Lost school lottery

[oneson1118]

What is the name of your state? CA
Hey everybody,
I may not be in the right area, and this may not be a big enough deal for anyone to get worked up about, but, here goes. We recently moved from a rather downtrodden neighborhood to a nicer one with an elementary school with a very good reputation. We are about a block away from the school. We went to register our son for kindergarten and subsequently were told that they had too many K students and that they would hold a lottery to determine who would get to go there. Any students who have a sibling already at the school would be exempt from the lottery. There were about 128 K students, of whom about 70 were exempt for the above reason. They put the rest of the names in a hat and pulled 12, ( the number of overenrollment), and we were pulled. Now, to be fair, we would have said nothing if we had not been pulled and told that we would have to go to another school. That said, it is incredibly disappointing to have to drive thru the traffic at this school to get to another school, when we could have walked to the one in our neighborhood. Here is the part that got to me though, I looked at the district map of all the elementary schools in the city, and the area for our school is roughly 5 times bigger than any other. Which means that someone that is, say, right across the street from another school or within a block, may in fact be coming to our school and displacing my son. Ok, Ok, I know it seems petty and probably is, and if you all agree that is the case then I will take that and go, but, on the other hand, if you think that maybe there is something I can do, then I would appreciate the knowledge. Thank you in advance for any and all responses.

Sincerely, Oneson1118

 

[seniorjudge]

What is the name of your state? CA
Hey everybody,
I may not be in the right area, and this may not be a big enough deal for anyone to get worked up about, but, here goes. We recently moved from a rather downtrodden neighborhood to a nicer one with an elementary school with a very good reputation. We are about a block away from the school. We went to register our son for kindergarten and subsequently were told that they had too many K students and that they would hold a lottery to determine who would get to go there. Any students who have a sibling already at the school would be exempt from the lottery. There were about 128 K students, of whom about 70 were exempt for the above reason. They put the rest of the names in a hat and pulled 12, ( the number of overenrollment), and we were pulled. Now, to be fair, we would have said nothing if we had not been pulled and told that we would have to go to another school. That said, it is incredibly disappointing to have to drive thru the traffic at this school to get to another school, when we could have walked to the one in our neighborhood. Here is the part that got to me though, I looked at the district map of all the elementary schools in the city, and the area for our school is roughly 5 times bigger than any other. Which means that someone that is, say, right across the street from another school or within a block, may in fact be coming to our school and displacing my son. Ok, Ok, I know it seems petty and probably is, and if you all agree that is the case then I will take that and go, but, on the other hand, if you think that maybe there is something I can do, then I would appreciate the knowledge. Thank you in advance for any and all responses.

Sincerely, Oneson1118

I read your post closely. I am still baffled.

Explain it like you would explain it to your kid: Why are you upset?

 

[oneson1118]

Well, I am upset that instead of being able to go to the school that is a stone's throw away from our house, my son has to be driven to a school that is 2 to 3 miles away, and that is inferior at least in reputation. Also that someone who is closer to the other school is displacing my son. I mean if being within eyesight of the school is not enough to be able to go there then what is the point of being anywhere near it???

Thanks, Oneson1118

 

[xylene]

Well, I am upset that instead of being able to go to the school that is a stone's throw away from our house, my son has to be driven to a school that is 2 to 3 miles away, and that is inferior at least in reputation. Also that someone who is closer to the other school is displacing my son. I mean if being within eyesight of the school is not enough to be able to go there then what is the point of being anywhere near it???

Thanks, Oneson1118

Your question is one of politics. And a damn good one. Complain to anyone who will listen. Do it in writing. Be active in school board politics. Vote.

What is happening is a political decision to shuffle deck chairs rather than spend a large amount of money on schools. What is happening is legal.

 

[oneson1118]

Thank you for your reply xylene. I was afraid that it was all totally legal. I do vote and I will complain to anyone who will listen and the school board is going to get sick of me. Thanks again

Sincerely Oneson1118

 

[Silverplum]

Well, I am upset that instead of being able to go to the school that is a stone's throw away from our house, my son has to be driven to a school that is 2 to 3 miles away, and that is inferior at least in reputation. Also that someone who is closer to the other school is displacing my son. I mean if being within eyesight of the school is not enough to be able to go there then what is the point of being anywhere near it???

You would rather your child be in a crowded classroom than drive a little ways??

 

[xylene]

You would rather your child be in a crowded classroom than drive a little ways??

The OP has clearly articulated that he wants the school closest to him to pull from a smaller area. Its VERY obvious and straightforward waht is happening. The overcrowding at this desirable school is in all likelyhood not a result of too many students, it is a reuslt of the way the school distrcit has set up the areas for each school. This allows the district to claim that more students are eligible for the better school. This situation would frost any parents cake, espcially when you paid a premium for your house to live very close to the good school, and then have to cart your kid back to the very area you moved from.

 

[shell007]

What is the name of your state? CA
Hey everybody,
I may not be in the right area, and this may not be a big enough deal for anyone to get worked up about, but, here goes. We recently moved from a rather downtrodden neighborhood to a nicer one with an elementary school with a very good reputation. We are about a block away from the school. We went to register our son for kindergarten and subsequently were told that they had too many K students and that they would hold a lottery to determine who would get to go there. Any students who have a sibling already at the school would be exempt from the lottery. There were about 128 K students, of whom about 70 were exempt for the above reason. They put the rest of the names in a hat and pulled 12, ( the number of overenrollment), and we were pulled. Now, to be fair, we would have said nothing if we had not been pulled and told that we would have to go to another school. That said, it is incredibly disappointing to have to drive thru the traffic at this school to get to another school, when we could have walked to the one in our neighborhood. Here is the part that got to me though, I looked at the district map of all the elementary schools in the city, and the area for our school is roughly 5 times bigger than any other. Which means that someone that is, say, right across the street from another school or within a block, may in fact be coming to our school and displacing my son. Ok, Ok, I know it seems petty and probably is, and if you all agree that is the case then I will take that and go, but, on the other hand, if you think that maybe there is something I can do, then I would appreciate the knowledge. Thank you in advance for any and all responses.

Sincerely, Oneson1118

OP: Although this is aggravating, there is nothing you can really do about it, but complain.

This happens all the time. Our home is 1/2 mile from one of the elementary schools in our district. Our children go to another elementary school in our district that is about 5 miles away. Our neighbors children go to a third elementary school in our district due to the fact that they just moved in last year.

Every couple of years or so, they put together a re-districting committee and shuffle the kids around.

This is what happens when you live in an area where there is rapid growth and the school district can not build additional schools fast enough to accommodate the number of children moving in.

As long as he/she is getting a good education...that's all that matters in the end. Grab a "Cup o' Joe" and enjoy the ride with the kids.

 

[Silverplum]

The OP has clearly articulated that he wants the school closest to him to pull from a smaller area. Its VERY obvious and straightforward waht is happening. The overcrowding at this desirable school is in all likelyhood not a result of too many students, it is a reuslt of the way the school distrcit has set up the areas for each school. This allows the district to claim that more students are eligible for the better school. This situation would frost any parents cake, espcially when you paid a premium for your house to live very close to the good school, and then have to cart your kid back to the very area you moved from.

The fact remains that OP didn't do much research into the situation, did she? I don't even have kids in school any more and *I* know what's going on in my area's schools.

Now she's is complaining of having to drive a few minutes. My question was perfectly valid. An overcrowded classroom is not an atmosphere conducive to learning. I'd think OP would be willing to drive a few minutes. But hey, that's just me.

 

[mb94]

She should see what we hae going on in some parts of Florida with the school choice plan. You put in at the start of the year for what three schools you want and if you get lucky you'll get one of them. Unlucky people (or the poor saps who move in the middle of the school year) may end up an an inferior school that is also on the other side of the county.

But these things don't happen by magic. If you don't like it get more involved with school politics.

 

[xylene]

The fact remains that OP didn't do much research into the situation, did she? I don't even have kids in school any more and *I* know what's going on in my area's schools.

Now she's is complaining of having to drive a few minutes. My question was perfectly valid. An overcrowded classroom is not an atmosphere conducive to learning. I'd think OP would be willing to drive a few minutes. But hey, that's just me.

A legit point, and the OP probably should have used it as leverage when buying there house. No guarantee that they will get in the school next door...

What I am confused about is your notion that it is either drive or be in a crowded school. That is an artificial binary- and given that *you* are heavily in the know with a school that the situation is much more complicated. The school disctrict draws the area of eligibility for this school. The size is inflated to give the impression that more kids are eligible for this good school. So a child farther away from the good school, who has a school option closer, bumps the child who lives a block away... That makes sense only in Bush's No Child Left Behind America, where eligiblity for a quality education is a shell game with children at stake, where the only winner will be state funding for religious schools... It also only makes sense in Cheney's Non-Negotiable Way of Life land, where the notion of it somehow being healthy for a child to be bused rather than walk makes perfect sense. Where the financial reality of what 3 dollars a gallon (and climbing) motor fuel does to the district and the family budget, is just an inconvience, like usurious credit card interest...

There is no way you will convince me, and many like me, that busing kids around for general education is a good thing. There are always exceptions, like magnet schools, special ed.... but when the exception becomes the rule - Welcome to Crazy World: Just Suck it up and Drive, Its non-negotiable!

 

[Silverplum]

A legit point, and the OP probably should have used it as leverage when buying there house. No guarantee that they will get in the school next door...

What I am confused about is your notion that it is either drive or be in a crowded school. That is an artificial binary- and given that *you* are heavily in the know with a school that the situation is much more complicated. The school disctrict draws the area of eligibility for this school. The size is inflated to give the impression that more kids are eligible for this good school. So a child farther away from the good school, who has a school option closer, bumps the child who lives a block away... That makes sense only in Bush's No Child Left Behind America, where eligiblity for a quality education is a shell game with children at stake, where the only winner will be state funding for religious schools... It also only makes sense in Cheney's Non-Negotiable Way of Life land, where the notion of it somehow being healthy for a child to be bused rather than walk makes perfect sense. Where the financial reality of what 3 dollars a gallon (and climbing) motor fuel does to the district and the family budget, is just an inconvience, like usurious credit card interest...

There is no way you will convince me, and many like me, that busing kids around for general education is a good thing. There are always exceptions, like magnet schools, special ed.... but when the exception becomes the rule - Welcome to Crazy World: Just Suck it up and Drive, Its non-negotiable!

I am not trying to convince you, or anyone else, that busing is a good thing. Not at all. And I fail to see where in my posts you came to this conclusion. As to the rest of your sarcastic remarks and political rantings: I am not at all interested.

What I am pointing out is that, at this time, OP is going to have to drive, and that being in a crowded classroom is not a preferable situation IMHO. Whining to us will get her nowhere.

 

[shell007]

She should see what we hae going on in some parts of Florida with the school choice plan. You put in at the start of the year for what three schools you want and if you get lucky you'll get one of them. Unlucky people (or the poor saps who move in the middle of the school year) may end up an an inferior school that is also on the other side of the county.

But these things don't happen by magic. If you don't like it get more involved with school politics.

I must be confused. Don't people generally rent or buy homes according to the "school district" (among other things).

Let's say you live in "HOOTER-VILLE" AND Hooter-ville has 2 elementary schools within SAME district. One is full, the other is 3 miles away. Curriculum should be comparable at both schools.

Are you saying that even though you live in one school district and pay taxes there, that your kids may get sent to another school in a different school district on the other side of the county????

 

[shell007]

I am not trying to convince you, or anyone else, that busing is a good thing. Not at all. And I fail to see where in my posts you came to this conclusion. As to the rest of your sarcastic remarks and political rantings: I am not at all interested.

What I am pointing out is that, at this time, OP is going to have to drive, and that being in a crowded classroom is not a preferable situation IMHO. Whining to us will get her nowhere.

I agree!

 

[xylene]

Now You Get It!

The OP has no choice but to drive... And that isn't due to class crowding either. Its a delibrate policy that only inproves 'measures' ... that matter only in Bush's No Child Left Behind America. A shell game.

As far as driving and the non -negotiable way of life, thats not sarcasm. If it were sarcasm at least one of us would be laughing. Do my keystrokes sound joyful and filled with laughter... They're not.

A failure to deal with reality is un-American.