APS Board & Duran Proposing to Dissolve Integration Station

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To start, for a toddler, playing is learning. And the IS kids playing with the TCS kids is extremely valuable for them to not only learn but also for both sides to build empathy. IS is a phenomenal program, and while my child is not in IS itself, he is at TCS and I am impressed by what I have seen by the IS teachers.

We do need to cut some things, and I’d start with our bloated administration. Duran has created a cabinet of 48 high level administrators - this is the fat that needs to be trimmed first.

Our transportation costs are out of control. We are busing students to too many options. We need to figure out a way to reduce these costs significantly.

Finally, we need to improve our approach to supporting students with special education needs. Ideally, students should be identified early, provided with targeted interventions and strategies to help them successfully navigate the general education environment, and gradually develop the skills needed for increased independence. In an effective system, this progression would lead to a natural reduction in accommodations as students demonstrate success. However, in practice, we are seeing a trend where some parents and students continue to rely on 504 Plans and IEPs even when data indicates that the student is thriving without the need for these supports.

Do I think IS is a superior program - yes. Would I like it saved - yes. Should this special program also receive busing? No - busing should only be provided for students going to their home school. There - that will lower the cost per IS student from 23k to about 19k.

Admin is getting cut. Can it be cut more? Of course. The report even recommended cutting assistant principals at the schools. And yes we are wasting too much on transportation for option programs. But those savings should be put back into school facing positions not preserving “ideal” programs.

Again I’m not hearing much more than it is a nicer place for kids with special needs to play.

For what it’s worth, the CPP program is probably underenrolled because it’s a terrible deal for working parents who have to pay full freight. All the costs of a private preschool with the terrible schedule of APS. Has nothing to do with the “quality” of the kids there (or perceived lack thereof).

[Anonymous]

APS spends a whopping $65,000 per student at Integration Station. We can't afford that if there are more efficient ways to provide the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS spends a whopping $65,000 per student at Integration Station. We can't afford that if there are more efficient ways to provide the same thing.

Can they provide staff daycare slots in the CPP programs along with place for the SPED students? So staff could pay the tuition rate, but bring their kids for CPP regardless if they are in county or not. This way IS still is happening according to its stated mission, it is just spread out among neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS spends a whopping $65,000 per student at Integration Station. We can't afford that if there are more efficient ways to provide the same thing.

Can they provide staff daycare slots in the CPP programs along with place for the SPED students? So staff could pay the tuition rate, but bring their kids for CPP regardless if they are in county or not. This way IS still is happening according to its stated mission, it is just spread out among neighborhood schools.

Staff can send their kids to CPP now if they want

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are teachers all over social media using their real names, showing their real faces, sharing that inclusion at all costs is making their jobs hell.

This isn't even an argument of inclusion or not, it's about if they need a separate school to do it

It is though. The argument is that if the ratios aren’t exactly perfect, these pre-k students won’t be in the LRE.

Many examples of LRE are actively harming the rest of the student population.

So kids whose parents are choosing to put them in a particular preschool are being harmed by having iep preschoolers included? TCS is not free so presumably if it was a hellscape of disabled 3 year olds terrorizing the rest of the student population they would vote with their feet. So your irrelevant to this discussion point seems to be just that it would be better for everyone to do away with inclusion.

Switching preschools is usually very difficult and tcs is cheaper than many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

what?

Parent teacher conferences, grade prep days etc. They don’t have extended day on those days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

what?

Parent teacher conferences, grade prep days etc. They don’t have extended day on those days.

Having been in a county where outside companies ran extended day, the nice part is that they were usually open on those days. So, the kids were going to day care on teacher work days which helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

what?

Parent teacher conferences, grade prep days etc. They don’t have extended day on those days.

Having been in a county where outside companies ran extended day, the nice part is that they were usually open on those days. So, the kids were going to day care on teacher work days which helped.

Another recommendation of the report was to outsource extended day so it might happen for APS too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

what?

Parent teacher conferences, grade prep days etc. They don’t have extended day on those days.

Well they need to deal with this when their kids are in kinder and up, so why such a big deal for preK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why they couldn't fill the CPP spots in elementary schools. It's like the Hunger Games to get your kids into preschool around here, or at least it was a few years ago when we looked.

It’s an APS schedule which sucks if you work for anywhere but APS

can't they use extended day just like everyone else has to?

it’s the closures

what?

Parent teacher conferences, grade prep days etc. They don’t have extended day on those days.

Well they need to deal with this when their kids are in kinder and up, so why such a big deal for preK?

Because Kinder and up is free and so you’re only having to pay camps/aftercare and not tuition on top of that.