BCS Overcrowding Meeting

Survey Results & Discussion

January 23, 2014

Survey results

·      502 parent + 35 staff voices  (all grades represented)

·      Thousands of open-ended comments

·      70% of people received enough info from PPS to understand the three options; 15% said they did not

·      74% said they were very/somewhat satisfied with how PPS has engaged BCS community in vetting options; 26% said they were somewhat/very unsatisfied

·      35% said they were very/somewhat likely to transfer their children to another PPS or private school; 65% said they were not likely to transfer

OPTION #1 –

Create a third Beverly Cleary campus at Rose City Park School, sharing space with ACCESS.

·      Any grades could be considered for the move, but grades K‐1 are least likely to go to RCP

·      1st grade would likely move in whole or part to Fernwood

·      All other grades could move to Rose City Park, alone or in combination

·      Frees up 6-8 classrooms across both BCS campuses

 Survey Says

• ·      59% said it’s the most beneficial
• ·      21% said it’s the least beneficial

Benefits

• ·      Keeps the current community together and the kids with their friends. 
• ·      Creates the most space at both campuses.  Lunchroom, Campfire, common space, classroom space.
• ·      There will likely be boundary changes affecting many people and pulling them away from the BCS community.  Keep the current community together until PPS knows for sure where the boundaries will be. 
• ·      Doesn’t spilt grades between locations.
• ·      Many affected by this option (that may not be affected by the other options) are for this option if it means keeping the current community together. 
• ·      Does not require PPS Board approval.
• ·      Could mean shared programs with ACCESS.

Concerns

• ·      Logistics of 3 campuses seem difficult to manage (budget, transportation, administrative/staffing)
• ·      Loss of community feel.
• ·      Could mean moving for 2 years in a row (or more) for some kids with the broader district wide boundary review coming.
•  
• Better to move younger kids
• ·      5-8 will move again during high school.    
• ·      K-8 is good for older kids and the 6-8^th this year were part of the transition to K-8.
• ·      Disruptive to programs for some 6^th graders who test up.
• ·      Splitting 1st grade disrupts programs and 1^st grade community
•  
• Better to move older kids
• ·      K-4 won’t handle it as well as middle-schoolers, who are most independent. 
• ·      Loss of Grant Helpers for K-1

Option #2

Assign some students to nearby schools based on address (temporary boundary change).

• ·      Makes the Beverly Cleary boundary smaller for 2014‐15. Incoming kindergartners and students at Hollyrood who live in the boundary change area would move to another school next year. They would be allowed to remain at the new school through 8^th grade, or could return to Beverly Cleary in the future.

Survey says:

·      19% said it’s the most beneficial

·      42% said it’s the least beneficial

Benefits

• ·      It’s temporary and keeps the current community together. 
• ·      Reestablishes RCP as a neighborhood school.
• ·      If the temporary boundary changes become permanently, the following year it creates less disruption over time.
• ·      Doesn’t create the chaos of 3 campuses; programs, transportation, admin, expense.
• ·      Less transportation issues than Option 1.

Concerns

• ·      Kids could move multiple years in a row if the new boundary is different than the temporary one.
• ·      Creates friction in our community.
• o   Pits “us” against “them” by address.
• o   If temp becomes perm some would be “kicked out” of BCS
• o   Concern that a boundary shift would move kids east of 47^th out of the Grant Cluster when the long-term boundary adjustments are made.
• ·      Could split families between 2 schools.
• ·      In the example provided (W of 28^th / E of 47^th), 134 students who live inside the current BCS boundary are reassigned. However, the 92 non-resident BCS students are not affected.
• ·      Kids who live 5 blocks from Fernwood would have to cross 2 busy streets to get to Irvington.
• ·      We moved here to go to BCS, not somewhere else.
• ·      It doesn’t go far enough to relieve the amount of pressure BCS is experiencing. 
• ·      Why not more grades? 
• ·      Still no room for Campfire and other enrichments at BCH.
• ·      Would there be enough room for a cafeteria at BCH?
• ·      Requires board approval.

Option 3

Cap enrollment, non‐neighborhood students transfer back to neighborhood schools.

• ·      Kindergarten enrollment would be limited to 81 students next year (27 students x 3 classrooms), overflow students would be assigned through a lottery to nearby schools with space All new neighborhood students at other grades would be assigned to nearby schools with space.
• ·      All non‐Beverly Cleary neighborhood students, except for those assigned for special education services, would move to their actual neighborhood schools next year.

Survey says:

·      21% said it’s the most beneficial

·      37% said it’s the least beneficial

Benefits

• ·      Less impact to fewer kids already at BCS. 
• ·      Keeps neighborhood kids in the neighborhood school.  Seems the most fair to those that live in this neighborhood.
• ·      Decreases class size.
• ·      Doesn’t split the school into 3 campuses.
• ·      Nothing or None

Concerns

• ·      This is the most divisive of the options.  It feels exclusive.
• ·      It is unfair to those students who transferred in and followed the rules.
• ·      Unfair to those who bought their house to go to BCS and may not make it into K because of a lottery.  Creates discontent among neighbors who “won” and who “lost” in the lottery. 
• ·      Freeing up only 1-2 classrooms does not alleviate the problem.  Still may not have room for a cafeteria at Hollyrood. 
• ·      Seems like it would inequitably affect kids of color.
• ·      Requires PPS Board approval.
• ·      Might cause people to hold back entering Kindergarten for a year which could create a massive Kindergarten class for 2015-16. 

QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUPS

After hearing tonight’s feedback:

¤ What additional ideas do you have to improve the options presented?

¤ Are there any things that should/shouldn’t be done when a solution is implemented? 

Prioritize your comments – select the most important to share with the larger group.  PPS will collect ALL comments and review them after the meeting.