Don't Give Up!

Below, you'll find a letter that a Leesville Elementary parent sent to a School Board member who had responded to an earlier email. Whether you agree with her points or not, I applaud this parent for taking the time to write. There have been some flickers of hope out there, but if the flame is going to grow, it is imperative that we get everyone we know to continue to call and email County Commissioners, School Board members, and General Assembly members. You can find contact information in the right hand column of this blog. On Monday, December 4th, the newly-elected Co. Comm. members will be officially sworn in. After that, their contact info. will be available, and I'll post it as soon as I get it.

 

Thanks for the response.  I do appreciate the fact that you looked at the overcrowding issue, but in the case of Leesville Elementary School there are a couple of other factors that I think should be considered.  (in no particular order)

#1 The modulars and trailers do not bother the parents---right now 2 of my 4 children are in trailers for the 4th year in a row.  Yes, it would be more convenient to have everyone inside the building, but if our choice is modulars OR Mandatory Year Round, I guarantee the GREAT majority would choose modulars in order to keep the teachers and wonderful learning situation we have at Leesville.

#2  So many of our teachers and Teaching Assistants have children at the middle and/or high school.  (and many Leesville Middle and High School teachers have children at the elementary school too)   We will lose countless quality, experienced teachers in the Leesville Schools if the elementary school is forced to convert to a year-round schedule.  As you may be aware, the substitute teachers we currently have to choose from are "substandard" at best.  I can't imagine where you'll be able to find quality teachers to fill the spots that will be vacated if we have to switch to a year-round schedule.  (on top of filling new positions)

#3  Leesville Elementary, Middle, and High School are a true "campus".  You can walk from the south end of the elementary school to the north end of the high school without walking outside.  It just makes sense to have all 3 schools on the same calendar.

#4  There is NO MORE LAND available for home building around Leesville Elementary, so the population in our immediate geographic region can NOT grow anymore.  If your re-assignment plan for this current school year had been enforced,  that would have helped a little, but with the space still available at Brier Creek and the new year-round Elementary School opening at Leesville and Norwood in 2008, there will be plenty of space for the students currently at Leesville Elementary who are geographically closer to the new school.  This will definitely ease the overcrowding.  One more year of trailers and modulars is REASONABLE in order to allow the new school to open and see what impact it has on the Leesville Elementary population.

#5 By allowing Leesville Elementary School to stay on the traditional calendar, all incoming 6th graders to the middle school will be on the same calendar.  (I'm not sure if it's 100%, but if not, it's very close)  Leesville Elementary School is the largest feeder school to the middle school and should be on the same calendar as the middle school.

I realize that there are many working parents who enjoy the year-round calendar, especially with their daycare/track-out options they have available.  BUT, these parents who desire year-round schooling DO have the choice to send their children to year-round schools if that's their CHOICE.  I chose to be a stay-home Mom in order to be available for my children and their school WHENEVER needed, and to be able to spend every minute when they're not in school WITH MY CHILDREN---AS A FAMILY.  I don't view school as childcare, and I look forward to having my children home with me.  I value our time spent together.   If 2 of my children are in school while the other 2 are out, our entire family is NOT together.  Maybe that's a little old-fashioned and not what's considered "cool" or  "in" for the year 2006 but I really don't care.  I know that in this day and age, many people don't value Family like I do, but that doesn't mean I should be forced to put my family time lower on the priority list because I'm being FORCED to do something and not given a choice.

We purchased our home within walking distance of the Leesville Schools so that our children could attend their "neighborhood school".    We did NOT even look at the magnet or year-round schools for this very reason.  Leesville Schools were (and still are) where we want our children to go to school.  Now, if we are forced to convert to a multi-track year round schedule, there is a strong chance that all of our neighbor's kids will be on DIFFERENT schedules as well.  If families who are geographically closer to another elementary school need to be reassigned, that's just one of many options available before forcing us to make the year-round conversion.

We even supported the recent bond, realizing that the bond and Mandatory Year Round were 2 separate issues and I know that was #1 on the school board's list.  HOWEVER, I truly did trust that our concerns with Mandatory Year Round would be addressed once the bond passed, and now it seems as though it's been swept under the carpet as a "done deal".

I know that you are all working hard, and doing what you consider "your best", and I do thank you for it.  But instead of a making a strict "business decision", it would be greatly appreciated if you would put more emphasis on the emotional impact this will have on families. 

Sometimes it's OK do what feels right and not just what appears right on paper.  I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with the results.