The Plano ISD Board of Trustees met in a regular work session on Tuesday, November 17, to discuss the feeder alignment process. Having met within their board sub‐committees during the previous weeks, the trustees are pursuing study of the following plan and are seeking additional community input before their formal vote scheduled for December 15. Referred to as Option 3, this plan would put Haggard Middle School at 107% functional capacity once Harrington is moved from Carpenter and will leave Carpenter at 55% functional capacity. Carpenter just went through a major renovation in 2003. This goes against the boards guiding principles of balanced enrollments over time and consideration of existing facility capacity. Further overcrowding will occur at the Central Cluster High School levels. Also in this plan Williams High School which has recently been renovated will be closed and re-purposed for a four year academy. We are being asked to pay for this and support it but we have had no explanation of what is involved with this new concept school. We therefore request more explanation from the Board on how these changes are to be paid for and assurances that overcrowding issues will be dealt with before any new school is built. We also request our schools remain community schools as our community schools become an extension of our families in the process of raising our children. It takes a village and that's what we have in Plano is a community of villages with the common goals of raising our children together. Community schools also gives equal opportunity to students in extra-curricular activities based on closer proximity to their home. The district needs to realize that to become a nationally recognized district we must utilize our most important resource our children to the fullest. Lower student teacher ratios is what fosters creative, individual learning - not overcrowded classrooms. We believe the district has lost sight of what makes it great. We demand a more realistic, parent-involved, cost affective approach to feeder realignment.

Sponsor

Links