What a mess
The redistricting meeting was tonight and I'm afraid it's bad news... Our new elementary school would be the school in the 'hood. The one with the 20% higher discipline rate for fighting than any other elementary school in the district. The one with the abysmal attendance because of the apathy of the parents - virtually NO PTA because no parents will step up and the school that has the most rental families, meaning, the most transitory students. Yeah. I'm pleased. Not to mention that the neighborhood's crime rate is one of the highest in the city and they have 76% free and reduced lunch qualified families. While I know that doesn't really say anything about the students, it does make me fear in my ignorance that those kids being obviously of less economic standing than us, would use that as a source of negative behavior towards my children. We did all write our appeals because the kids on the south side of our same street are going to the better school but the woman in charge of such matters is a hard-nosed bitch. She actually yelled at a parent in a budget meeting once, told him to "Sit his tubaned ass down". Yes, turbaned. As in, I wear a turban. So that's what we're up against. We made our very valid appeal about how it would be silly to have 2 school buses come down our street, one for the north side and one for the south side and hopefully we'll get some results. Otherwise, I can put in for a boundary exception each year but I'd have to provide my own transportation to the other school. Ideally, not a problem because the day care buses the kids to the schools, however it's subject to denial based on the number of kids enrolled in the school you wish to transfer to. I guess everyone has their concerns with the new district lines, but unless it impacts M or Z - I really don't give a shit.