Reply to Please explain how Henry parent position on CC makes sense

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]According to the board, nothing has been decided yet, so we can’t say anything about the site is “clear”. But it also doesn’t seem likely that they’ll make them choice seats at this point. None of the CIP planning scenarios involved adding choice seats to the CC; they all relied on making it neighborhood.

I’m just not sure that choice seats are the answer, regardless where you put them. What happens if they can’t fill them? Or if enrollment growth doesn’t flatten out just outside the ten year window? Then we’d be back where we are right now, needing to build another comprehensive high school but with $100 million less to work with.

I don’t care where the high school goes, personally. But not building a comprehensive one now seems like it would be more expensive in the long run. [/quote]

The problem is they don't have the money or land to really make this a comprehensive HS. They have incorrectly assumed that the neighborhood would be fine with any neighborhood school, which is not at all what they have been advocating for. They don't want a half-assed leftover parts neighborhood HS. If they can't make it a real HS, then they can't draw a neighborhood boundary and they need to make them option seats. The end. [/quote]

The site could work [b]if they were willing to put the money into it.[/b] It is really a question of priorities. I can think of another site that has more than enough land, and might even be cheaper to build out because it wouldn’t need underground parking or the demolition of an existing elementary school, (coughKenmorecough).

I agree with you though: no half-a-high-schools.[/quote]

Well, when it means every other school level goes without capacity being addressed and putting off any maintenance for four years (sorry kids, heat is not working so get out your coats), I don't think they [b]can [/b] prioritize the HS seats. If there were more money from the County, or even cooperation on land, they might be able to do it. But it seems like they are completely unwilling to work with the SB to address capacity, even as they approve more residential developments that we know are generating as many, if not more, students than SFHs (CAFs). And they won't even ask the developers to contribute towards schools, because they don't want to. [/quote]

PP here. Yeah I’m not saying it ought to be a choice between middle and elementary seats and the CC. The board pretty clearly set that option up that way to pit parents against each other just like this thread is becoming. I’d never want my kids education to come at the expense of anyone else’s, and I think that’s true of most people. You’re right that the real “enemy” is the county board. And when I talk about priorities I mean between building good schools or spending $60 million on a stupid lazy river natatorium or whatever they’re calling it these days. [/quote]

But we're operating in the real world, not some fantasyland where there isn't a budget or debt ceiling and we can just spend more overall. To give more money to one thing, they would have to take it from some other thing. This goes for the county, too. They would have to give less money to other things rather than schools. Personally, I think they should, given the unprecedented enrollment, but many others disagree, and the CB seems to be listening to those voices. Personally, I think it is reckless to keep approving and funding new CAFs until they can offer sites for additional schools and until they give APS a bigger slice of the pie to cope with educating the students who live in that housing.

And that stupid pool irks me to no end, but they've gone too far with it already and it seems there is no turning back from this terrible, horrible, no good idea. The CB is living in a fantasy land, too, and they show no signs of acknowledging reality any time soon. So here we are. [b]How do we make the best of the situation?[/b] [/quote]

For a start, you could maybe refrain from telling people who agree with you that they live in "fantasyland."[/quote]

Okay, sorry if that was unnecessarily rude, but I am feeling very frustrated. I haven't seen a realistic proposal put forward that would allow this HS to be adequately funded without some very large and painful cuts from other needs. Do you think there is a realistic proposal that staff is intentionally withholding? Do you think we have a fair chance of convincing the CB to give us more land and/or money? I hope so, but I am not encouraged. [/quote]

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