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Public schools that provide quality education to their students are an integral part of a healthy, vital community. Here in Boise, ID, the Boise Independent School District is conducting a Facilities Review Process to design and adopt a Facilities Plan that will guide its stewardship of Boise's educational facilities for the next decade. While not complete, the draft proposal currently indicates that multiple successful neighborhood schools will be slated for closure. The Facilities Review process that the District has implemented along with consultants from DeJong & Associates (OH) has thus far been inadequate - too quick, too managed, too directed, and without adequate opportunity for public comment or real public input.
Inaccuracies in methodology and data have only served to confuse the public. Operational and maintenance costs along with declining enrollment were cited as reasons for recommending school closures. Yet DeJong’s review of district finances show that revenue exceeded expenses by over $10 million in 2004. DeJong’s own enrollment projections show that elementary enrollment in the District will actually increase by an average of 300 students per year over the next decade - enough kids to fill one new school a year. And they recommend closing schools? Is this the best we can do? We cannot believe that this is what the Board of Trustees intended when they hired DeJong.
We, as homeowners, business owners, parents, and citizens of this community, need to act to protect the long-term well being of the city of Boise. We acknowledge that there are issues that must be addressed. But closing schools is the worst option, and it should be the last option. By signing this petition, we respectfully request that the Facilities Review Process of the Boise Independent School District be slowed down to provide an opportunity to (1) ensure accuracy in the data being used to drive decisions, and (2) allow for real public comment on these issues. Deciding how to best educate the children of the city of Boise is a serious task that deserves to be made with accurate information and opportunity for stakeholders to comment. |
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We are a group of citizens concerned about making sure that the Boise Independent School District's Facilities Review Process is run in an open, fair, accurate, and inclusive manner. We are homeowners or taxpayers in the City of Boise - parents of school age children, parents of grown children, future parents, childless persons, young, middle-aged, experienced, business owners, educators, alumni, etc. |
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