Why should I stay engaged in my community?
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Friday, October 9, 2009
Seriously. I'm trying to figure this out. Maybe I can't stand the heat. Perhaps I tire of of people hiding behind masks of anonymity questioning my motives. It could be that, above everything else, I tire of people trading heated accusations, castigating their neighbors for perceived prejudice, simply because they don't see eye-to-eye.
The latest kerfuffle: the school district's proposed boundary realignment plans. People all across the city are upset, but none are so divided as the people on the east side of Central. If you don't live in Plano then you may wonder what the fuss is about. If you're curious or you live here, you may want to take a look at the various plans the district is looking at for the east side.
Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Of course, the maps don't tell the entire story. Most of the elementary schools in the pink area on the map on Page 6 are Title I schools. That map sort of preserves the feeders that were in place before the schools in the green area were built. (McCall in the NW part of the map is a newer-ish school, but has a 44% economically disadvantaged students.)
So we find ourselves at an old argument, and one that makes people passionate. The district would love to split these Title I schools up and have some feed into the new high school opening up in Murphy. They call this a "balanced" socioeconomic plan. Parents are split. A lot - but not all - of the green area on that map is made up of newer residential neighborhoods. The houses are more expensive, there are fewer apartments, and that leads to fewer students classified as economically disadvantaged.
We live within walking distance of Williams high school, but the preferred map would send kids in our elementary school attendance district to McMillen, the new school in Murphy. There is a plan on the table that would send students who live down the street from McMillen to Williams.
(I should note here that Plano has a High School/Senior High system, and both high schools - plus one just west of Central - feed into Plano East Senior High.)
The elephant in the room is the elementary and middle schools. As far as I can tell, the feeder patterns in that regard aren't being broken up. If nothing else changes, students will be attending low-performing schools (or high-performing schools) from grades K-8 then suddenly get thrust into a "balanced" environment.
All I see is tears and resentment on both sides at the high schools, and that's already being reflected in the comments at the DMN Plano Blog. The more people who joined the conversation the nastier it got. It's devolved into name calling, questioning of motives, and apparent haves vs. have nots. Several commenters on both sides of the issue are trying to offer solutions, but they're being drowned out by the noise.
He (or she) who shouts the loudest online wins, apparently, and I'm getting weary. All of us who care deeply are getting weary, too, it seems. I've been accused of being racist, of being a plant for the newspaper (pardon me while I fall down laughing), of just being there to stir up trouble (and getting paid for it! Pardon me while I bust a gut laughing!) - all because I've tried to state my opinion. I tire of the personal attacks from all sides.
It's not just me. Some people in the conversation mean well, but I suspect they're new to the world of commenting on blog posts and don't yet get how sarcasm and emotion don't always come across as they would mean. They end up being attacked and leave. Others who try to offer reasoned remarks get attacked. They leave. The conversation loses some potentially good voices. The shouters win again.
So how do I feel about this? I suppose this is my chance to articulate myself with minimal fear of personal attacks. I hope. I've lived in this neighborhood for 25 years. It's considered a "poor" neighborhood by Plano standards. I've talked about this area time and again and why I like living here. It's diverse - both in terms of ethnicity and incomes. A fair number of my neighbors are professionals, working in tech, banking, and other fields. It has trees. I'm close to parks and farms. We're considered "poor" because south of here the houses are older and there are apartments. Most - not all - people there have lower incomes, and a lot of adults don't speak English as a first language. Shoot, the number of rental homes in my neighborhood is increasing, which means a higher number of mobile students - who traditionally score lower on standardized tests. I'm for keeping neighborhood schools. Why? Look a few paragraphs above. What good does it do to keep kids in this neighborhood in poor performing schools until high school? Those kids need help early - at the elementary school level.
Of course, I'm not in favor of forced integration, busing, or whatever you want to call it at the elementary school level. I do wonder if all that money spent shuttling high school kids (these are 14-16 year-olds, virtually all of whom don't drive yet) back and forth across town would be put to better use by shoring up academic performance at the elementary school level. I'm concerned that without a concerted effort to improve the schools in grades K-8 that those socioeconomically balanced high schools aren't going to be good for ANY students from ANY background.
People near the new schools who want neighborhood schools are accused of being racist or elitist or stuck in their McMansions. People in my area who want neighborhood schools are accused of being racist and not wanting the best education for their children. People who favor the "balanced" plans are automatically pegged as living in my neighborhood and demanding forced integration.
We're all passionate about this, and that's a wonderful thing. But can't we take the time to listen to the other side? Perhaps if we did, there could be a compromise. Not everyone will get what they want, but they'll be more likely to live with the outcome if they have a hand in crafting a solution. (Which brings me to another issue I won't rant on here: Some parents are reporting that they've been told the "balanced" plan is a "done deal." Then why the public hearings? Lip service?)
It would probably be better for my blood pressure if I just walked away. Yet, if I - and others - do, the shouters take over. I'm sure there will be a limit at some point. I just hope that when I hit it I can exit with grace.
(I'm happy to publish all sides of a debate, but personal attacks will be removed. See the comment policy for details.)
Tags: Education
Off-topic but related in terms of comments: President Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. More on that later, I'm sure.
Filed under: Education
Comments are closed
|