School Board tables boundary recommendation

25 members
4 months
7 meetings
2 public hearings
Boundary Task Force approved the final recommendation 10-8-4
School Board's FTT committee voted 4-1 to forward it to the full board

Yet on January 28, the school board voted to table the issue.

Why?
That's a good question.

Certainly numerous parents that would be affected by the changes spoke out against the plan at the board meeting. Their angst and concern over pending school changes were real. But is there ANY boundary change that wouldn't affect SOMEBODY? Change is difficult, but life is a series of changes. There is no perfect solution to boundary issues. Period.

Issues that were cited as being reasons to re-convene the boundary task force:

1. The 50 or so students that would move from Bird elementary would result in a loss of the PTO leadership at the school.
2. The need to re-evaluate Bird's status as a SAGE school.
3. The boundary task force "didn't finish"

We believe that new leadership CAN and WILL emerge at Bird if the original recommendation stands. To believ differently is an arrogant slight against the many other parents, who may have felt intimidated by the existing PTO leadership. We also wonder why now it's acceptable for any school--let alone Bird--be allowed to exceed capavity, when a year ago any such thoughts were unconscionable.

One year ago, Ken Kish (former citizen representative for the Finance committee) made a motion to eliminate the SAGE program (which mandates class size of 15 or fewer for grades K-3)at Bird elementary, thereby increasing the student capacity at Bird. In return, he was treated like the AntiChrist. Now Jim Carrel proposes virtually the same thing and he's viewed as the new Messiah???

How much of this decision to stall board action is due in part to the upcoming elections...and board president David Stackhouse and clerk Mary Ellen Havel-Lang's fates?

Why should citizens get any further involved, when the Boundary Task Force did what it was instructed to do, and now they're told to go back and re-think things? The school board talk a good game of wishing to engage community residents, but when thet DO get involved, they get treated like this.

What exactly IS the point of having a Boundary decision go through a Task Force and then through the FTT committee, only to have the decision of both groups overturned by the school board? If the board values the work of these committees so little, then they should just make all the decisions themselves...after all...it's what they do anyway.