Live in Roberts or West U Elementary Boundary Zone, Don't get to go There? (Rice: apartment, middle school)

[Bike4Life]

Originally Posted by mechteach

Wow! Thanks for passing that along. I know that I can't do anything yet, since I'm not a West U or Houston resident right now, but, um, if any of you want to join in on the letter writing campaign.... ;-)

Seriously, though, this is really stressing me out! Through a combination of very good luck, fortunate timing, and a terrific real estate broker, our signing date is now June 5. I'm going to be running around like a chicken that day trying to get the papers signed, a Texas drivers license in hand, and then over to the school to enroll (I think I can already get the utility letters before then - at least, I am trying to do so). I just hope that will all be in time.

Even if your child gets in, there are no guarantees in the future. Currently, HISD requested 1,499 class-size waivers to TEA. They frowned and expect some drastic action soon. Ericka Mellon mentioned that “HISD's plan includes reducing the number of class size waivers by half, to 750, next school year, and down to 250 in five years” in HISD considers school boundary overhaul - Houston Chronicle.

So I'm not sure if West University Elementary School is the best choice anymore. WUES the largest elementary school in HISD with 1,210 students and the HISD Voice Survey only has 87% of the parents who recommend this school. Researchers have mentioned that the most effective elementary schools have 300 to 500 students.

94% of the parents recommend Roberts Elementary that has 740 students. 92% recommend Horn that has 765 students. 91% recommend Twain that has 868 students where our children attend (when we started there, the size was about 650).

Perhaps we need new school campuses.

[geolvl]

I agree with needing new school campuses, however I think the statistics are skewed. The parents in WU most likely have higher standards since many of them may use their baseline as being closer to a private school.

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by geolvl

I agree with needing new school campuses, however I think the statistics are skewed. The parents in WU most likely have higher standards since many of them may use their baseline as being closer to a private school.

HISD could easily open a new elementary school magnet and have entrance requirements like TH Rogers, Pin Oak MS, etc...

They could even convert the Rice School, or have a school within a school magnet at another campus.

However, HISD wants to do away with magnets. Basically the good elementary schools will eventually lose their magnet funding and status. ( like West U) they will remain top schools because of their demographics, but kids fom other campuses won't be able to transfer in. Roberts, Horn, and Twain all had zero magnet seats in lottery program for entering students.

Instead of expanding what works, they are doing away with it.

[77030]

My youngest is finishing Roberts this month, and will be at Pin Oak next year. Glad to not have to worry about "getting in" to the neighborhood school, glad we won't have to deal with carpool line when Greenbriar gets torn up next year and really glad that we "won the lottery" and got into Pin Oak on the boundary option. Our magnet lottery number was over 1,000. Same for the other HISD programs we applied to. Got the one we really wanted, so it's all good!

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by 77030

My youngest is finishing Roberts this month, and will be at Pin Oak next year. Glad to not have to worry about "getting in" to the neighborhood school, glad we won't have to deal with carpool line when Greenbriar gets torn up next year and really glad that we "won the lottery" and got into Pin Oak on the boundary option. Our magnet lottery number was over 1,000. Same for the other HISD programs we applied to. Got the one we really wanted, so it's all good!

Wow! 1000! Glad you got in the boundary program.

[Bike4Life]

Originally Posted by geolvl

I agree with needing new school campuses, however I think the statistics are skewed. The parents in WU most likely have higher standards since many of them may use their baseline as being closer to a private school.

That's what I was thinking. WUES also had one of the lowest parent's survey participants. We need a psychologist and behavior analyst to figure this out.

[Bike4Life]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

HISD could easily open a new elementary school magnet and have entrance requirements like TH Rogers, Pin Oak MS, etc...

They could even convert the Rice School, or have a school within a school magnet at another campus.

However, HISD wants to do away with magnets. Basically the good elementary schools will eventually lose their magnet funding and status. ( like West U) they will remain top schools because of their demographics, but kids fom other campuses won't be able to transfer in. Roberts, Horn, and Twain all had zero magnet seats in lottery program for entering students.

Instead of expanding what works, they are doing away with it.

I'm not too concerned when HISD removes the magnet status at the top performing schools. This will give them some over crowding relief by restricting to zoned students only. Also, schools like Mark Twain in a million dollar neighborhood are able to raise large PTO funds to help support their school program. From my understanding, HISD has made it clear that they are not reducing the magnet fund overall. They are reallocating to other schools to further boost other schools.

This will give other magnet schools the opportunity to attract better students into surrounding neighborhoods. These students normally would have applied to get into the magnet at WUES, Horn, Roberts, and Twain.

And when I look at the HISD map, I think Gordon Elementary School is going back to a zoned school (currently Mandarin Chinese Language School but they are moving to a new campus in 2017). I think they are going to chop off part of West U and Horn to Gordon Elementary. At least, that's what I would do if I were King of Bellaire.

[geolvl]

I heard that Gordon will become an extension of Bellaire Highschool, but I like your idea...

[mechteach]

Thanks again to those who sent their reassurances. It does help me feel a bit more sane.

It's also good to hear so much of the background on what is going on in the HISD and on the elementary level.

[Vicman]

Once HISD configures the West U zone so schools aren't so overcrowded, it should adjust the Pershing MS zone so several of the low income apartments on the southern end are rezoned to Dowling and/or Cullen. That way Pershing won't be so overcrowded.

If need be HISD should open a new middle school in the Hiram Clarke area for relief purposes.