Shawnee Mission School District public meetings (Miller: for rent, homes, new construction)

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Hmmm....something tells me I walked right into the middle of the ongoing KS-MO war without even realizing it.

Apparently attendance is way down district wide from many years ago. I just didn't realize that and hadn't thought about the effect of the aging of us boomers. And I imagine, too, that a big chunk of the Blue Valley district's growth were moves out of the SM district.

Shawnee Mission School District will close five schools, change boundaries - KansasCity.com (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/13/2221775/shawnee-mission-school-district.html - broken link)

I doubt it. As I look around my neighborhood it's a lot of empty nesters now.
In 20 years the same thing will be happening in the new neighborhoods where almost every house has school aged children.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Hmmm....something tells me I walked right into the middle of the ongoing KS-MO war without even realizing it.

How do you figure? The only one making this into a KS-MO thing is you.

JoCo inside the beltway is aging and the demographics are changing. Pretty simple.

BTW, why is this and many other threads about JoCo always posted in the KS forums rather than the KC forums? To me, that's the only thing odd about this thread.

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

I'm sure.

But again, I'm not at all concerned that SM has any problems. It's one of the best districts in the metro. I would not hesitate to send my kids there.

The buildings they are looking at closing have been used for several decades. It's probably more cost effective to shift things around to newer facilities than to revamp all of them. I assume they will be put to other use.

It was nice of lifelongMOgal to come ALL THE WAY over to the KS forum from KC and alert us to this though. Best rest a spell and have a bite to eat before you trek back!

It is of enough concern to some that neighbors of Mission Valley placed yard signs out alerting passers by of the meetings. YMMV

As to your ever snarky remarks towards me: I try to post in the appropriate state forums, even if I am just an ignorant Jackson County hick, in your elitist opinion.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

JoCo inside the beltway is aging and the demographics are changing. Pretty simple.

Agreed. But it's been a slow and balancing shift over the course of more than half a century. Not a sudden or mass exodus.

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

It is of enough concern to some that neighbors of Mission Valley placed yard signs out alerting passers by of the meetings. YMMV

I don't know what "YMMV" means.

Yes, people don't like change. I don't necessarily blame them for wanting to have discussions about it. I'm sure that's why they are having so many! To allow the parents to voice concerns. It's one of the things that makes SM such a great district. There will be people who are not happy in the end. But at the end of the day, the school district will remain one of the best in the metro. Of that I am certain.

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

As to your ever snarky remarks towards me: I try to post in the appropriate state forums, even if I am just an ignorant Jackson County hick, in your elitist opinion.

I have never referred to you or anyone else on this forum as ignorant or a hick. I have my opinions and you are welcome to yours.

I honestly don't understand why you have such a hard time accepting the fact that Johnson County, KS is a part of the Kansas City metro area and that discussions regarding it are relevant in the KC forum. It smacks of "you don't belong here" and it's rather off-putting. Especially when so many threads in the KC forum lament at how people in JoCo don't have enough civic pride. Well, is JoCo a part of KC or not???

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by kcmo

How do you figure? The only one making this into a KS-MO thing is you.

JoCo inside the beltway is aging and the demographics are changing. Pretty simple.

BTW, why is this and many other threads about JoCo always posted in the KS forums rather than the KC forums? To me, that's the only thing odd about this thread.

Read the entire thread again, add a little historical perspective, and you'll have the answers to your questions. That's all I'm going to say.

I didn't make it into anything.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

I doubt it. As I look around my neighborhood it's a lot of empty nesters now.
In 20 years the same thing will be happening in the new neighborhoods where almost every house has school aged children.

You doubt what? That a big chunk of the Blue Valley district's growth were moves out of the SM district?

Ok, I don't know how big the "chunk" is and it is probably smaller than the aging factor, but it is certainly part of the story. I knew lots of folks when I lived there that bought new homes south of 435 and thus transferred out of SM to Blue Valley. In fact, we did the same thing, but as apartment dwellers. But we ended up moving back to the SM area because my kids vastly preferred the general environment there to Blue Valley.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

You doubt what? That a big chunk of the Blue Valley district's growth were moves out of the SM district?

Ok, I don't know how big the "chunk" is and it is probably smaller than the aging factor, but it is certainly part of the story. I knew lots of folks when I lived there that bought new homes south of 435 and thus transferred out of SM to Blue Valley. In fact, we did the same thing, but as apartment dwellers. But we ended up moving back to the SM area because my kids vastly preferred the general environment there to Blue Valley.

The Shawnee Mission district, in general, has less of the snobby new money culture that is quite prevalent in Blue Valley. It reeks of insecurity and low self esteem when people are very flashy with new found "wealth" by Kansas standards anyway.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

The Shawnee Mission district, in general, has less of the snobby new money culture that is quite prevalent in Blue Valley. It reeks of insecurity and low self esteem when people are very flashy with new found "wealth" by Kansas standards anyway.

We've been in the BV district for over a year now. I was prepared to see a lot of that, but refreshingly have seen very little.

But, what do I know, I just LIVE HERE.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

We've been in the BV district for over a year now. I was prepared to see a lot of that, but refreshingly have seen very little.

But, what do I know, I just LIVE HERE.

I'm clearly in no position to comment on how it is today, but my kids had a very rough time in the mid-80s.

We were, at least ostensibly, among the least wealthy of families with kids in the northern BV district and thus they didn't have the latest designer clothes and whatever else kids there and then had to have to be "cool". And it didn't help that my wife or I, occasionally, picked them up from school in a '69 Impala.

My son was to start Middle School in the fall of '87 and, from what we heard, it was even worse there for the less wealthy kids. So we made a decision to move to Shawnee and back to an environment with kids from families more like ours. It was a good move for them.

Now, I imagine with a lot of those Blue Valley neighborhoods maturing now there may well not be the contrast there was back then. But in the 80s it was there and impossible to ignore.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

I'm clearly in no position to comment on how it is today, but my kids had a very rough time in the mid-80s.

We were, at least ostensibly, among the least wealthy of families with kids in the northern BV district and thus they didn't have the latest designer clothes and whatever else kids there and then had to have to be "cool". And it didn't help that my wife or I, occasionally, picked them up from school in a '69 Impala.

My son was to start Middle School in the fall of '87 and, from what we heard, it was even worse there for the less wealthy kids. So we made a decision to move to Shawnee and back to an environment with kids from families more like ours. It was a good move for them.

Now, I imagine with a lot of those Blue Valley neighborhoods maturing now there may well not be the contrast there was back then. But in the 80s it was there and impossible to ignore.

At least in the middle and elementary schools, I have not noticed that the kids pay much attention. It's just not a matter kids seem to notice or that they or their friends care about. They are all pretty much sheltered suburban kids anyway though.

I don't doubt my kids will encounter it at some point. We are certainly not among "the wealthy" here, probably middle to low end of the spectrum of what they will find at BV North HS. So I'm sure they will see it eventually. But we are also surrounded by and associate with families who have similar values and don't buy their kids every hip new item even if they can afford it. So hopefully that will help to keep them from getting sucked into that kind of garbage.

It definitely is something to consider when looking at the BV district. There are advantages and disadvantages to a lot of wealth in a school district. As I said, I was prepared to deal with the haves/havenots crap in extremes, but have been pleasantly surprised at what a nonissue it's been so far. (knock on wood!!)