[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: The Final Countdown 3: Paring Down the Options

[Email subscription to blog articles]

Posted by Speed Gibson:
The Final Countdown 3: Paring Down the Options
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1232086190.shtml


   Tonight, January 15^th, was a District 281 Work Session for the School
   Board. Its purpose was to sort through the four options for
   right-sizing the Robbinsdale Area Schools.
   "Pros and Cons" were detailed for each of the four options, each of
   which has a small variation. The public input from Tuesday night's
   meeting was included where appropriate. I'll spare you the details, as
   they should be posted soon on the district web site, but it was a very
   exhaustive list.
   Then came the consensus phase, to see if any could be dropped tonight,
   and two were, unanimously. The Two Phase option put off closing a
   middle school for 3 years, too little too late. The K-5 Variation just
   wasn't as good as the similar K-5 option.
   The K-6 option had only one vote out of seven, meaning it may not even
   get its motion seconded next Tuesday if it comes to that. I think the
   thought of the old Robbinsdale High School serving as a
   mega-elementary just had no appeal. But Board Chair Tom Walsh elected
   to retain it as it was the only option that would keep Pilgrim Lane
   Elementary open. He also wanted to have it be the first option
   considered next Tuesday, but again, he was just one vote out of seven.
   The original Wold recommendation - K-5 remains the front-runner. The
   variation to close Sonnesyn instead of Sunny Hollow seems to have
   equal support, however. It looks like Wold chose the larger Sunny
   Hollow to allow the Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion (RSI) program to
   expand. That apparently isn't as simple as it sounds, there being some
   policy and method questions to answer first.
   And that highlights one last point the Board should consider next
   week: separate the program issues from the facilities issue. The
   decision to close buildings is all but permanent. Programs can start,
   stop, and move, and most can flexibly adapt to the facilities
   available.