about transportation, operational efficiencies, and our tax dollars OR do you actually have specific knowledge of how the current busing is costing the taxpayers more money? Because, as far as I can tell we aren't paying more in taxes or losing funding from the state the way things are now. Nobody has quantified these hard costs for the county - it is just lip service to help justify "neighborhood schools" and "no questions asked" - it didn't take long for both concepts to be quickly abandoned countywide in a half arse effort to match up to a forecast nobody is certain of (including McK himself).
If "our tax dollars" were the key to this thing, the current board should have given back some of the bond allocation when everyone realized the enrollment is declining. They got a bond approved under the guise of exploding development and "adequate schools". Instead of scaling back to match the enrollment forecast, they reallocated it and are spending it ALL anyway. Big shiny new bus depot for a county where maybe half the kids ride the bus. BOCC no longer checking them and handing them a blank check. I mean really... who is feeding you your info? This isn't about stewardship of our tax dollars at all.
I'm still trying to figure out your "soft costs" comment... do you believe under the latest proposal that ES kids will no longer be on a bus at 6:20a M-F? Because that's just plain wrong.
Are you in support of raising the mill levy to accommodate the higher transportation costs? Do the higher transportation costs support better operational efficiencies in the current school zoning or vice versa? What's the end result to our tax dollars?
As far as soft costs, what's the long term impact of putting elementary school aged kids on a school bus at 6:20AM M-F as compared to a more normal time of 7-730? What's the benefit to a community of having a more neighborhood centric school zoning?
Your comments are arguments used to support the rush to this new reassignment.
The state, not local bears the brunt of transportation costs.
No neighborhoods were separated by any reassignment then or now.
Through every reassignment (3) in the past 15 or 20 years, elementary children have been standing at the bus stop between 6:20 and 6:40 in my neighborhood. The assignment didn't appreciably change the stop time. Changing the elementary school operating hours did more to change stop time than any reassignment.
If you have some time and are interested in learning more about school bus routing efficiency ratings, try here as a starter:
Short story, It doesn't matter to the state if a bus goes 6 miles or 20 miles, the bus can still gain 100% efficiency. The routes are determined by the local unit, the efficiency of the route is determined by the information plugged into the state TIMS system. If the information is entered correctly the efficiency rating will be 100% or close to it. If it was done any other way, the state would be dictating school assignments.
As far as soft costs, what's the long term impact of putting elementary school aged kids on a school bus at 6:20AM M-F as compared to a more normal time of 7-730? What's the benefit to a community of having a more neighborhood centric school zoning?
Are we changing bell schedules too? As most elementary bells ring at 7:30, so you would be cutting it awful close to pick up kids between 7-7:30 for a 7:30 start. Unless this board has figured out roads here in Union County during that time too.
As for neighborhood centric zoning, correct me if I am wrong, and this is to everyone on here, did UCPS split up neighborhoods into separate clusters in the past and this plan will fix that?
As far as soft costs, what's the long term impact of putting elementary school aged kids on a school bus at 6:20AM M-F as compared to a more normal time of 7-730? What's the benefit to a community of having a more neighborhood centric school zoning?
Where do you get that putting ES kids on a bus at 7-7:30 is "normal? Based upon what? Where you just moved from? For 15 years our ES bus has come down our road at 6:15 for a 7:05 arrival at school.
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