Thanks for pointing me in that direction! I don't see how there can be a "rightsizing" conversation that doesn't include any discussion of how we generate a better D65 utilization rate among eligible families. IMO this should be an ongoing topic that's frequently revisited, considering that substantial dropoff over the past 3-4 years. It…
Thanks for pointing me in that direction! I don't see how there can be a "rightsizing" conversation that doesn't include any discussion of how we generate a better D65 utilization rate among eligible families. IMO this should be an ongoing topic that's frequently revisited, considering that substantial dropoff over the past 3-4 years. It's going to get worse, not better, amid some of the financial turbulence on the horizon and coded language alluding to further school closures in addition to Rhodes.
I'll be honest, I pulled my kid from D65 this year because the class sizes were ballooning and the discipline situation in the buildings is out of control. It was becoming a safety issue for me, we even had to go to the ER because kids were unsupervised and playing with scissors and my sons finger got chopped badly.
I think probably less than half of the eligible kids in the area actually go to the public schools at this point. It's not like there are abandoned houses all over town - kids still live in those houses, they just don't go to the public schools. I know a ton of parents that are still homeschooling after getting so burned by D65 during COVID.
I do think there is an opportunity to do something with all the migrants arriving in the area that can include federal funds. As a liberal town that wants to help the migrants, offering up our vastly under-utilized school district that wants to prioritize TWI is something I think the community should support (if we really believe in our liberal ideals).
Ok Tom. That’s a fine idea Let’s keep following our “liberal” ideals. That’s what led our community to integrate the schools in the first place. How about a novel idea? Let’s work on providing a first class education while there are still some children left in our schools
edit: I appreciate this comment. I think sometimes we all fall into a trap of wanting to solve all the problems in the world and "Do Something!" but end up making more problems. This is kind of Evanston's thing dating back to the early 1900s.
I think we need to find a reasoned balance between political innovation and just running schools and its out of balance now.
Sorry to hear you reached your breaking point. Independent of a negative experience with the alternative, is there anything the district could do that would bring you/your kid back in? I think that's an important piece if there's any hope of "right-sizing" the % of eligible kids that attend the schools. The admin/board would need to understand 1) what would bring families who left back in (i.e. maybe kid left before 4th grade, try to get them back for middle school), 2) how to establish and maintain a better perception among new families so we don't lose them from the get-go.
In a district with a perception of really great public schools, you are going to have a higher utilization rate, so the opposite is true right now.
One byproduct of people pulling their kids out of D65 and putting into private is the private schools get bloated, class sizes there swelling, them having to dig deeper for teachers (who tend to make less $$) etc. There's not infinite capacity in those spaces either.
In other words, I need the District to show they’re serious about preparing kids for the future instead of using the kids to game the metrics the admins want to game..
Thanks for pointing me in that direction! I don't see how there can be a "rightsizing" conversation that doesn't include any discussion of how we generate a better D65 utilization rate among eligible families. IMO this should be an ongoing topic that's frequently revisited, considering that substantial dropoff over the past 3-4 years. It's going to get worse, not better, amid some of the financial turbulence on the horizon and coded language alluding to further school closures in addition to Rhodes.
I'll be honest, I pulled my kid from D65 this year because the class sizes were ballooning and the discipline situation in the buildings is out of control. It was becoming a safety issue for me, we even had to go to the ER because kids were unsupervised and playing with scissors and my sons finger got chopped badly.
I think probably less than half of the eligible kids in the area actually go to the public schools at this point. It's not like there are abandoned houses all over town - kids still live in those houses, they just don't go to the public schools. I know a ton of parents that are still homeschooling after getting so burned by D65 during COVID.
I do think there is an opportunity to do something with all the migrants arriving in the area that can include federal funds. As a liberal town that wants to help the migrants, offering up our vastly under-utilized school district that wants to prioritize TWI is something I think the community should support (if we really believe in our liberal ideals).
Ok Tom. That’s a fine idea Let’s keep following our “liberal” ideals. That’s what led our community to integrate the schools in the first place. How about a novel idea? Let’s work on providing a first class education while there are still some children left in our schools
lol that is a fair critique
edit: I appreciate this comment. I think sometimes we all fall into a trap of wanting to solve all the problems in the world and "Do Something!" but end up making more problems. This is kind of Evanston's thing dating back to the early 1900s.
I think we need to find a reasoned balance between political innovation and just running schools and its out of balance now.
Sorry to hear you reached your breaking point. Independent of a negative experience with the alternative, is there anything the district could do that would bring you/your kid back in? I think that's an important piece if there's any hope of "right-sizing" the % of eligible kids that attend the schools. The admin/board would need to understand 1) what would bring families who left back in (i.e. maybe kid left before 4th grade, try to get them back for middle school), 2) how to establish and maintain a better perception among new families so we don't lose them from the get-go.
In a district with a perception of really great public schools, you are going to have a higher utilization rate, so the opposite is true right now.
One byproduct of people pulling their kids out of D65 and putting into private is the private schools get bloated, class sizes there swelling, them having to dig deeper for teachers (who tend to make less $$) etc. There's not infinite capacity in those spaces either.
In other words, I need the District to show they’re serious about preparing kids for the future instead of using the kids to game the metrics the admins want to game..
The District would have to prove to me they’re serious about academic rigor again:
1) Dump the ineffective “Restorative Practices” discipline policies
2) Allow teachers to give grades and graded homework again
3) Replace the Lunch/Recess supervisors with folks that don’t scream at the kids (which is connected to #1)
4) Hire more principals with academic credentials instead of political ones