COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Commander Chris Skinner - Hillsboro Police Department
Teresa Gibson - City of Hillsboro Engineering Department
PARENTS
Lisa Coates - Century High School
Beverly Anderson - Evergreen Middle School
Monica Cordrey - Hillsboro High School
Steve Holser - Liberty High School
Gail Harris - McKinney Elementary & Glencoe High Schools
Theresa Kinnan -Tobias Elementary School
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS
Robin Biden - Director Transportation Services
Gustavo Balderas - Executive Director, School Improvement
Colin Croas - Coordinator Safety & Energy Management
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
Patti Wiemer - McKinney Elementary School, Principal
Janis Hill - Jackson Elementary School, Principal
Toni Crummett - David Hill Elementary School, Principal
Dave Parker - J. B. Thomas Middle School, Principal
Monique Monahan - Eastwood Elementary School, Principal
Lauri Lewis - Patterson Elementary School, Principal
Crystal Schmidt-Dipaola - Imlay Elementary School, Principal
Greg Timmons - Poynter Middle School, Principal
Ted Zehr - Century High School, Principal
Anne Erwin - Hillsboro High School, Assistant Principal
Gregg O’Mara - Liberty High School, Principal
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A Process, Not An Event
Great meeting last night with the committee providing a much improved Plan #3 that eliminates the "balloons-in-a-room" madness that was the defining feature of the "springboard" proposal for Brown MS feeder elementary schools.
THIS ISN'T DONE. I think it is unlikely that they would undo what is now a very minimum impact plan #3 for the Brown Middle School feeder. My faith in the common sense of the committee is very high. However, nothing is finalized so I will be staying in touch with the process.
We had great attendance from the PTO, Paula Jean Park and from the Shadowood area in the SE part of our boundary despite the fact that many of us knew the boundary was restored. One parent with 5 kids in IH who would have been moved to Reedville noted during public comments that we were very happy with the updated maps followed by a little light applause from the Indian Hills parents. Carlos said "OK, on that note, let's end the meeting now!"
The PTO questioned how many kids were being added on the East boundary and the answer was currently 44. Current enrollment is 383 as a snapshot today, that would bring total enrollment up to 427. Carlos stated that student teacher rations would be 26:1 for all schools even if they needed to move resources around.
Misc Notes
I met one of the parents moving out of Ladd Acres at last week's meeting, she is really nice and has been at every meeting. She spoke up last night and questioned why it was so easy to move their blocks of homes from Ladd Acres to Indian Hills to Tobias. The answer from the committee was that they are already on buses and sort of 'portable'. She is still concerned about the process but has a conflict with the next committee meeting so she asked me to let her know if anything changes.
The most upset parents in the meeting were from Eastwood and Brookwood Elementary, they are getting major changes in Plan #3 and some of the parents were very agitated. Based on my own observations of those who have influenced things, I would encourage them to get their input to the committee on paper and let common sense prevail. Stay engaged, speak to the facts.
A parent from David Hill elementary noted that her kids were not just losing an elementary but kids in her area were the only ones being asked to change all 3 schools, elementary, middle school and high school. That is one tough pill to swallow and I'm sure it weighs heavy on the committee.
Side note: Deputy Superintendent Carlos Pérez was a counselor at JB Thomas and Evergreen Jr High [edit - and Vice Principal, we got out her old yearbooks] during the time my wife attended there, she recognized him immediately. The meeting last night was in the library at Evergreen and she recalled working at the school as a summer job, scraping gum off the bottom of tables and doing landscaping. Ahhh, good times, good times.
THIS ISN'T DONE. I think it is unlikely that they would undo what is now a very minimum impact plan #3 for the Brown Middle School feeder. My faith in the common sense of the committee is very high. However, nothing is finalized so I will be staying in touch with the process.
We had great attendance from the PTO, Paula Jean Park and from the Shadowood area in the SE part of our boundary despite the fact that many of us knew the boundary was restored. One parent with 5 kids in IH who would have been moved to Reedville noted during public comments that we were very happy with the updated maps followed by a little light applause from the Indian Hills parents. Carlos said "OK, on that note, let's end the meeting now!"
The PTO questioned how many kids were being added on the East boundary and the answer was currently 44. Current enrollment is 383 as a snapshot today, that would bring total enrollment up to 427. Carlos stated that student teacher rations would be 26:1 for all schools even if they needed to move resources around.
Misc Notes
I met one of the parents moving out of Ladd Acres at last week's meeting, she is really nice and has been at every meeting. She spoke up last night and questioned why it was so easy to move their blocks of homes from Ladd Acres to Indian Hills to Tobias. The answer from the committee was that they are already on buses and sort of 'portable'. She is still concerned about the process but has a conflict with the next committee meeting so she asked me to let her know if anything changes.
The most upset parents in the meeting were from Eastwood and Brookwood Elementary, they are getting major changes in Plan #3 and some of the parents were very agitated. Based on my own observations of those who have influenced things, I would encourage them to get their input to the committee on paper and let common sense prevail. Stay engaged, speak to the facts.
A parent from David Hill elementary noted that her kids were not just losing an elementary but kids in her area were the only ones being asked to change all 3 schools, elementary, middle school and high school. That is one tough pill to swallow and I'm sure it weighs heavy on the committee.
Side note: Deputy Superintendent Carlos Pérez was a counselor at JB Thomas and Evergreen Jr High [edit - and Vice Principal, we got out her old yearbooks] during the time my wife attended there, she recognized him immediately. The meeting last night was in the library at Evergreen and she recalled working at the school as a summer job, scraping gum off the bottom of tables and doing landscaping. Ahhh, good times, good times.
Shadowood Represented
One of the parents from Shadowood in the SE portion of our boundary had a statement prepared and I wanted to capture a couple key paragraphs that express such appreciation for Indian Hills and their community identity. It would be easy to just set it aside since we are now back 'in' but I think it is important to share some parts of the comment:
[excerpt]
In 2003, my husband and I were looking to relocate. Our family was growing; we already had two boys and were in the process of adopting three more children. We needed a larger house. We lived in Beaverton at the time, but moved to the Hillsboro district in order to set down long term roots. We wanted a high quality district in which to raise our family. This year, all five of our children attend Indian Hills School. Currently, we have children in 6th, 4th, 3rd and kindergarten. We've worked with nearly every teacher in the building and have only positive experiences with the staff and principal. As you know, Indian Hills was rated "Exceptional". Of our three children who are old enough for the state benchmark testing, each have scored "Exceeds" in both math and reading. Indian Hills has been excellent for our entire family. Additionally, we have two children in IEPs and they receive their special education services at Indian Hills and two children who participate in TAG.
.....
We are part of the Shadowood Neighborhood. In Shadowood, we share a neighborhood park (across the street from our house) and a pool. The children of Shadowood enjoy the opportunity to play with one another in these settings, as well as attend school together. The draft plan would divide our neighborhood.
[end excerpt]
I've talked a lot about Paula Jean Park but have no doubt that every parent in this school loves it and is not willing to give it up easily.
[excerpt]
In 2003, my husband and I were looking to relocate. Our family was growing; we already had two boys and were in the process of adopting three more children. We needed a larger house. We lived in Beaverton at the time, but moved to the Hillsboro district in order to set down long term roots. We wanted a high quality district in which to raise our family. This year, all five of our children attend Indian Hills School. Currently, we have children in 6th, 4th, 3rd and kindergarten. We've worked with nearly every teacher in the building and have only positive experiences with the staff and principal. As you know, Indian Hills was rated "Exceptional". Of our three children who are old enough for the state benchmark testing, each have scored "Exceeds" in both math and reading. Indian Hills has been excellent for our entire family. Additionally, we have two children in IEPs and they receive their special education services at Indian Hills and two children who participate in TAG.
.....
We are part of the Shadowood Neighborhood. In Shadowood, we share a neighborhood park (across the street from our house) and a pool. The children of Shadowood enjoy the opportunity to play with one another in these settings, as well as attend school together. The draft plan would divide our neighborhood.
[end excerpt]
I've talked a lot about Paula Jean Park but have no doubt that every parent in this school loves it and is not willing to give it up easily.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Updated HSD Plan 3, showing tax lots
This is what will be shared at the Public Meeting tonight. I will be present to make sure everyone knows, still holding a INDIAN HILLS sign.
Pretty much my only comment will be "thank you" - I think the comments from the parents last Wednesday really made a difference. I didn't really even get to say anything meaningful to the committee. All that matters is the results, in the end.
NO HOME EXCLUDED FROM THE CURRENT 2007 BOUNDARY, add in the black border area is the only change.
HSD Plan 3 with tax maps, area in black is ADD (click to zoom)
Pretty much my only comment will be "thank you" - I think the comments from the parents last Wednesday really made a difference. I didn't really even get to say anything meaningful to the committee. All that matters is the results, in the end.
NO HOME EXCLUDED FROM THE CURRENT 2007 BOUNDARY, add in the black border area is the only change.
HSD Plan 3 with tax maps, area in black is ADD (click to zoom)
FLASH
Apparently the Boundary Committee is presenting PLAN 3, not currently shown here.
Go here for link (link)
All of the maps I show below are obsolete. Please review before the meeting.
I am checking them now.
[UPDATE - Original boundaries North of Rock Road and in Shadowood have been restored with addition on the East side of the current boundary still in place]
Go here for link (link)
All of the maps I show below are obsolete. Please review before the meeting.
I am checking them now.
[UPDATE - Original boundaries North of Rock Road and in Shadowood have been restored with addition on the East side of the current boundary still in place]
Hillsboro vs Aloha
When I first started looking at the boundary changes, I had an immediate, emotional reaction. My first thought was "We're being displaced by Hillsboro City kids." I even sent fliers to a couple people that took that viewpoint.
For a lot of us in Aloha, we have a bit of a confused civic identity, occupying an unincorporated twilight zone between 2 large incorporated cities. It also feels like we are sometimes looked down on by folks from Hillsboro. A few times when I told people that we were getting our elementary school boundary within the Hillsboro district moved the immediate response was "Oh no, are they sending your kids to Aloha?" That hurts.
After some time for reflection, I really can't say that I have ever suffered from being close to Hillsboro, actually the opposite is quite true. As a product of the Hillsboro School District, I know that our inclusion in the district has been nothing but a great thing so far.
Reflecting on my comments for tonight's meeting, I realized that Hillsboro vs Aloha isn't a constructive approach to the boundary issue. Whatever school the folks from the Hillsboro annex end up in, they will and should be welcomed with open arms, if anything our own anxiety about the boundary process should make us empathetic and if we feel that we have been slighted in the process, it wasn't their doing.
I am still concerned that the makeup of the boundary committee seems to be skewed toward principals from elementary schools exclusively from within Hillsboro city limits but I haven't quite figured out what area each committee member represents. It would be nice if the committee published each committee member's school affiliation so I didn't have to try and piece it together from my meeting notes or the district web site.
Side note: As an example of how we benefit by our proximity to Hillsboro, when a man was murdered in his car in the driveway of a nearby home (which is now excluded from the Indian Hills boundary N of Rock Road in "springboard" plan #1), the Washington County Sheriff's deputies responded immediately (link). But hot on their heels were K9 units from the Hillsboro PD - they worked tirelessly for hours trying to track down the killer who had invaded our neighborhood. The same teamwork was repeated just a few weeks ago when a young teen was assaulted while walking toward his Aloha home from Quatama Max Station (link). The Hillsboro PD K9 units and other officers responded immediately to assist WCSO.
[edit - order of post content adjusted. Also, I just noticed that the statement from the SO simply says that "A K9 unit responded but they were not able to locate the suspects", Come on guys, would it kill you to acknowledge that it was a Hillsboro unit that responded? When I heard the sirens I turned on my scanner and heard with my own ears that it was HPD K9 that assisted.]
For a lot of us in Aloha, we have a bit of a confused civic identity, occupying an unincorporated twilight zone between 2 large incorporated cities. It also feels like we are sometimes looked down on by folks from Hillsboro. A few times when I told people that we were getting our elementary school boundary within the Hillsboro district moved the immediate response was "Oh no, are they sending your kids to Aloha?" That hurts.
After some time for reflection, I really can't say that I have ever suffered from being close to Hillsboro, actually the opposite is quite true. As a product of the Hillsboro School District, I know that our inclusion in the district has been nothing but a great thing so far.
Reflecting on my comments for tonight's meeting, I realized that Hillsboro vs Aloha isn't a constructive approach to the boundary issue. Whatever school the folks from the Hillsboro annex end up in, they will and should be welcomed with open arms, if anything our own anxiety about the boundary process should make us empathetic and if we feel that we have been slighted in the process, it wasn't their doing.
I am still concerned that the makeup of the boundary committee seems to be skewed toward principals from elementary schools exclusively from within Hillsboro city limits but I haven't quite figured out what area each committee member represents. It would be nice if the committee published each committee member's school affiliation so I didn't have to try and piece it together from my meeting notes or the district web site.
Side note: As an example of how we benefit by our proximity to Hillsboro, when a man was murdered in his car in the driveway of a nearby home (which is now excluded from the Indian Hills boundary N of Rock Road in "springboard" plan #1), the Washington County Sheriff's deputies responded immediately (link). But hot on their heels were K9 units from the Hillsboro PD - they worked tirelessly for hours trying to track down the killer who had invaded our neighborhood. The same teamwork was repeated just a few weeks ago when a young teen was assaulted while walking toward his Aloha home from Quatama Max Station (link). The Hillsboro PD K9 units and other officers responded immediately to assist WCSO.
[edit - order of post content adjusted. Also, I just noticed that the statement from the SO simply says that "A K9 unit responded but they were not able to locate the suspects", Come on guys, would it kill you to acknowledge that it was a Hillsboro unit that responded? When I heard the sirens I turned on my scanner and heard with my own ears that it was HPD K9 that assisted.]
Sunday, November 18, 2007
The Value of Shoe Leather
The girls and I canvased part of the neighborhood today to make sure we were connecting with all parents in the area and to ask them to get involved in the process.
We found 3 families with 6 kids either going to Indian Hills now, or starting to attend next year. Two of those families had not heard about the boundary changes and were very concerned. I invited them to the meeting tomorrow night and asked them to get engaged.
What was really nice was the great support from the families that we talked to that had older kids in Brown or Century. They commented on how they would have felt to get kicked out of Indian Hills and one parent with no kids even asked if we had a petition that they could sign once I explained why we were walking the neighborhood.
We got drenched and frozen but a break for tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches helped get us re-energized. I had to reprint my map on waterproof map paper to keep the inkjet print from smudging, that is great stuff, like plastic paper you can print and write on.
Conclusion: People are just fundamentally nice, even when you show up dripping on their doorstep on a Sunday afternoon.
We found 3 families with 6 kids either going to Indian Hills now, or starting to attend next year. Two of those families had not heard about the boundary changes and were very concerned. I invited them to the meeting tomorrow night and asked them to get engaged.
What was really nice was the great support from the families that we talked to that had older kids in Brown or Century. They commented on how they would have felt to get kicked out of Indian Hills and one parent with no kids even asked if we had a petition that they could sign once I explained why we were walking the neighborhood.
We got drenched and frozen but a break for tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches helped get us re-energized. I had to reprint my map on waterproof map paper to keep the inkjet print from smudging, that is great stuff, like plastic paper you can print and write on.
Conclusion: People are just fundamentally nice, even when you show up dripping on their doorstep on a Sunday afternoon.
Meeting Notice - Community Meeting #1
Community Meeting #1 (calendar link)
November 19, 2007
(Monday, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.)
Evergreen Middle School Library (map)
29850 NW Evergreen Road
Hillsboro, OR 97124
This is going to be the first "torch and pitchfork" meeting for the committee.
[edit - bumped up, how it works info in next post]
November 19, 2007
(Monday, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.)
Evergreen Middle School Library (map)
29850 NW Evergreen Road
Hillsboro, OR 97124
This is going to be the first "torch and pitchfork" meeting for the committee.
[edit - bumped up, how it works info in next post]
Monday's Meeting - How It Works
Someone asked me tonight if the Public Meeting at Evergreen on Monday was just for folks from that area.
The answer is no, it is for all affected parents and it is important that we are getting our input into the Committee as soon as possible.
EARLY IN THE PROCESS IS BETTER
During the meeting last night someone on the committee made the comment that they can't consider folks concerns if they haven't given them the input - if you wait until the December 13 meeting at Brown to give your input, you have robbed the committee of almost a month of work considering your concerns.
BUNCH UP
They like it if a group from the school bunches together, it helps them bundle the concerns and not have to draw links from memory. I will show up as early as I can with a piece of paper that says INDIAN HILLS so we can gather in a common area, the intent isn't that I speak for you or vice versa, it just helps the committee make the logical connection about our school and area of concern.
SPEAK UP
If you plan on making a comment, please be sure to fill out a comment sheet, link is here. Even if you don't want to speak, fill out the sheet and turn it in.
Feel free to hold the comment sheet and read from it, it helps esp. if your emotions are running high. Be absolutely sure to turn the comment sheet into the committee afterward.
They ask for your name, the area of your concern (Indian Hills, Brown MS, Century) and what your statement is.
If you do chose to speak, they will record your info in the meeting minutes along with a summary of your comments but don't let that freak you out. Think about what is at stake.
BE REASONABLE
It can be cathartic to express how sad this makes you feel, what you think it will do to your home values, how senseless you think something is, wave your torch or shake your pitchfork, etc.
Fine, just please show the kids present that you understand the Indian Hills Character Traits:
Responsibility - Respect - Honesty - Integrity
Compassion - Courage - Patriotism - Civic Participation
The fact is, visceral reactions aren't relevant to the decision making process of the committee. They won't stop you from saying what you want, you will get lots of nods of approval from the rest of the parents, but your influence on the process will be almost nil. If you want to get something off your chest, send it to me on email and I'll post it here or I can show you how to start your own blog.
BE RELEVANT
The committee has been clear on what factors they feel are important to the process:
Some of the most effective arguments from the meeting last night, in my mind, were the ones from folks being given long drives to distant schools and how that added gas money was going to impact them yearly. It is real data, it is objectively measured in terms of impact, and it is relevant to the committee's concerns.
If you think there IS a relevant question that the committee isn't considering, please be clear on what the concern is, why you think that it is relevant to the process for ALL boundary decisions, and try not to focus on just your little slice of pie.
[edit - bumped up]
The answer is no, it is for all affected parents and it is important that we are getting our input into the Committee as soon as possible.
EARLY IN THE PROCESS IS BETTER
During the meeting last night someone on the committee made the comment that they can't consider folks concerns if they haven't given them the input - if you wait until the December 13 meeting at Brown to give your input, you have robbed the committee of almost a month of work considering your concerns.
BUNCH UP
They like it if a group from the school bunches together, it helps them bundle the concerns and not have to draw links from memory. I will show up as early as I can with a piece of paper that says INDIAN HILLS so we can gather in a common area, the intent isn't that I speak for you or vice versa, it just helps the committee make the logical connection about our school and area of concern.
SPEAK UP
If you plan on making a comment, please be sure to fill out a comment sheet, link is here. Even if you don't want to speak, fill out the sheet and turn it in.
Feel free to hold the comment sheet and read from it, it helps esp. if your emotions are running high. Be absolutely sure to turn the comment sheet into the committee afterward.
They ask for your name, the area of your concern (Indian Hills, Brown MS, Century) and what your statement is.
If you do chose to speak, they will record your info in the meeting minutes along with a summary of your comments but don't let that freak you out. Think about what is at stake.
BE REASONABLE
It can be cathartic to express how sad this makes you feel, what you think it will do to your home values, how senseless you think something is, wave your torch or shake your pitchfork, etc.
Fine, just please show the kids present that you understand the Indian Hills Character Traits:
Responsibility - Respect - Honesty - Integrity
Compassion - Courage - Patriotism - Civic Participation
The fact is, visceral reactions aren't relevant to the decision making process of the committee. They won't stop you from saying what you want, you will get lots of nods of approval from the rest of the parents, but your influence on the process will be almost nil. If you want to get something off your chest, send it to me on email and I'll post it here or I can show you how to start your own blog.
BE RELEVANT
The committee has been clear on what factors they feel are important to the process:
- What impact will the change make on the ethnic and socioeconomic composition of the student population?
- What impact in terms of “distance” will the change make on students and their families?
- Do the proposed boundaries provide for continued growth in the area?
- Are the proposed boundaries adversely impacting an area that has been repeatedly moved over time?
Some of the most effective arguments from the meeting last night, in my mind, were the ones from folks being given long drives to distant schools and how that added gas money was going to impact them yearly. It is real data, it is objectively measured in terms of impact, and it is relevant to the committee's concerns.
If you think there IS a relevant question that the committee isn't considering, please be clear on what the concern is, why you think that it is relevant to the process for ALL boundary decisions, and try not to focus on just your little slice of pie.
[edit - bumped up]
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Long Week
I have an outline of my comments for Monday but they are not nearly ready for review, I will try to get something out before end of day Saturday to those that have asked.
Checkers, our beloved dog of 14 years [edit - 15 years on Dec 5], has to be put to sleep tomorrow so it is going to be a tough day.
Camping trip, girls were 2 and 4 and Checkers was 7 years old.
Goodbye Check, rest well, we made some great memories together.
Checkers, our beloved dog of 14 years [edit - 15 years on Dec 5], has to be put to sleep tomorrow so it is going to be a tough day.
Camping trip, girls were 2 and 4 and Checkers was 7 years old.
Goodbye Check, rest well, we made some great memories together.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Straight Talk Link
Indian Hills Boundary News got a great write up today (link) from Hugh O'Donnell, Hillsboro District Board Member since 2003.
His blog is called Straight Talk and has all the makings of a good one with some nice personal notes about Hugh's father and Veteran's Day and then some hard punching exchanges with the Argus editorial board about the fate of the JB Thomas building.
He had lots of nice things to say about our activities here and clearly understands how powerful it can be as a way to communicate and congregate. I think his best advice is that school members actively participate in the blog, in comments, etc.
He is starting a list of community blogs so if you have a good link for him, I'm sure he'll be glad to have it.
Also, be sure to link him on any community website or blog you may have.
His blog is called Straight Talk and has all the makings of a good one with some nice personal notes about Hugh's father and Veteran's Day and then some hard punching exchanges with the Argus editorial board about the fate of the JB Thomas building.
He had lots of nice things to say about our activities here and clearly understands how powerful it can be as a way to communicate and congregate. I think his best advice is that school members actively participate in the blog, in comments, etc.
He is starting a list of community blogs so if you have a good link for him, I'm sure he'll be glad to have it.
Also, be sure to link him on any community website or blog you may have.
Notices In The Argus, Oregonian
Well, the committee obviously took everyone's input on notification about the process, there are 2 articles, one on the 14th in the Oregonian, then one on the 16th in the Argus. I still would like to see notes sent home with the kids from the schools. [edit - I just noticed that there was a notice in Nov. Indian Hills newsletter that came home with one of the girls, not sure if that was true for all schools, however]
My first thought is to ask the Argus why the district had to 'push' this info into the dead tree press? Is anyone on the staff assigned to keep in touch with district news? Why didn't the notice show up until the day of the 3rd public meeting? Another puzzling fact is that the article refers Beaverton parents to their district website but tells Hillsboro parents to call the Hillsboro district phone number. Why?
Evidently the Argus reporters were too busy dreaming about write-ups in the Culture section on the latest Modern Interpretive Dance Exposition at the proposed JB Thomas/Argus Community Arts Center to notice that every family in the district was being dramatically impacted by a boundary process.
Hillsboro, Beaverton school districts schedule boundary 'Listening Sessions'
11/16/2007
When school districts re-draw boundaries, students may be sent to different schools. Two West Washington County school districts are seeking public input on new school attendance boundaries during listening sessions with district superintendents. ...
New schools mean shifting students
11/14/2007
HILLSBORO -- If you live in the Hillsboro School District, your child could attend a different school next year. Construction of four elementary schools and a middle school has led to the redrawing of attendance boundaries. A district boundary com...
My first thought is to ask the Argus why the district had to 'push' this info into the dead tree press? Is anyone on the staff assigned to keep in touch with district news? Why didn't the notice show up until the day of the 3rd public meeting? Another puzzling fact is that the article refers Beaverton parents to their district website but tells Hillsboro parents to call the Hillsboro district phone number. Why?
Evidently the Argus reporters were too busy dreaming about write-ups in the Culture section on the latest Modern Interpretive Dance Exposition at the proposed JB Thomas/Argus Community Arts Center to notice that every family in the district was being dramatically impacted by a boundary process.
Hillsboro, Beaverton school districts schedule boundary 'Listening Sessions'
11/16/2007
When school districts re-draw boundaries, students may be sent to different schools. Two West Washington County school districts are seeking public input on new school attendance boundaries during listening sessions with district superintendents. ...
New schools mean shifting students
11/14/2007
HILLSBORO -- If you live in the Hillsboro School District, your child could attend a different school next year. Construction of four elementary schools and a middle school has led to the redrawing of attendance boundaries. A district boundary com...
The Danger of Extemporaneous Speaking
Minutes were just published from Wednesday's meeting (link here) and it got a little messed up in translation.
Here was my verbal statement as printed in the minutes (errors in red):
Mark Horton [edit - name fixed in updated minutes] (Indian Hills) — lives in a high-density area close to Tobias. He and his wife are products of HSD schools, and he came to the meeting to better understand and come up to speed on the proposal. He is concerned about issues affecting his area west of Cornelius Pass Road, and he speculated on whether the “springboard” was drawn with the intent of eliminating the high-density areas from the boundary. He even tried out his own adjustments and found his idea matches the current proposal.
My actual statement was that I lived north of Rock Road in a high density area and that I was being moved to Tobias in the current proposal. I don't know why they decided to write that I live close to Tobias since my house is less than 650 ft from Indian Hills. That isn't editorializing from the committee, is it?
I think I did say that I was worried about the west side of Corn Pass. D'oh. But I gestured with my right hand and if one is facing north that clearly means an easterly direction, right? I own that one and realized I had said it wrong after I sat down.
Now the puzzling one.
I haven't "tried out my own adjustments", those words did not pass my lips. I made it clear that I thought the current proposal eliminated high density areas from the IH boundary, not an approving statement. I also said I was still coming up to speed. Not sure how that makes sense to anyone with a shred of critical thinking ability; that I would both be coming up to speed and simultaneously completed "my own adjustments".
Maybe this was just a misunderstanding, here is a possible theory:
I cleared up the titles on the maps to be clear they are the HSD proposals just in case.
Whether my little fantasy is true or not, the fact remains that official committee minutes include a statement that is factually incorrect and wasn't based on anything that was spoken inside the Board room.
I will try to clear that up at the next committee meeting. Maybe I will wear a nametag.
In case someone from the committee is reading my blog, let me be clear: MY IDEAS DO NOT MATCH THE PROPOSALS. The proposals so far maximize the thrash to all of the schools in the Brown Middle School area. I haven't shared any ideas with the committee and I told Carlos after the meeting that I wanted to send him a PowerPoint file with my input.
From now on, everything I have to say goes in writing and I read from the statement. And when I hold up my right hand, that means East.
Here was my verbal statement as printed in the minutes (errors in red):
Mark Horton [edit - name fixed in updated minutes] (Indian Hills) — lives in a high-density area close to Tobias. He and his wife are products of HSD schools, and he came to the meeting to better understand and come up to speed on the proposal. He is concerned about issues affecting his area west of Cornelius Pass Road, and he speculated on whether the “springboard” was drawn with the intent of eliminating the high-density areas from the boundary. He even tried out his own adjustments and found his idea matches the current proposal.
My actual statement was that I lived north of Rock Road in a high density area and that I was being moved to Tobias in the current proposal. I don't know why they decided to write that I live close to Tobias since my house is less than 650 ft from Indian Hills. That isn't editorializing from the committee, is it?
I think I did say that I was worried about the west side of Corn Pass. D'oh. But I gestured with my right hand and if one is facing north that clearly means an easterly direction, right? I own that one and realized I had said it wrong after I sat down.
Now the puzzling one.
I haven't "tried out my own adjustments", those words did not pass my lips. I made it clear that I thought the current proposal eliminated high density areas from the IH boundary, not an approving statement. I also said I was still coming up to speed. Not sure how that makes sense to anyone with a shred of critical thinking ability; that I would both be coming up to speed and simultaneously completed "my own adjustments".
Maybe this was just a misunderstanding, here is a possible theory:
- I noticed that I was getting some visits from the k12.or.us domain just before the meeting.
- Someone from the committee could have had a link to my blog.
- They saw my interpretation of a district map labeled as "PROPOSAL" and thought it was MY proposal when it was really just me redrawing the HSD proposal with zoning areas shown.
- They were looking for the slightest bit of validation for their plan and seized on this as some sort of support.
I cleared up the titles on the maps to be clear they are the HSD proposals just in case.
Whether my little fantasy is true or not, the fact remains that official committee minutes include a statement that is factually incorrect and wasn't based on anything that was spoken inside the Board room.
I will try to clear that up at the next committee meeting. Maybe I will wear a nametag.
In case someone from the committee is reading my blog, let me be clear: MY IDEAS DO NOT MATCH THE PROPOSALS. The proposals so far maximize the thrash to all of the schools in the Brown Middle School area. I haven't shared any ideas with the committee and I told Carlos after the meeting that I wanted to send him a PowerPoint file with my input.
From now on, everything I have to say goes in writing and I read from the statement. And when I hold up my right hand, that means East.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Big Mac Attack
It was great to talk with everyone at McTeacher's dinner tonight, it was really motivating and encouraging to get all the positive feedback. It was a little bittersweet though, thinking about what we have to lose.
Mrs. Wilson's grandaughter put on the hard sell (OK, not really, but that little apron is so cute) and we ended up with 5 bags of cookies.
And if anyone has a good picture of me chomping down on my Big Mac, let me know what it is going to cost to keep it out of the yearbook. I pay in cookies.
Mrs. Wilson's grandaughter put on the hard sell (OK, not really, but that little apron is so cute) and we ended up with 5 bags of cookies.
And if anyone has a good picture of me chomping down on my Big Mac, let me know what it is going to cost to keep it out of the yearbook. I pay in cookies.
New Feature - Email Forward
Every post now has a link with a little arrow envelope down next to comments that allows you to easily email a post to someone.
Please help get the word out.
Please help get the word out.
Who's Out? Who's In? #2 In A Series - The Importance Of Starter Homes
I just ran through assessment data and picked a value of $250k as the point at which someone looking for a home would have to start these days.
North of Rock Road and East of Powerlines:
40% of the homes are less than $250k assessed value
Hillsboro Annex:
14% of the homes are less than $250k assessed value
That is a huge difference in the makeup of the two areas. Why are we being sent to Tobias and the Hillsboro Annex is going to Indian Hills?
The demographics are going in the wrong direction.
Paula Jean Park is a neighborhood of what my dad called "crackerbox" homes when he was a drywall contractor, here in the neighborhood we like to refer to them as starter homes.
When we first looked at our house in 1993, we were just happy to finally be able to afford a house.
North of Rock Road and East of Powerlines:
40% of the homes are less than $250k assessed value
Hillsboro Annex:
14% of the homes are less than $250k assessed value
That is a huge difference in the makeup of the two areas. Why are we being sent to Tobias and the Hillsboro Annex is going to Indian Hills?
The demographics are going in the wrong direction.
Paula Jean Park is a neighborhood of what my dad called "crackerbox" homes when he was a drywall contractor, here in the neighborhood we like to refer to them as starter homes.
When we first looked at our house in 1993, we were just happy to finally be able to afford a house.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Add/Remove Map (click to zoom)
OBSOLETE (see Nov 19 post, above)
HSD Proposal #2 showing tax lots (click to zoom)
HSD Proposal #2 showing tax lots (click to zoom)
New Maps, Boundary Update
OBSOLETE (see Nov 19 post, above)
Only change to the map was that they cut out the last remaining older high density area in the proposed boundary of Indian Hills, a chunk of R15 and a bunch of apartments next to Wendy's on 198th. This is evidently what will be presented at the first public meeting on Monday.
CURRENT (click to zoom)
HSD PROPOSED PLAN 2 with zoning (click to zoom)
HSD OFFICIAL MAP (from big pdf on HSD site)
This is Plan 1, my map above shows Plan 2 as described in the meeting.
Only change to the map was that they cut out the last remaining older high density area in the proposed boundary of Indian Hills, a chunk of R15 and a bunch of apartments next to Wendy's on 198th. This is evidently what will be presented at the first public meeting on Monday.
CURRENT (click to zoom)
HSD PROPOSED PLAN 2 with zoning (click to zoom)
HSD OFFICIAL MAP (from big pdf on HSD site)
This is Plan 1, my map above shows Plan 2 as described in the meeting.
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.
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.
Socio-economic Factors in 'Play'?
I was looking at the section of Hillsboro being added to the Indian Hills Boundary and noticed that the block of homes is immediately west of Hillsboro City Park & Recreation's Frances Street Park, literally across the street.
As I was looking at the images, it finally clicked on why Paula Jean Park is getting pushed out of the best elementary school in the area and these folks are getting pulled in.
Paula Jean Park has the biggest playground climbing structure in the area!
I guess they want to make sure that our kids don't get all the 'perks'. Seems like a reasonable argument but I hope we can at least have a discussion about it.
As I was looking at the images, it finally clicked on why Paula Jean Park is getting pushed out of the best elementary school in the area and these folks are getting pulled in.
Paula Jean Park has the biggest playground climbing structure in the area!
I guess they want to make sure that our kids don't get all the 'perks'. Seems like a reasonable argument but I hope we can at least have a discussion about it.
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