Last night our Board of Education approved via Resolution our participation as a “District of Choice” (DOC) which should provide students, parents, and us as a District multiple options. This change is significant as it changes the “game” a bit from the monopoly of “neighborhood schools” (i.e., I live in this neighborhood – therefore I must go to this school) to a more competitive environment where parents and students choose the best option that best meets their needs.
While there are “rules” and such for this program, the essence is that we as a District advertise the number and where classroom spaces are available. Parents can request attendance for those seats. The biggest change is that the district where a student actually lives no longer has influence, relevance, or restriction on the matter. Further, once the parent/student is granted DOC status they continue to have “residence” in RUSD as a District of Choice.
Based on the state budget and its influence on our District, we have more “seats” available than ever before – which will provide more opportunity for DOC options – and potentially the need for more teachers and staff. More information will be provided as we move forward with this new option.
I'm a bit concerned this happened so quickly and with seemingly so little input from the schools, teachers, administrators, students, and parents.
ReplyDeleteThis is a big mistake...I agree with the last person. It is too fast and too soon. You are single handedly widening the gap between those who have resources and those who do not with open enrollment. This is just going to add it.
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher in the district. A parent was asking if there were going to be any combination classes at my school. She said that if her child was placed in one, she would just move her child since the district is so willing to allow this now. Is this really the message we want to send? If you don't like your class assignment just move your child. Can parents just move kids as frequently as they want? There is no information out there about how this all works. I agree with the first comments, this seems a little too quick and possibly not all the issues were thought through.
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't this be a good idea? I want myself and my son to be able to pick and choose from the best available schools and teachers not just the one I live closest too or my son happens to be assigned to. I think this is great
ReplyDeleteHow will this affect RUSD students. I moved where I did so my child could attend a particular school. Does that mean that students who move into the area might not go to their "Home School" because it is full with students from another area? How will this affect inter district transfers? At what point will a school become overpopulated? Many other questions come to mind. Did anyone talk to the parents in the RUSD community to get feedback?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't seem fair to me that I am paying high property tax bills each year in an affleunt neighborhood. My children attend their home school in the same affluent neighborhood. Yet children from outside the home school area will reap the benefits of my tax dollars by participating in the DOC. Doesn't seem right to me.
ReplyDeleteThere are a limited number of spaces at each shool site designated for open enrollment. As a teacher in the district, I welcome the DOC program. I think it's wonderful. I think all children deserve a good education. AFFLUENT??? Besides, high test scores doesn't always mean good teaching. Maybe some of the less AFFLUENT children will show some of my more AFFLUENT students how to be better students and citizens.
ReplyDeleteAFFLUENT???? In Riverside???? where?
ReplyDeleteThe point of the "affluent" comment, I believe, is that some parents pay more than six thousand dollars a year in taxes supporting particular schools. Unless everyone is willing to divide the tax cost, the DOC is unfair.
ReplyDeleteHow will this effect a family such as mine? I have a student already enrolled in our home school and another child coming into kindergarten in two years. Will she be able to go to her home school with her brother? Will I be driving her across town while her brother walks to school? What about the tax rate that I pay here in my neighborhood that is as high as it is because of the new school? Are my children going to be bumped from their homeschool and sent somewhere else where they will not benefit from my tax dollars? We chose this neighborhood for a reason! Will someone coming in who chose the school but lives elsewhere be able to bump my kids out of their homeschool????
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anonymous...May 7, 2010 8:10pm.
ReplyDeleteNo child will be denied the right to attend their neighborhood school. People come on, really? As stated earlier, there are a limited number of spots at each school for DOC. Paranoia will not change the situation. You don't own a school because you pay higher taxes to live in a certain zip code. You own your home. Regardless of tax base, the schools are PUBLIC.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of choice makes no sense unless there are things to choose from. With all schools mandated to march through common pacing and curriculum and formulas used to determine equal staffing resources, what is there (besides a newer school or a school in a "nicer" neighborhood) to choose from? When choice will make sense is when school staffs have the freedom to "find their own way" - to develop "uncommon" programs and to tend to the needs of a unique student body (children passionate about music, or science, or language, or technology (I could go on). I am less inclined to send my child to the neighborhood school, if I truly believed they will find engagement and a love for learning at the school down the street or across town.
ReplyDeleteStudents can not be bumped from their home school.
ReplyDeleteAnd since when do tax dollars paid in a specific area go to one specific neighborhood school? They don't! All schools in RUSD get funded based on the number of students they have, not the number of affluent kids and the number of poor kids, just the number of kids. All students deserve an excellent education, not just the ones who live in newer homes.
Gee, I live in a nice neighborhood but far from Affluent. I would expect my child's home school to have the same nice neighborhood children. Yet, more than 50% of the children are bussed in from low income neighborhoods. I don't care how much a person makes but, I do care about the character of people and the character they raise their children to have. My child's friends live across town making it not the ideal situation for a friends relationship. And quite frankly, many of these children's families are not of the character I want my child to "hang out" with.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, this new concept will allow our children to go back to the schools in their general neighborhood. I'm pleased!
I agree with Anonymous...May 7th 8:07am. Affluent??? If you want affluent, you have to move outside of the city of Riverside! If you think you're affluent, you're dreaming! The rest of America views Riverside as a gang infested slum. Wake up and stop attacking the school district for problems that are the residents of this city's fault! Affluent...HA!
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong, but creating a district of choice gives the illusion that we are actively seeking students from other districts. Wow, what a great way sto solve our fiscal mess! Let's just encourgae students to leave other districts so they can experience a drop in revenue! Very creative too! Great moral leadership! Here's a thought, why don't we use the money from the bond measure that was past in 2001 and finish our schools. Maybe then we could call ourselves a district of completion! What are we waiting for? Other districts have already completed most of their projects! Nine years later? Another group of kids is already in 8th/9th grade during the time the district has delayed these projects. We, the voters, passed this bond measure with the notion that the money would be spent/used wisely, not saved for who knows what. As a voter I expect some type of report on this website!
ReplyDeleteIf this is a District of Choice, then make sure the community has updates on information that you are required to provide! I noticed that the the Building Measure Bond report has not been updated sice 2008, nor have the minutes/agendas or next scheduled meeting been posted since Feb. There is a legal requirement to post this information!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat choice are we talking about? From what I can tell, my kids get the exact same curriculum as every other kid in the district, and there is not much choice for the teachers, either. They don't get to choose how they teach subjects. There was no science fair at our school, so my daughter couldn't participate in the district science fair, and the class wanted to do a play and were not allowed to because of time. Why would anyone else choose our schools?
ReplyDelete