These boundaries are leaving many of our families in the bussing mess. It takes families that have been here for years and bussing them out of the town they called home first. One family I know has been in Port St. John for 30 years! We must stay united and oppose ANY Port St John students from being bussed out of the Port St John area.
The descriptions are on the SchoolBoard website now ---- School Board Agenda item H-13
TitleH-13. Soft RedistrictingDiscussion
These are the recommendations for soft redistricting for schools. The purpose of soft redistricting is to move prospective students scheduled toattend a school with an excess of 110% capacity or greater to a neighboring school with available capacity. Current students living in the proposed soft redistricting areas would not be affected. While this may extend the redistricting process and increase short term transportation costs, it will make it possible to use our existing capacity more effectively. This agenda item is being taken at information level for the December 11,2007 meeting and again at the January 22, 2008 meeting. This additional level will allow staff to revise the recommendations which were initially rejected by the School Board regarding Williams, Manatee, Holland, Quest andAndersen. Due to the complexity of the issue and the time frame of the workshop to publication of the agenda, more time for study was necessary. Across functional team of all appropriate personnel has been convened to address the recommendations for the entire area along the east and west of sides of route I-95 in Viera. A recommendation will be made at the January22, 2008 meeting Recommendation Approve soft redistricting boundaries
Recommendations for Area IV
Imperial Estates will reduce from a 94% occupancy rate to 76% to accommodate students/parents desiring a traditional calendar from Challenger 7.
Atlantis and Enterprise Elementary are recommended to be frozen to out-of-area in 08/09. This will impact out of area transfers from Challenger 7 to these two schools. Prospectively this will reduce Enterprise Elementary from 127% ofcapacity to 107% of capacity. Atlantis Elementary will reduce from 107% ofcapacity to 95% of capacity.
Challenger 7 Elementary students seeking a traditional calendar will be transported to Imperial Estates Elementary. Imperial Estates will increase from the 76% capacity in use to 93% (the actual occupancy will not decrease to 76% but prospective students to and from the school would be affected at the same time).
Challenger 7 students/parents seeking a traditional calendar may also apply to Apollo Elementary or Coquina Elementary utilizing existing Out of Area(OOA) procedures (transportation to be provided by the parent). The designated school for accepting Title I Annual Yearly Progress students would be Apollo Elementary rather than Imperial Estates as designated in thecurrent year (07/08).
Secondary Space Coast Junior Senior High School
Using soft redistricting, the 185 prospective middle school students that move into the current Space Coast Jr/Sr High School area bounded: On the north by the current boundary between Atlantis and Challenger 7 from Grissom to the FEC railroad, the FEC railroad Right Of Way (ROW) to KingsHighway and Kings Highway, On the east, by the Indian River,On the south, by the current boundary between Fairglen Elementary School, Atlantis and on the west by Grissom Parkway,
Would attend Clearlake Middle SchoolSpace Coast will decrease from 126% capacity in use in 2007-2008 to 108%capacity in use in 2011-2012 and Clearlake Middle School will increase from 59% capacity in use in 2007-2008 to 82% capacity in use in 2011-2012.
The School Board is going to receive information on December 11th to ascertain if their input from the Board Workshop has been reflected. This will be information to see if they are in agreement and the Board will see it again on January22 for information so if they desire changes on December 11, they can be revised into the January 22nd item.
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7 comments:
A lot of this is pretty confusing (on purpose?) but it looks to me like Enterprise students will not be affected, at least as things stand. I would like to help, because I agree that PSJ students should not be bussed out, but I am not sure that emails/calls etc from me would be very effective as someone whose student will be eligible to go to SCJSH, especially since I honestly am probably going to try to send her to a different school regardless. I am not the person who has told the schoolboard I will "pull" my student, but I am wondering, do you think the opinion of Enterprise parents will be considered by the schoolboard if we are not directly effected?
Remember the words said on Desperate Housewives:
“They came for the sculptures and I didn’t speak out because I had no sculptures,
They came for my garden gnomes and I didn’t speak out because I had no gnomes
And then they came for my tree house and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Yes, I know it’s a TV show but we have to stick together on this. You never know what they will change on us later. They did promised us a junior high…
Hi Laurie,
Yes, I think all letters discribing our outrage should be sent. Every home owner in Port St. John has been paying taxes, many of us were told those taxes would be for our own middle school. We need everyone in the community on board, united. They could easily close enrollment at other schools and this school could be your only choice. 80% of Challenger's district is suppose to be bussed to Clearlake, what if all Challenger parents choose to apply to the same school of choice you choose, that fills up then the private school fills up then the charter schools and so on. All the parents in Port St. John need to join together and hold the School Board accountable for the money that was already taken on the promise of a middle school.
I went to Space Coast when Clearlake was bussed in there. This was about ten years ago. It was only about a year but there WAS an increase in fights. Also, I knew someone who had a knife pulled on her there... by a Clearlake kid. Maybe now the school statistically doesn't have anymore violence than Space Coast (which I doubt), but the area surrounding it certainly does. In addition to that, it's just an old run down dumpy school with poor academic records. Most importantly, it doesn't matter what Clearlake's credentials are. I live in Port St. John because I like Port St. John and I want my future middle schoolers to go to school here, not 20 minutes away. It sounds like the school board needs to stop being so cheap and just build a regular high school like they said they would years ago.
Thank you Kate for your insight. My sister also went to Space Coast when Clearlake students were bussed there and I know it was bad. One mother I talked to decided to home school her child for those two years because the Clearlake students were just awful to her daughter. Please make sure you voice your experience to the school board.
Yes, we must make a stand together! My son is only in 1st Grade, but I will not stand for this and I will not remain quiet. Currently, there are other Schools of Choice that we can sent our 7th and 8th Graders to, but not a single one of them are within PSJ boundaries. Nor do we know if they we still be available in the future. I have lived in Port St John for over 11 years, we did not have children when we bought our first house. When we bought the one we live in know, we bought it with every intention of our son attending space coast. I have two children, and I will not bus them to Clearlake. It is not cost effective, it is not beneficial to our childrens academic or social well-being. They would have to get up earlier to ride the bus. Clearlake does not have Space Coast Steel, they to do not have the CAP Program. This is not beneficial to our students. Why do you think Clearlake is at a lower occupancy rate? Because those parents who want a better education for the child has placed them in a School of Choice. So, who do we call, write and yell at?
plb,
Here are the email addresses of the board members and the superintendent:
KershawJ@brevard.k12.fl.us
JordanR@brevard.k12.fl.us
KneessyA@brevard.k12.fl.us
MurrayBa@brevard.k12.fl.us
HughesLa@brevard.k12.fl.us
DipatriR@brevard.k12.fl.us
That is an excellent point that Clealake doesn't have SCS, my sister was in that and I know my daughter would love to follow her aunts footsteps. Please send an email.
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