The Bethlehem school board listened Wednesday, Dec. 5, to parents making last-ditch pleas to keep their children in their current elementary schools before final redistricting boundaries are approved.
The board will select one of two final scenarios at the Wednesday, Dec. 19, meeting. Meanwhile, four neighborhood-planning units were scrutinized, including two areas where students would be making a switch from Slingerlands to Clarksville school.
Slingerlands is our neighborhood school, the school we walk to, the school we bike to, said Janet Joseph, who has a daughter currently enrolled at the school.
A group of Clarksville supporters made it clear to the board they did not want to see their school enrollment decline.
`Every single scenario reduces the size of Clarksville,` said Amy Cartwright, a committee member representing Clarksville School. `Please do not reduce the size any further.`
In the two scenarios the board is considering, Clarksville enrollment would go from 261 students to 219 students in the 2008-09 school year. Eagle Elementary, which is slated to open in the fall of 2008, would become the largest school, with an enrollment of more than 440 students. That number had committee member Jill Doyle concerned. She told the school board that the ratio of students to teachers in Eagle would be 23-to-1.
`I am wary as a parent why my children are being stuck with these high ratios and with children and teachers who have not been together,` Doyle said.
The number of fifth graders changing schools next year under the first scenario would total 115, with 92 of those students going to Eagle Elementary. If the school board selects the other boundary scenario, there would be a net change of 106 fifth graders changing schools in 2008. The total number of students in grades one through five changing schools next year is around 400.
`The Elsmere committee unanimously believes scenario five is the one that should be selected because it affects the least amount of students,` said Elsmere committee member Tim Sheraw. Hamagrael representatives also selected scenario five, while Glenmont representative Amy Grant said her group was split between the final choices.
`We feel both scenarios are similar statistically,` said Grant.
Bethlehem school board president James Lytle thanked the community for its patience, reminding the 40 people present that a final selection would be made at the next meeting.
Establishing the appropriate school enrollment, achieving rational boundaries and addressing transportation efficiency were some of the main criteria identified by the school board in the redistricting process.
Board member Lynne Lenhardt recalled the last time redistricting took place almost 10 years ago and how different and positive this process has been compared to the last one.
`The fact that there are only a couple of issues left is a major accomplishment,` said Lenhardt.“