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That echos closely what my wife's sentiments have been, as Im sure she is aware of it as well.
I think we see this as showing effectiveness in improving young students preparedness while the major factors in their education are still their family and school. However, their peers and community become more dominant factors once they reach middle and high school age, and those are harder to improve through this system.
I look at the Collingswood/Woodlynne situation and see an unique opportunity. Invest resource in a failing primary school like an Abbott district, and then once those reach the age where most Abbott districts lose control, the students go to a viable HS in a safer community (Collingswood). Rather than What we have seen with sending promising students to a HS within the same Abbott district, and which has less sustainable improvements created for it.
Its just a theory, but its not so far fetched I think.
Not so far fetched, but for it to work then Woodlynne needs to be dissolved as an independent entity. If Collingswood is stuck with it, then they need to go all in and try to fix it themselves. Of course, the powers that be in Woodlynne are rather resistant to losing control of their town.
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You are right, but unfortunately those two discussions should be one and the same.
And that is evidence as to why they should be.
I would argue that you can break the poverty cycle with education, but you cannot provide a sufficient education within the poverty cycle. I honestly don't believe that poverty is something that can be fixed from the outside, only from within. We can spend all the money in the world providing people opportunities and it won't make them better off, that is something they need to do on their own. Basically, I believe people are poor because of their personal decisions and attitudes, not some comprehensive societal influence that makes them that way that we could remove.
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I think we are viewing this system differently... Humor me.... You seem to look at living in a school district as an investment. One where you hope to make the best return on that investment through good property values, and the best probability of well educated children (perhaps?) or neighbors' children.
I have three children, so I do see it as an investment. I want to give my children the best opportunity for success that I can, that means giving them the best school system my money allows us to buy into. It also means that I invest a lot of my personal time and effort into helping them along that path. Property values are a secondary concern to that, but in general, yes good schools tend to equal stable property values and it's a smart choice financially to seek them out even if you don't have kids.
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I see it that way to some extent, but also as - where can I put my investment that will have the biggest impact. Could my investment into this community (buying a house, paying taxes, but also sending my future children to its schools along with their relatively privileged position) help its overall curb appeal, hipness (probably not) socio-econ status, or school rankings?
Why did you buy in Collingswood and not Woodlynne or Camden or even Pennsauken? Obviously your investment would arguably have a much greater impact there then it would in Collingswood.
I've said it before, I'm just not as altruistic as you are. I do see a place for giving back and helping to improve my community, but my personal decisions need to be governed by doing what's best for me and mine. More people need to be invested in improving their own situations and conditions, not waiting for someone else to do it.
I don't think Collingswood can easily kick Woodlynne out of the high school. It's a bond-funding issue. Collingswood would have to pay back Woodlynne their share of the high school bonding costs. The town doesn't have the money to do that.
I agree with the Abbott fiasco. Reverse it, equalize funding to the suburbs, and stop subsidizing poverty in the cities (you subsidize something you get more of it, you tax it you get less). That's a little racy of a statement, but I believe it is 100% true.
Getting back to Collingswood, the town just needs to manage costs and appeal to young families. The town needs an identity. I think the answer is gastropubs and a useable elementary program. The town would then serve a starter home market (most of the houses in town are smaller anyway). Young people with no kids, having kids soon, retired, etc. South Jersey has no place that appeals to these demographics. There are suburbs galore where Collingswood can't compete. It won't be a Cherry Hill East, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, etc. So, why is Collingswood continually trying to be something it's not?
I think Collingswood could find a real niche by lowering spending, keeping property taxes affordable, and providing that transition point between city life and couldesack suburbia. However, it won't happen with Maley at the helm.
Everyone seems to be in favor of a gastro-pub or limited liquor license...even if we only can get 3. Why do we keep getting a "not in favor" from the mayor and just let it go? Didn't we elect him? If the will of the people is to overturn the dry laws then why don't we go to the next meeting and demand that the issue be fully investigated by the town and put to a vote?
I offically distrust his reasoning for nixing the idea. It smells of "why"? Who won't make out over it? What backroom deal or "pay to play" was made on the avenue promising this won't happen in order to keep someone eleses' interests alive? I was never a conspiracy theorist in regards to Collingswood but all of the things I've heard and read about the insider politics has turned me and made me suspicious of all these decisions.
You're hitting the nail on the head re: liquor and the mayor. "Why" indeed.
We can get only 3 retail (restaurant) licenses, but we could also get one commercial license (i.e. liquor store) based on our population, and I've heard him misrepresent that.
I have also heard him on a couple occasions make the comment that "to be fair we'd have to offer the licenses to Sagami and Villa Barone because they were here first". What utter nonsense. Auction the licenses, with a set minimum (like any sage auctioneer - but that's the problem isn't it, see BlunderYard) and then we could get some good revenue. We probably could also add a per drink liquor tax like Philadelphia for the "recurring income" concept.
To emphasize his delusion/misrepresentation (take your pick) on the issue, he also said "towns are either BYO or liquor license, not both". Apparently he has never ventured to that far-away place known as Center City Philadelphia.
Re: Trader Joe's, his comment in the August or September town meeting was that "TJ's is only expanding in the south now". I sure would like to investigate the veracity of that claim. I did go so far as to try to find the location executive on the TJ website, but there is zero contact info there. Given what I've heard on other issues (and just the ones I've put here, isn't that enough?) while I have no hard evidence, I do harbor serious doubts about his version of why TJ isn't here.
And to come full circle, I suspect TJ's would have asked for that one commercial liquor license to warrant building their store here, and since he's against alcohol in Cwood, that wouldn't do. But he certainly wouldn't state that publicly.
Collingswood BOE voted to apply to be a NJ Choice District. Starting off with 10 kids in grade 9 and 10 kids in grade 10 and ramping up each year
http://www.boarddocs.com/nj/colps/Board.nsf/files/8RU2E801C778/$file/ChoiceApplication2012.pdf
How is this going to impact Collingswood's current students? Is the BOE selling the kids out for a few bucks?
Collingswood BOE voted to apply to be a NJ Choice District. Starting off with 10 kids in grade 9 and 10 kids in grade 10 and ramping up each year
http://www.boarddocs.com/nj/colps/Board.nsf/files/8RU2E801C778/$file/ChoiceApplication2012.pdf
How is this going to impact Collingswood's current students? Is the BOE selling the kids out for a few bucks?
It looks like they are opening up a specific program within the school to take kids from other districts. They call it the 21st Century Media school or something like that. So, it would seem that they are not necessarily applying to be a general choice district, but more or less opening up what could be seen as a quasi-charter school within the school for kids from other districts. With that being the case, assuming they have the room, then it would make sense to bring in some students and their money to the district to help support the program.
The part I found interesting was the makeup of the high school. The numbers I originally posted were educated guesses, but they were pretty spot on in terms of % from Colls, Oaklyn and Woodlynne. In general, schools tend to follow the component towns racial and socio-economic makeup. In the case of Collingswood High, it is heavily slanted the opposite way.
Seems like they are opening up what is basically a magnet program to kids from other towns. It's a great idea in my opinion, and a good way for the school district to make some extra money.
We just heard we are getting about $33.00 per house BACK from the school budget. Maybe things are headed in the right direction.
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