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How about if we first send kids to their neighborhood schools and stop all the busing.

How about if someone answers the question about how kids who can walk to Page High School are bused over 12 miles to Eastern? The first answer given was because Page was overcrowded, but that's funny because then they opened an IB program there. You know - a magnet program to draw MORE kids to Page.

NO MORE BUSING

As a parent I know the trama it causes when a child has to change schools or classes, it is not easy to leave your friends etc; but (you knew there was a but) as a taxpayer I expect our resources to be used as effeciently as possible. I think we need to look at how we 'predict' the attendance. The powers that be are always wrong about the schools in the North and Northwest. They don't look at the housing market, the new developments etc. They have been over 10% wrong for almost every year that I have been involved. My answer is do some of all of it... redistrict as necessary; not every four years. Let those that are currently 4 grade or 7 grade choose to grandfather in if they want, but once the lines are drawn all younger and new to the area go to the other schools-ones with space. It cost $100,000 approximately to buy and install one trailer. We need that money for teachers, assistant teachers etc. Why would Monticello/Brown Summit have 170 empty seats and Northern be over 150. Not to mention Reedy Fork is probably half full. Does it make sense to move trailers instead of children? Should we have opened Northern HS with only 2 grades? Perhaps we could have relieved more overcrowding at NW if we did all 4 years. Of course policy says all students that finish 9th grade at one HS have the option to finish all grades... so would anyone come? Enough to offer all classes like AP etc... the board thought not.
I know some states send many buses (like we don't) into the same neighborhood and the kids go all over. Once a school is full, and you move to an area you get a different school.

The growth in NW is because people know that if you want to go to a good public school and have a very small chance of being bussed then NW is the place.

A very high percentage of the folks moving down from Mack are looking at NW.

They know. They have been told.

Dont trust this school board to come up with any logical/practical solution.

They are not capable.

What is the solution for the NW area now? There wasnt even a new middle school on the bond.

Northwest already has a middle school - they don't need a new one

Debora - the only problem with your redistricting plan is that if the board changes their 4 year policy, then that opens them up to abuse it and redistrict kids out of schools wherever they want. I would hate for Dot Kearns to have that kind of power - the student assignment maps would be little islands. Dot would pick this neighborhood for Central, that neighborhood for Central and then that neighborhood for Central and exclude many, many other neighborhoods that are close to the school. Heck - I'm sure she'd love to have some Northwest neighborhoods be redistricted to Central!

Our school is overflowing with kids that are not in their assigned school or neighborhood.

Please talk to the assignment office and find out how in the world that is happening.

We have over 200 more students than we had last year and central office had taken away one 1/2 teaching positions ... yet the reassignment officer keeps sending kids to us that are not in our district or neighborhood because the kids want to go to our school.

Why is he not sending them to schools with room?

Anomynous,

The IB program at Page was actually created to
fill the 100 seats that opened up to keep the students within walking distance away and to bring the smart kids in..

You forget this is Alan Duncan's darling......
why else would there be any need to start another IB program...The one at Grimsley could have been expanded for less money...

I would be interested in how many students are in the IB program at PAGE...is this another failed program...

This is a non-conversation. Housing and schools are intextricably linked. If less new development were happening in NW Greensboro, and MORE development were happening in SE and East Greensboro, we would not be having this conversation.

I mean, look at Wendover Ave. It's stacked 4 deep with businesses and shops, and that is where everyone wants to be. Oppositely, look at Summit Avenue and every side street between it and Yanceyville. It's a ghost town. While new development is not mandated, if folks would get out of the "oh, that's where the crime (read brown people) is in town" mindset, and see Greensboro as a WHOLE town, this conversation would not be occurring.

Greensboro needs BALANCED development. Balanced HOUSING development (some of you good people who are escaping to NW should reconsider SE or East Greensboro) FIRST. That would lead to more balanced economic development.

This in turn would lead to more new housing development (the real source of your school overcrowding problem) which would make businesses say "oh look, we have enough population there to put a big box or redevelop a strip mall."

This would eliminate bussing (bussing=desegregation for you mad folks who don't want your nice clean kids going to school with those free and reduced rate lunch kids lowering the schools ranking in tests scores, blah blah blah)

The bottom line is if you moved to NW to escape "crime" or "declining schools" you created your own overcrowding problem. Live with it... or make a choice to change the paradigm you created.

On a side bar, when was the last time the folks who do the redistricting had a conversation with the folks who build new housing developments? Or when have they done any research or developed a task force to study the impact of new development on school overcrowding?

Does anyone know the answer to these questions?

Mia, Mia, Mia,

My goodness - let's remember that we still like in a free country and as such people are free to build homes wherever they please. We have to accept that and then go on. We cannot live in a socialist society where the government tells us where to live, how to dress, etc.

It doesn't matter if the school board meets with the planning board. Do you know how this county is primarily funded? It's through property taxes and increased property taxes = more money to the county. We should be thanking the folks in NW for buying/building these large homes because property values are so high there that much revenue is provided to the county. To stop the planning board from approving these developments is first: anti-capitalism and secondly a sure way to decrease the revenue for the county.

And, more money for the county means more money for the schools!

Instead, the school board should be smarter about where it builds schools and how it assigns students there.

Do you mean to tell me that you think it's ok for those kids who can walk to Page High School to be sent 45 minutes to an hour over to Eastern High School?

Really? You think that's right?

dear Stop Bussing- what school got 200 new students from reassignment (not redistricting) and 1/2 less teacher.. that sounds crazy.

Also, has no one looked at the housing boom in east Guilford Co. That is why there is a new HS on the bond for that area. The truth is that HP has empty seats and Greensboro/Guilford Co doesn't. Much of that is the economy in HP has dried up and people moved, or moved to private for reasons we all have heard, and the growth in both downtown areas for housing is nil. Not to debate the reasoning for why people chose to live where they live, but to address the problem is the real question. Is it bussing, redistricting, adding trailers or what?

Debora,

The answer is in letting kids go to the schools that are closest to their homes. Stop the busing. Build schools where there is greatest need and STOP ADDING SEATS to schools that are already undercapacity (aka Andrews).

Hi Debora.

Eastern has 200 new students and they took 1 1/2 teaching positions from the school knowing the largest freshman class ever was moving up from the middle school.

In addition, I found out from a board member that the principal has had to go before the school board to try and keep convicted felons out of the school.

If the school is overflowing....why would you re-assign a kid that is not in the neighborhood, not in the district, kicked out of his assigned school, convicted felon to a currently over-crowded and under staffed, difficult to monitor due to the circumstances school facility.

We desparately need an alternative environment for high risk, 3rd year freshman English repeating convicted felons.

I am sick and tired of my tax dollars paying for people to babysit with 15 -21 year old kids that are dangers to themselves and others all day in our public schools.

You do realize ...thanks to the new EC protection laws.....we have 21 year old psychotic students on psychotic drugs in the mainstream on our campuses....

The laws need to change..and they need to be put back in the psych hospitals were they belong.

Dear Anonymous and others,

It's not a question of dictatorship or mandates, or socialism but of societal and political WILL. Of course we live in a democratic society. My point was not that people shouldn't be able to choose were to live.

My point was that moving away from less "desirable" parts of town was part of the goal of those people who moved where there is now overcrowding.

My point also was balanced development.

And it DOES matter if the school board meets the planning board, because it is that new development driving the growth.

Yes, .local tax bases drive revenue for the quality of the schools.

But who but the people in NW do their taxes benefit?

I certainly did not say STOP new development, I said reconsider the type, scope and location of the new development.

If the question is where new schools are built, it stands to reason that the schools be built where the greatest demand is.

Can you answer the question if that is the motivation behind new school construction?

By the way, fellow bloggers,
everyone does NOT have a choice in where to live, but their choices are extremely limited. Does this invisible constituency even exist for you?

there are alot of politics about school building. If all of one area gets the schools, even if they need it then the rest of the county will not vote for the bond.. their taxes go up, but their community doesn't receive anything..votes count. Is is right? no, we should put the money where the need is,but we don't. Look at Andrew and the 14 or so magnets that they have been through or HP Central and its three or four failed magnets. The money is spread around the county so that all in the county will support the bond. I think there are needs in all areas, but perhaps not new schools, but new roofs, gym, better media center or heat and air etc. Growth and room for students is a completely different subject

Stop Busing,

What school are you talking about? You can email me if you'd feel more comfortable.

These are strong questions by and large. Don't be surprised if I try to get some answers in print for you.

If the board does opt for redistricting - and I cannot stress enough that I do not have any info to make me think they will, yet - should they look at the entire district or just the northern areas with this high density?

If they think of redistricting the Southwest area again you can rest assured that another army of people will be up for the fight again.

It was a long hard battle last time. It was a battle that nobody won. We lost many kids to private schools and many moved out of the County or NW. I have no doubt that the current problem in NW is the result of the school boards attack on the people of N. High Point.

Southwest is now starting to get back to the way it was in many ways. In other ways not but we are stable.

So, the message to the school board is :Leave it alone or else!

to anonymous who posted 10/1 at 7:15 p.m.

ditto, ditto, ditto

the army is ready to take action if necessary

the patriots have spoken!

I really hope that they dont do any silly redistricting again.

Guilford County does not need that again.

Grier is gone.

Most of the board members who voted for the High Point Choice Plan are gone or will be by January.

Slowly but surely our goals were accomplished. Southwest is finally almost stable. I don't believe the board would be politically stupid enough to restart WW3 again. It is a time in GCS's history that most board members would like to forget.

North High Point and Jamestown will do whatever it takes to maintains stability in High Point schools.
Mo wouldn't want to start his first year overwhelmed with this war.

What High School is planned for the Eastern part of the county? News to me.

What High School is planned for the Eastern part of the county? News to me.

What High School is planned for the Eastern part of the county? News to me.

Brian,

Eastern which is currently barely able to contain last years enrollment is the school that keeps receiving kids from downtown. The PODS were designed to handle an "emergency situation for the current students" and were not designed to handle a huge increase in enrollment.

Our PE classes meet in the small single classroom trailers .... No gym, no auditorium, small media center, and small cafeteria.

We have shuffled and shuffled bodies...but if Northern's facilities is half full and Andrews is not full...

Why is anyone outside of the district being sent to Eastern?

Joe,
sorry, its a new elementary school. That was my mistake... not sure how many students are at Eastern now, but the new school is for the same size as Northern 1200, plus extra rooms for development of 1600.. is that correct?

Joe/Debora,

Last we heard Eastern has over 1200 on the enrollment in the PODS right now......

Yet they were only planning on having enough finished classroom space in the "new building" ready to receive 1200 next year......

Wouldn't it be cheaper to finish it out now?

I have spoken with several parents that have moved into the Eastern school zone from the NW zone and I expect the migration will increase once the new school is complete...

it would certainly be cheaper to finish off the rooms now.. our estimate is $50,000, I believe for two rooms side by side, much cheaper than a trailer.. I bet that could be cut in half during construction. And you are right, they will come and come and come to a new school, new housing etc will happen as well if the Northern area is any example.

Andrews does not have empty seats.

High Point Central is overcrowded.

Southwest has the highest numbers of Trailers in GC.

Brian,

Are all of our high schools full this year?

How many have trailers and how many?

For the ones that have trailers ...what is the core capacity space? Gym, cafeteria, media center...

How many students are in trailers in a school versus in classrooms in these schools?

What is the fire code for these trailers? How many students are allowed in a trailer? Is this posted in the trailers

How is the bond that we just passed going to resolve some of these issues?

However, trailers are not the worst part of this tail...some teachers actually prefer a trailer to teach in...

Having too many students in a trailer based on fire code safety laws is the problem?

..not having "enough" trailers ......

..assign the teachers to handle the students that come with reassignment.

How is the increase in the EC population which requires more of our resources addressed?

Is it properly funded?

I think that Andrews is full due to so many classrooms being adjusted for all the acadamies etc. Seems to me that there was alot of talk about SW and Andrews doing things like taking several class rooms for dance and computer stuff that allowed many less students.. anyone else remember this.. how are the counts in the elementary schools in HP? Many of these schools have 17 to 1 in a class in elementary school.. where if you are not Title 1 the schools have 22 to1 or up to 28 to 1.. less kids per class means more classrooms needed. If that lower class size was equalized across the county now one would have enough room-- oranges and apples comparison

I also wonder how many students are in the IB program in each school?

Are there enough to justify having an IB school at Grimsley, Page, and Smith?

not sure about the count, but last year or the year before I think the number that received an IB diploma was below 50-- that is for the entire county. Of course you can take the classes but not qualify for the diploma

Debora, There no big classrooms at SW. Just lots and lots of trailers.

As one of the previous posters said the most in the County.

Most classrooms I have seen in HP elementary schools have at least 22 or 24 students.

The solutions is simple. Do what other areas do, build schools where a large populations of students exist. Have builders contribute land for schools when the build a development. Charge impact fees. I doubt this will ever happen here because of the political connections with the builders and politicians.

So if GC won't have builders donate land for schools, still build schools where the students are; don't redistrict the students by bussing them. IT DOESN'T WORK. You can't force parents to a school they don't want. They will move (i.e. to Northwest area) or their children will attend private schools.

Until more schools are built WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED, I guess GC will keep the trailer business going.

For schools that have extra room, put admistrative offices there, a SCALES school, a special program in demand like Twilight School or Newcomers School, or open at night to teach English to parents whose children can't speak it.

Eastern Guilford.....

Tech math I classes have 39 and 34 students.
World History classes are overcrowded.

The 2nd semester courses are full and there is no room to add students who fail during the 1st semester.

PE courses are extremely too large with 47 in PE I, 45 in Advanced PE, and 40 in Weight Training.

Teachers have given up their planning periods, small classes like AP Chemistry have been dropped....we are still overwelmed.....

One more thing....

The PE classes with 47, 45, and 40 do not meet in a gym.....we do not have one.......

Our school has 35 classes that are over the
25 student maximum class size for high schools.

you might want to ask if the LeadershipTeam applied for a waiver to classroom sizes.

Speaking of Eastern guilford,,,, have the authorities found out who set the fire that destroyed the school??

It seems to me that if it were an amateur that set the fire,,arrests probably would have already been made.

I wonder if the "PRO" may have left this area and set up tent on the other side of the Country????

Overcrowding in certain schools ????

Blame the GCS Administration for some of the problem.

They sign off on a transfer for a Greensboro athlete to attend Southwest for a certain spring sport.

Southwest has over 25 trailers.

I do not believe that Southwest has a B.S. Magnet that makes these transfers legal like some schools do (Dudleys Academy for Basketball or High Point Centrals IB for Girls Basketball)

How is a student living out of a district allowed to transfer into a school that is so overcrowded???

Northern may be experiencing the same problem.

A call to the GCS office was quite amusing when I expressed my concerns about some of the Transfer and Recruiting issues,,,after asking to speak with the GCS Athletic Director,,,it took the nice lady 30 minutes before admitting that we do NOT have one....

In her words,,GCS does not have problems with Recruiting or Illegal Transfers.

Is OPEN enrollment the answer ?

General,

Glad you came out of retirement. I heard you are ready to round up the armies again if the BOE and administration even think of picking on north High Point again.

We are polishing off additional stars just in case.

Also the displays are still in storage and can be updated just in time for the holidays. The bus drivers say that drive past SW Elementary has been aweful boring these recent years.

I wonder if the man who likes to tamper with the artistic displays, who panics and drives backwords is still around? Then again, EKM is gone too. It's just been tooooo quiet.

We need to end busing for socio-economic reasons. Parents purchase homes in no small part based on the reputation of the local school. It is paternalistic, at best, for the school board to tell parents that it knows better than they what is best for students.

Additionally, as has been pointed out many times, busing students to other schools simply to ensure the "proper" mix of black, white, green, etc. students creates problems as it deprives a lot of students who are bused, allegedly for their own benefit, of opportunities to participate in school activities such as sports, band, etc. For example, the students who are bused from near Page to Eastern largely are poor, and many familes simple don't have transportation to pick up their children after extra curricular activities at Eastern and drive them home.

Moreover, busing creates barriers to parental involvment. Taking Page, again, students who live two blocks away are bused to Eastern. If you have not been to Eastern, it is quite a haul. I don't think that it is rocket science to understand intuitively that parents, especially those with limited means, are more likely to be involved in their children's school when it is two or three blocks away than when it is 14 miles away.

With regard to overcrowding, as I understand it, there are a number of magnet schools that are far less than capacity. To make room for these magnet schools, however, we have shipped students who went to that school to other schools. We need to look at these magnet schools and consolidate the magnet schools where we can and give children back their neighborhood schools.

Bless you, Paul.

I can't wait for you to be sworn into office.

Is it possible that kids that are not wanted by a certain principal at Andrews are being reassigned at the drop of a hat to Central and Southwest thus giving the impression that Andrews has vacant seats it really doesn’t and causing overcrowding at Southwest and Central? I guess I will be getting the admin transfer numbers and check it out?