To begin I want to thank everyone who took the time to attend last night's meeting. There were around 100 interested citizens at the meeting who asked great questions and shared perspectives on the issue of consolidation with A-C Central. Below I have attached several questions and answers that came out of that meeting and were shared by the committee for my use. But first, I want to focus on a theme I heard on two occasions in the meeting last night. While most everyone in attendance agreed with most, if not all, points presented there was some concern about the newly elected Board of Education following the recommendations of the Committee of Ten. For instance, the Committee of Ten recommends that the tax rate for PORTA remain as it is today, so no tax increase. One might say, "Well, we don't know for sure that is the case and the new Board might increase taxes!" The answer is, the tax rates for the main funds will be set by voters during this election and those rates are in the actual question being asked on the Ballot. The rates noted are the exact rates PORTA currently uses and so taxes should not increase. Additionally, if the Board seeks to increase these listed rates in the future, the Board would need voter approval. Another attendee asked, "How can the Committee of Ten guarantee that courses will increase after consolidation is approved?" Obviously, the Committee of Ten cannot force the new Board to add new courses, but the fact is the committee has investigated the issue and taken input from the public and it is obvious that consolidation should improve curricular offerings. As citizens of the new district, the Committee of Ten, will take an active roll in monitoring the new board and remind them that the public has certain expectations the Board should meet. Additionally, the new Board Members are running for these new positions so that students benefit from the consolidation and they will take the Committee of Ten's report very seriously and will ask for additional input from constituents prior to make any final curricular decisions.
I guess what I am saying is, "Board members respect and ask for input and in a unique situation like this consolidation the members will have to be very aware of the expectations of the community." It is the responsibility of the the members and community members to share ideas and do their best to meet the needs of our students.
The following was provided by the "Committee for Kids First", Thank you for reading my Blog and as always I welcome comments/questions and concerns and will do my best to answer those as quickly as possible.
Many good questions have been asked about consolidation. Here are five questions and the responses provided by the Committee of Ten:
1. I have a 4th Grade child living near Petersburg. If consolidation occurs, will my child go to the PORTA Elementary School or will PORTA kids be bused to Ashland?
Answer: The 4th Grader and other elementary students will continue to go to Petersburg. Nearly all children currently in the PORTA district will continue to go to schools in Petersburg. Nearly all A-C Central children in K-8th Grades will go to the Ashland school. There could be a few exceptions but the goal will be for children to attend the elementary school closest to their homes and minimize the need for young children to be on a bus. All high school students will attend the high school in Petersburg.
2. My family lives in the country and our kids ride the bus. A consolidated school district will be bigger. Will that cause students to be on buses longer?
Answer: No, actually we believe consolidation will shorten some of the bus rides. The goal is for no child to be on a bus ride lasting more than an hour. Today, A-C and PORTA buses pass each other and often they are not full. Consolidation will allow for streamlining and more efficient bus routes. With more children under a single transportation director, the routes will be better organized. This will save time, fuel and taxpayer money.
3. Will Consolidation cause PORTA taxes to increase?
Answer: Absolutely not. PORTA taxes will be frozen for the foreseeable future. Six years after consolidation, nearly all of PORTA’s bonds will be retired and this will allow PORTA taxes to be reduced by a significant amount.
4. Many children do not intend to go to college. Will Consolidation lead to more Vocational Education and Technical Classes?
Answer: Yes. Many students will graduate and go directly into the work force or to a technical training school. These students must be given a broader array of vocational education and technical classes than A-C and PORTA offer today. We need to add culinary training and health care-related classes and expand computer-related programs.
There are good paying jobs in many technical fields and our school district must prepare high school graduates to help them transition into the work force. Consolidation will help us add vocational education classes to reflect the changing job market.
5. I have a college-bound student who wants to take more Advance Placement (AP) Classes and thereby avoid taking those classes in college. Will consolidation add new AP classes?
Answer: Yes. Currently, PORTA offers four Advanced Placement (AP) classes. A-C Central does not offer AP. One goal of consolidation is to add more AP classes and make them available to all students in the new district. AP classes help prepare college-bound students and strengthen student college entrance applications. The world has become more competitive and getting into good colleges is becoming much tougher. Offering a broad list of AP classes will help our students and improve their chances for admittance to our best universities.
AP classes are also important because they allow students to earn college credit while in high school; this means students do not have to take those classes in college and they and their families can save thousands of dollars in avoided tuition costs.
I guess what I am saying is, "Board members respect and ask for input and in a unique situation like this consolidation the members will have to be very aware of the expectations of the community." It is the responsibility of the the members and community members to share ideas and do their best to meet the needs of our students.
The following was provided by the "Committee for Kids First", Thank you for reading my Blog and as always I welcome comments/questions and concerns and will do my best to answer those as quickly as possible.
Many good questions have been asked about consolidation. Here are five questions and the responses provided by the Committee of Ten:
1. I have a 4th Grade child living near Petersburg. If consolidation occurs, will my child go to the PORTA Elementary School or will PORTA kids be bused to Ashland?
Answer: The 4th Grader and other elementary students will continue to go to Petersburg. Nearly all children currently in the PORTA district will continue to go to schools in Petersburg. Nearly all A-C Central children in K-8th Grades will go to the Ashland school. There could be a few exceptions but the goal will be for children to attend the elementary school closest to their homes and minimize the need for young children to be on a bus. All high school students will attend the high school in Petersburg.
2. My family lives in the country and our kids ride the bus. A consolidated school district will be bigger. Will that cause students to be on buses longer?
Answer: No, actually we believe consolidation will shorten some of the bus rides. The goal is for no child to be on a bus ride lasting more than an hour. Today, A-C and PORTA buses pass each other and often they are not full. Consolidation will allow for streamlining and more efficient bus routes. With more children under a single transportation director, the routes will be better organized. This will save time, fuel and taxpayer money.
3. Will Consolidation cause PORTA taxes to increase?
Answer: Absolutely not. PORTA taxes will be frozen for the foreseeable future. Six years after consolidation, nearly all of PORTA’s bonds will be retired and this will allow PORTA taxes to be reduced by a significant amount.
4. Many children do not intend to go to college. Will Consolidation lead to more Vocational Education and Technical Classes?
Answer: Yes. Many students will graduate and go directly into the work force or to a technical training school. These students must be given a broader array of vocational education and technical classes than A-C and PORTA offer today. We need to add culinary training and health care-related classes and expand computer-related programs.
There are good paying jobs in many technical fields and our school district must prepare high school graduates to help them transition into the work force. Consolidation will help us add vocational education classes to reflect the changing job market.
5. I have a college-bound student who wants to take more Advance Placement (AP) Classes and thereby avoid taking those classes in college. Will consolidation add new AP classes?
Answer: Yes. Currently, PORTA offers four Advanced Placement (AP) classes. A-C Central does not offer AP. One goal of consolidation is to add more AP classes and make them available to all students in the new district. AP classes help prepare college-bound students and strengthen student college entrance applications. The world has become more competitive and getting into good colleges is becoming much tougher. Offering a broad list of AP classes will help our students and improve their chances for admittance to our best universities.
AP classes are also important because they allow students to earn college credit while in high school; this means students do not have to take those classes in college and they and their families can save thousands of dollars in avoided tuition costs.