Wicked Good Ag said:
Could have rezoning been better the first time? Probably do but decisions are made based upon the current demographics and potential future growth. I don't think the future growth was expected the way it happened and at the rate it happened. I have said all along the most difficult thing is splitting two high schools from one. As you grow proximity will be the most important factor.
This is the issue I have. The board is using the same company for growth projections and not asking why the numbers they had in 2010 and 2016 are
so far off base. We have the same people on the board from 2016 minus 1, the same administrators, and the same company supplying the projections from 2016. All of this from 2016 said, "
We will not have to rezone until 2023." Instead of taking a step back and trying to figure out what went wrong and how to not make the same mistakes again, they did the following;
1. Rushed a plan through at the end of the school year.
2. Took minimal feedback from the community.
3. Barely debated moving 8th graders although they were 5 months out from starting the new year.
4. Planned on moving the 8th graders after they spent 1 year at their old high school.
5. No plan on having busses available if a kid in 8th grade wants to attend just one high school even though they now live on the other side of town. (easily the most ridiculous idea, but hey it saves $)
6. Never discussed grandfathering siblings.
You may sit on either side of the fence when it comes to any of the issues above. Bottom line (and I have no idea why anyone would argue this point), 2016 rezoning was a complete failure. Now we have the same players as 2 years ago and the same information source and we are told it will be different this time??? However, they didn't bother checking why it failed last time. Was it all the committee's fault?
It seems to me that either the board and administrators are in over their heads or they have an agenda. For the record, I don't think they are incompetent. I really don't have a huge problem with their agenda as long as they are correct and we don't rezone until the third HS opens. I dont't agree with it, but I will let time prove them wrong or right.
They can get what they want and save face with the community if they revisit the grandfathering issue in regards to 8th graders and siblings to current high schooler
s only. GIve the community those two concessions, close the book on this rezoning, and pray that your projections for growth don't cause the whole plan to collapse in 24 months.