|
|
|
||||||||
|
Page created August 25, 2003.
Ocean Springs Community Alliance for Educational Excellence (OSCAEE).
(This is a Mississippi non-profit corporation).
MAILING ADDRESS: OSCAEE, 2953 Bienville Blvd., Box 135, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Phone number: 228-872-7056
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Parental Concerns Regarding
School Realignment in
the Ocean Springs School District
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Issues:
The Ocean Springs School District (Ocean Springs, MS) is proposing to realign the lower elementary grades to "relieve overcrowding in schools" and to "equalize growth in school zones." This proposal would change the existing structure radically for the elementary schools, and would result in the elimination of K-4 (kindergarten through fourth grade) neighborhood schools.
The current system has K-4 at all three schools. The new proposals made by the School District would place one to three grades at each elementary school. This new proposal would have elementary children attend up to three different schools during their K-4 program. For instance, pre-K - K at Oak Park, Grades 1-2 at Pecan Park, and Grades 3-4 at Magnolia Park. This change could go into effect as early as the 2004-2005 school year.
Many parents in the community feel that this decision has already been made, and that parental input will not have an impact on the decision. Furthermore, the initial discussions arranged for this topic were limited to two small, round table meetings on August 21, 2003 that included less than 15 parents. A town meeting was held on August 11, 2003, however, the format did not allow any open discussion, and the topic of realignment was not listed on the agenda.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Parental Concerns:
1. Forcing elementary school children to start at a new school every other year is unreasonable and excessive.
Children at this age need stability.
2. The negative academic and social effects of frequent school transition is obvious and has been established by
research, yet the school district's response is a simple "life is transition."
3. Many siblings would never attend elementary school together under the realignment plan. In addition, the parents of
those students would no longer be able to focus their involvement on one school.
4. The bus needs with this proposal have not been assessed by the school district. Currently, all elementary students
on a bus are transported to one school. Travel time will certainly be longer if each bus is required to drop off these
students at each of the three school buildings. Presently there are children who board the bus before 6:30 a.m.
Furthermore, would siblings no longer ride the bus together?
5. Realigning the elementary schools would NOT make them less crowded.
* Instead, why not consider re-drawing the school boundary lines, which does ease overcrowding?
* Classrooms are going to be added to Pecan Park and Magnolia Park Elementary by the next school year.
This will reduce the crowding anyway.
* Additional money could be sought for the construction of a fourth elementary school, which would give relief
to the overcrowding problems.
6. The new federal law, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), requires school districts to be accountable to its students. If a
school that receives Title I funds fails to make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress, which is a state standard) as set out
by Mississippi standards for two consecutive years, then the federal law gives parents the right to "school choice."
In other words, the parent can move his or her child to another school in the district that has performed better.
UNDER THE DISTRICT'S PROPOSED PLAN TO REALIGN THE GRADES, THERE WOULD BE NO RIGHT
OF SCHOOL CHOICE, BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER SCHOOL TO CHOOSE WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Action Plan:
Please make your thoughts and opinions known. We can start by compiling as much public opinion as possible.
1. Email your thoughts to: OSParentInput@aol.com
(Just click on the blue email address (above) or the spinning "e" to write your email).
Please begin your email with either "I support the proposed realignment" or "I am against the proposed realignment."
Also, your name and address should be included so that the compiled data will be taken seriously.
2. Post your opinion (message board): http://osparents./index.php3 - Temporarily down
Alternate board (used if first board is down): www.guestforum.com/forum.mx?Account=osparentinput
3. NEW (9/17/2003) - Sign an online petition: ONLINE PETITION (click). A seperate "hard-copy" petition is also being
distributed. We now have over 500 signatures (over 70 are online signatures).
Please click the online petition link (above) and sign!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Important Dates to Remember:
November 24, at 5:30 p.m. (Monday) - Study Group Meeting. There will be a 30 minute opportunity for community
input (must sign in)!. THIS MEETING IS THEIR FINAL MEETING, AND IS OPEN
TO THE PUBLIC.
LOCATION: School District's Administration Building.
December 9, at 6:00 p.m. (Tuesday) - Ocean Springs School Board Meeting.
A vote will probably be taken on the realignment issue!
PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT MEETING.
LOCATION: School District's Administration Building.
*** NOTE THAT MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY ***
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Links and Outside / Additional Information:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Search Engines:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Please submit any other comments or suggestions to above email address.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This website is a public forum. The publisher of this website does not necessarily
advocate the position of any person whose opinion on any subject matter is expressed herein.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| page created with Easy Designer |