Test Petition
LEAP program at CFBISD was originally designed to serve 0.5% of the district population (Reference - LEAP Elementary Brochure). However, by opening this program to non-residents via Limited Open Enrollment (LOE), it is now serving a much larger population. With no known plans to sufficiently accommodate the increase in LEAP students, it is widely feared that current school resources will be severely stretched with the inclusion of LOE students in LEAP.
The LEAP program was originally designed to serve the profoundly gifted population of CFB ISD. In 2011 the school board allowed students outside of CFBISD to enroll in the district to fill empty seats in select campuses in order to raise revenue. In late 2015 the board extended the open enrollment policy to include the LEAP program for students outside of CFBISD.
Hearing it for the first time? You are not alone….
The LOE policy was approved and first adopted by the CFBISD School Board in 2011 to
- Fill seats at ‘select’ district schools (McCoy wasn’t part of them) that had unused capacity for additional students, and
- To raise funds via enrollment of students outside of the district.
However, CFBISD district has recently decided to open and expand LOE enrollment into CFBISD’s LEAP program, at McCoy, which DOES NOT SERVE either of the two objectives mentioned above. In addition, this decision severely impacts all resident LEAP kids because of the following:
- Constrained School Resources: The enrollment of non-resident LOE students into LEAP program puts additional load on the existing limited school resources at McCoy Elementary (school classrooms, student desk space, computer facilities, cafeteria, specials, school buses, parking etc.), which is detrimental to sustain existing LEAP standards.
- Lack of G/T Trained Personnel: The current LEAP program does not have a sufficient number of qualified GT trained teachers already available to staff the increasing LEAP student population.
- Additional Financial Burden: As per district administration, each LOE child brings in approximately $5K revenue to CFBISD per year, while CFBISD spends more than $8K per year to educate the same child. So instead of receiving additional funds, the district is incurring additional expenses to accommodate LOE students. Are residents’ tax dollars being spent now to cover this difference?
IS THIS WHAT CFBISD IMAGINED FOR THE LEAP PROGRAM?
IS THIS WHAT YOU ENVISION FOR YOUR HIGHLY GIFTED CHILD?
Please sign this petition to protect the quality of the LEAP program and support the educational experience for our children.
Petition call to action
- Suspend LOE for the LEAP program until the following have been accomplished.
- Sharing a short- and long-term plan for LEAP population growth for current district residents and resolution of challenges the program faces today, such as,
- Overcrowding of classrooms
- Ensure LEAP trained teachers in every classroom
- Accurately and transparently communicate said plans before changes are made that will impact students,
- Create a forum for parents and appropriate district personnel to gather and communicate effectively, constructively and openly regarding future concerns with a long-term goal of forming a steering committee to ensure resolution of issues related to the future success of the LEAP program.
Create a forum of parent representatives and appropriate district personnel to oversee the resolution of issues and support the future success of the LEAP program
No signatures yet. Be the first one!
Comment