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The Citizens of the Lake Brantley and Lake Mary High School Communities impacted by the Seminole County Public School Board’s rezoning plans A, B, and C ask that the School Board adopt Plan D as presented during the Public Meetings conducted on Thursday, September 23rd.
We represent the 3,170+ students, and tens of thousands of homeowners and registered voters in what you have labeled Cells 22, 23, 23A, 24, 24B, 25, 25A, 26, 27A, 28A, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 44.
Let us be clear on this: we oppose any plan that will force us to relocate from the schools we have supported and built into what they are today.
Nothing is more important to us than the education of our children. This is evident in the conscious decisions we have made regarding where we live, and in the continuous support we've provided our schools over the years. The dedication of our children and the involvement of our communities have made these schools the models they have become.
All plans proposed by the Committee force the transfer of students from Lake Brantley and Lake Mary High Schools into Lyman High School. We find all of these plans unacceptable, and offer a plan that accomplishes far more than any of the current options with significantly less impact to all students.
Plan D entails moving the Baccalaureate and Health Sciences Magnet Programs from Seminole High School to Lyman High School. We find it absurd that you continue to have two magnet programs in a school whose population is already beyond capacity, and is in the fastest growing area of the county to begin with.
Plan D:
1. Moves students on a voluntary basis only. No students will be forced to move from their beloved schools, and most magnet students would prefer Lyman anyway - they’ve repeatedly cited safety concerns and commute times as major concerns with Seminole.
2. Leaves all West communities in tact.
3. Moves at least 613 - 742 students from Seminole - a 31-36% reduction in population. 330 - 370% more than the most aggressive current plan.
4. Significantly reduced population at Seminole provides the ability to focus on raising the school’s grade.
5. Provides the County with significantly more room for growth in the northwest corner - the fastest growth area.
6. Puts Lyman close to the population goal, with a population conducive to raising the school’s overall grade.
7. Has greater impact on the demographics at Lyman than any current plan.
8. Provides increased participation in magnet programs. They will be closer to the center of the county - and more accessible to all students, in a safer environment in which they will feel more comfortable participating.
9. Decreases the population in Lake Brantley and Lake Mary voluntarily for reasons stated in 8 above.
10. Addresses the immediate and the short term needs of our student population. Only a new School in the Northwest will address the long-term needs.
11. Impacts up to 68% less students than current plans.
12. Avoids all issues associated with grandfathering - including increased confusion, traffic, safety issues, and competition for resources at schools.
13. Can be completed by the beginning of 2005 - no need to wait up to 6 years for the grandfather process to be complete.
14. Avoids expensive and lengthy lawsuits.
Many reasons have been presented in favor of one plan or another. Some state that residents of Lake Mary should attend Lake Mary High. We ask that you remember that Lake Mary High School is a County school, not a Lake Mary School. Others state commute times and the safety of their children when traveling to Seminole. We ask that you remember that they knew the commute times when they purchased their homes, and that we provide buses to ensure the safety of their children.
We ask you to keep in mind that these reasons were put before you for only one purpose: these people desire that which we have worked so hard to provide for our children - our schools. Their pleas are nothing more than veiled attempts to abandon a school they have done nothing to improve for schools that we have made what they are today.
We are able to provide these schools to our children because we have made intelligent decisions regarding where to live with our schools in mind, and because we have actively participated in their ongoing success. The faculty at Lake Mary, Lake Brantley, and Lyman High Schools have virtually the same impressive academic credentials, and we are proud of them. Yet Lake Mary and Lake Brantley continue to outperform Lyman. Obviously the student population and our community involvement have had a significant impact on their academic achievements. We ask that we be allowed to continue that active involvement, and continue to reap the rewards that our decisions and sacrifices have provided us to date.
Plan D does far more to address the issues facing the student populations than any of the plans to date, and does so in a creative manner that has minimal impact to the students. We vehemently oppose any other plan.
Should you force us to do that which we do not want, you will also force us to do that which you do not want. We will ask the U.S. District Court, the ACLU, every media source we can find, and anyone else that will listen why the Seminole County Public School board has moved thousands of families living in $300K to $3M homes into our A-rated school, and pushed thousands of less fortunate people into a C-rated school. We will ask them why you made a decision to push the value of their homes even higher, and our more modest homes even lower. We will fight any other Plan in the court of public opinion, and the court of law.
Please help us avoid that by selecting the only option that makes sense: Plan D. |
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Seminole County Citizens For Plan D. Includes Citizens in Cells designated by the School Board as 22, 23, 23A, 24, 24B, 25, 25A, 26, 27A, 28A, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 44. |
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