Gainesville Sun
Feb. 1999
When the proposed new lines for Elementary E were announced, I thought my family was in the Wiles District. I was upset, to say the least. When the actual map was published, my home was clearly in the new district, and I was upset again! The problem I had with the rezoning had to do with change. Redrawing school zone lines is heart wrenching for everybody involved, but it must be done.
Wiles is a great school and will continue to be so. Most of the teachers that define Wiles will stay. The volunteers will continue their work. For the most part, Wiles will remain as it is-including many of the portable classrooms.
Elementary E holds the promises common to all new schools-new desks, carpets, equipment. The excitement invigorates students, teachers and volunteers alike. I predict that Elementary E will open with portables, too.
In a couple of years, both schools
will settle into the same routine as every other elementary school
in the district. All have worthy staffs. All have the same textbook
availability. All are funded using the same state-mandated formulas
based on the number of students, and various other criteria.
Title 1 Funds are allocated on free and reduced meals, and there
is a cap on gifted funding, which limits funding for our district
as a whole. Property values will not change, and homes will not
go unsold just because of elementary school rezoning.
Do differences exist between schools? Of course. Prairie View
uses ability grouping to allow some kids to proceed while others
refresh their lessons more often. Littlewood's parents love the
multiple-age classrooms available to their children. Non-English-speaking
students at JJ Finely need extra help.
Each school tailors programs to its own needs. Each school should
reflect the community in which it resides, and can become the
very heart of that community.
Unfortunately, we take the heart out of our schools. We break up neighborhoods and bus kids both directions across town, when 2 or 3 schools are closer. PTA meetings are much easier for new parents when they see neighbors and friends from churches, jobs, or grocery stores.
Schools are also damaged when they become over-crowded. We've ignored both problems with this "temporary rezoning" change that the school board proposes.
There are things we as a community can do to minimize the problems with crowding and rezoning. We can allow families the option of attending closer, under-populated schools instead of busing them to their assigned school. We could require automatic rezoning if school statistics vary greatly. Right now, 7 schools are more than 100 students below capacity, and 4 schools account for 800 over-enrolled kids. Automatic rezoning would help, but it's not the ultimate solution.
We must adopt county-wide land use policies that work with our schools. We must provide incentives to build homes where schools are under-populated. Our magnet programs (and recreation facilities) go to the East Side of town-Some families would live closer to these schools, if the homes they want were there.
Planners believe subdivisions should reflect the various income levels in Alachua County. If we build economically balanced neighborhoods, we will have economically-balanced schools--without bussing.
Libraries and parks can be built near school sites, saving duplicate facility needs, and cutting costs in the long run.
Developers should provide school and park space at pre-development costs. Our school dollars are stretched too thin to purchase expensive land where schools need to be, and schools cannot squander their dollars trying to predict new school locations.
Administrators say that the current re-zoning plan is temporary, but that's what they told Wiles families 12 years ago when the school opened: "Wait until the new school opens." Now it's "Wait until we do some strategic planning." I expect the Administration to punt proper rezoning then, too. It's too risky to their elected positions, and it's heart-breaking work.
We have 1,000 open spots in our
elementary schools. But 47% of our students study in overcrowded
buildings and portables. Maybe it's time to change things.