Marshall Public School Proposal to Reconfigure to 2-Tiered Elementary

The two tiered elementary proposal has vague and non-verifiable benefits. On the downside the proposal disrupts the schools by shuffling students and teachers into different buildings and different grades while costing the tax payers more money. Let's keep our neighborhood elementary schools and focus on identified weaknesses within the current structure, while preserving Marshall Public School's strengths and small town charm.

Please vote No!

I see no reason to change.

There are numerous reasons to press pause on this vote, but the one that stands out is that it is financially unsound. Please listen to the taxpayers and parents of children in this district. We relocated to Marshall in the middle of the Redskin/Redhawk feury and then we lived through the pains of Joyce Phillips with her "managagement by fear" tactics on miliages, etc. Now it feels like we are being ignored yet again by our Superintendant and our School Board.

This is not a good decision for our children. It takes away from the stability that they all need, and the feeling of being in a safe and familiar environment. Our young children do not need to have the stress about having to learn a new building every couple of years. My kindergartners are constantly coming home and saying they can't wait to be a big kid because of some of the things they get to do. By separating the grades they will lose some of that drive to be a “big kid” and know how to behave.

There is abundant research outlining the negative effects of Dr. Davis's proposed reconfiguration, yet there is none showing this drastic change will have any positive effect--Dr. Davis admitted as much at the last informational meeting. There is no reason to jump into such a change. There is very good reason to take time, read the research that's out there, and look at ALL other options--including actual plans that will directly address the problems within the current structure--before considering this extreme measure. Reconfiguring our schools should be a last resort, not the first and only option considered for whatever problems arise. Let's look for a real solution!

School Board, please take more time to evaluate what would truly make our elementary schools more effective. Please do not rush into a 2-tier model because it seems to be a popular approach. Let's do something truly effective in Marshall for our kids.

The reason behind the reconfiguration keeps changing. What is the honest answer? It will not save money, we know that Walters building is not big enough to have the current kindergartners, first and second grade kids when they are third through fifth, so there will have to be another change, it will not bridge the learning gap however it will hide it, which is not fair to any involved. There are so many unanswered questions, as a parent it feels like this is being shoved down our throats and our input means nothing.

Even though my kids are through elementary school I don't see this as a good move. there is so much opposition to this plan that it is going to end up hurting our school system as a.whole. If nothing else please go back to the original timeline to allow more.study to be done

As adults we try to have stability in our lives. An employer from which we can retire, a community in which to grow old, a home in which to raise a family. We don't change employers every two or three years, we don't move every two or three years, why should we expect our children to accept change every two or three years. Change for the sake of change is not enough reason.

There has not been any convincing data to show this will improve the education of our children and the costs are not at all well defined.

Can Dr. Davis make this decision alone? Or do the Board members have to also agree to it? Anyone know??

This is not the way to win support for Marshall Schools for future bonds, etc. It would be a nice change up to actually listen to the taxpayers who are the people that support the local school system. I am betting the Academy is going to see an increase in enrollment.

Signing this as I oppose the idea of the new system. Also re fact I have heard Mr. Davis say this is going to happen no matter what the parents and community want. Hey can the union city superintendent take the time to get grants for her school and he can't? Union city gets iPads provided to the students has new up to date computers all because their superintendent cares to go thru the process for the kids.

The decision to reconfigure the schools cannot be made for the 2014-15 school year. There are no financial determinations set. There will be no accountability for change with MEAP testing no longer used and a new system not yet ready to set as a benchmark. There are no programs ready to be set in motion to improve the level of education. This reconfiguration only serves to over-crowd Walters - reduce art and music education to those projects that can be delivered via cart to the class room, and increase class size due to limited number of classrooms available. 60 kids per gym class is not better than current individual classes in gym class. Battle of the Books and the Binder Park Zoo trip promised district wide will not function next year and kids currently benefitting will miss out due to no forward planning - These programs currently max. out fundraising efforts at their schools for 1/3 of the district's kids. This does not serve to close the gap in achievement that it is cited as one of the main reasons to do this. It will only make the gap larger as kids with unstable homelife now have to contend with an unstable education system. They will lose the support systems in past teachers and "community schooling". The perception of going to a bigger school by increasing class size from 60 kids to 180kids will impact them. There are better ways to spend undefined amounts of money to improve the level of education that Marshall provides without tearing apart the Elementary School system that is currently working well - and continues to show improvement.

This plan seems very disruptive to all the families!

It seems as though the motives are always changing with regard to "reconfiguring!". From socioeconomics to optimizing continuity in the learning process!? Let's concentrate more on tangible deliverables without stressing students and parents alike on a continual basis!

School of choice?? Neighborhood schools are our children's "communities". Our children's best interests are in their parents best interest

There are not enough facts to support this change and there is no reason to begin it before it is thoroughly researched. There is no need to make this change just for each child to go through Walters. The integrity of neighborhood elementary schools needs to be maintained.

There are not enough facts to support this reconfiguration. Let's not disrupt the children's sense of home for something we are not certain will improve their education greatly.