Comments on: “Getting it” with Carole Smith

By: Rita

Rita — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:10:04 +0000

I certainly don’t know what PPS has in mind with the 5-10 year time horizon, but I suspect it refers to facilities more than curriculum changes. Assuming I understand the models, it wouldn’t take much to implement Ideas 1 and 2 within the existing buildings. #1 is essentially the small schools model replicated across the whole District instead of limited to the high poverty schools. (This one makes sense because, you know, the small high schools have been such a smashing success.) #2 is making comprehensive high schools the norm throughout the District. So both of these models could, presumably, be implemented relatively quickly, depending on how they decide to manipulate the transfer policy to balance enrollments in the remaining schools. I would hope the whole reconfiguration could be more or less accomplished by 2010-11 and fully done by 2011-12.

#3 would require the most extensive changes in everything from curriculum to facilities. I can’t even wrap my head around how this one would play out. It strikes me as a logistical nightmare. Doesn’t mean they won’t pick this one, of course — it is, after all, the most “creative” — but I think (hope) it’s a longshot.

So, I suspect the 5-10 years refers to the facilities repair/remodeling of the high schools that remain after closures. Since many of the schools will require very extensive construction, the schools may end up playing musical building a lot, but the programs within the building would presumably be portable.

I should probably say that the above is total speculation on my part since I haven’t heard any actual information from PPS about this at the many meetings I’ve attended on the redesign.

By: Lakeitha

Lakeitha — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:26:32 +0000

Straight from the mouth at the PPS presentation. 10 years. While they said small incremental changes would be put in place ASAP and possibly have an impact, the process woulddn’t be complete for 10 years. My child will be 22 by then. Doesn’t help me much.

By: Steve Buel

Steve Buel — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:13:26 +0000

I have also heard the 5 to 10 year plan, but I think that is for the implementation. What has bothered me recently is understanding how the decision is to be made. When you gather all sorts of opinions on an issue it is way too hard to sort out the most important parts. People feel good about being involved (I did), but any opinion people give in that type of system gets diluted. Since this is the case then how the final decision is to be made becomes of paramount importance. We (PPS) get 1000 opinions and then we do what we want anyway since there can be no consensus. Or we get to draw up the issues which become the list from which people decide. It is fine with me if the school board makes this type of decision — that is what they are elected to do — but their transparency has left a lot to be desired and furthermore they have for many years not actually dialogued with the community. So how is the decision to be made? And on what principles will it be based?

By: enoughsugarcoatingalready

enoughsugarcoatingalready — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:26:35 +0000

My child’s school emails out a school newsletter every Fiday and it referred to the high school redesign as a “5-10″ year plan..does anyone know if they have it wrong or is the school district thinking this really is what they’ll need to ” get it right ” and hopefully avoid a huge bungle like the k-8 redesign-?

By: marcia

marcia — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:06:34 +0000

To the list, I would add make amends to all the students, teachers, parents and others affected by the ineffective k-8 model that was rushed into without any forethougt. Yeah, and the Broad FOundation is alive and kicking.

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:03:36 +0000

Steve B. and Lakeitha,

Wonderful posts. This election would have been so much better if Lakeitha had run for the Zone 5 seat and Buel were eligible to run for the Zone 6 seat.

Steve B., what can we do to induce you to move?

By: Ken Libby

Ken Libby — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:52:57 +0000

Lakeitha,
The Gates Foundation isn’t gone; they’re paying for the promotional materials used at the high school redesign meetings (this, I was told, by Sarah Singer – who is paid partly by PPS and partly by the Broad Foundation).

-KL

By: lakeitha

lakeitha — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:57:00 +0000

pdx. Thanks! Cheers to moms like you!

By: pdxmomto2

pdxmomto2 — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:49:31 +0000

Well I am one Vernon mama who has been know to say “I would never send my child to Alameda”

By: lakeitha

lakeitha — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:30:58 +0000

I agree that Carole “get’s it” Now if we can get everyone on the board to “get it” too. Then we can make some progress.
Steves, I was raised in the12 step community and step #1 is admitting the problem. There are a few more steps in those 12 that might apply here, now that we’ve admitted the problem.

#4.) Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Ok, so maybe not a moral inventory but an inventory of where the district/board has been wrong and who has made decisions that had negative impacts on kids and what current policies, directives and procedures are contributing to the ineqities.
#5.) Admitted the exact nature of our wrongs.
Redesigns, school closures, reconfigurations, pushing parents out, inequities in course offerings, VICKI PHILLIPS and THE GATES FOUNDATION, the list goes on and on)

#8.) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Reach out to families who have left PPS, been pushed out by policies, school closures and to the high school dropouts who have been negatively affected by the things listed above and try to reengage them in a new equitable, quality PPS distrct.
(HERE’S WHERE THAT EVERY CHILD BY NAME tagline in PPS comes in to play)

#9.) Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Tutoring, career placement assistance,support services, an acknowlegement that PPS has left a generation of kids behind)

#10.) Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Keep looking at every thing PPS does thorough the lens of equity)

Soon, we can stop the discussion that goes something like this.”My child goes to the “good School”, I would never send my child to XYZ school.

Here’s your Algebra for the day
XYZ = Jefferson, Vernon, Humboldt