Committee Work Session #2 Notes - Balloons In A Room

I went to the Boundary Committee Work Session #2 tonight and stayed until the bitter end, I really have to say that the volunteers on the committee are some hardy folks, it doesn't look like an enjoyable process.

There was a chance for public comment and I just introduced myself and expressed concern about how the new boundary appears to cut all high density zoning out of the Indian Hills Boundary.

There were some comments from a couple other parents, one of which brought a tear to my eye, it was such a passionate statement about the pride she takes in her home, in her school and that she makes sure her kids don't miss school because it is a privilege.

What really struck me the most about her statement was how closely her experience matches our own. She talked about how hard it was to find a house that was inside the Indian Hills boundary. I think that like my family it was a starter home, that is the kind of neighborhood we have here in Paula Jean Park, one of the few within the boundary that has affordable homes. She also talked about how they would drive by Indian Hills and she would tell her pre-school kids "That's going to be your school." Now they are crushed. We used to do the same thing with our girls when they were pre-schoolers.

Anyway, there was lots of talk about SES which stands for "SocioEconomic Status" which is basically another way of saying students who get free or discount lunches. What I want to know is what about those hard working parents that are socioeconomically disadvantaged but aren't willing to take a handout?

How does the district hear their voice if they don't consider other factors like home cost, zoning density or personal knowledge of the neighborhood?

Essentially the process consisted of drawing a loop around some new section of generic streets then having the GIS system spit out a headcount and SES percentage. Does it meet the goal, too high, too low. No demographer, no look at the actual homes or neighborhood characteristics.

More on the specifics later.