Two years ago, when our daughter received her K1 assignment at Mather Elementary School in Dorchester, my husband and I heaved a huge sigh of relief. We agonized over whether we were making the right decision in trusting Boston Public Schools to educate our children when so many others seemed to be fleeing the system, but when the Mather appeared on our assignment letter the skies seemed to clear. It wasn’t our closest school, but we’d been impressed by the principal and faculty, and we were happy to learn that several families we knew had also gained spots there for their children. This good fortune extended beyond a seat for our daughter: her younger brother would receive sibling preference at the Mather when he entered the lottery, virtually ensuring him a place there as well.
So we dove into life at the Mather, and, with the people we met there, began building a community around it. Our children became friends, our families became friends, and in the past two years we’ve made huge progress at our school. The year before our daughter entered K1, membership in the Mather Parent Council numbered three, including the principal. This year 33 parents attended our first Parent Council meeting, and over 60 have signed up to volunteer at the school.
Comments
The changes in Boston's school assignments were not designed to hurt you, rather they were put in place to help many others. Sometimes it's not all about you.
Ms. Ross has valid points. The administration of the BPS has been promoting "community building" for years. It makes no sense to end the policy of sibling preference which is essential to parents' commitment to a particular school.
Giermund, these changes hurt many people, too. Many of the people worst affected by discontinuing sibling preference are also those most ill-equipped to compensate for the hardship. We all agree we want access to quality neighborhood schools close to home. But just changing the busing zones doesn't make that happen. By BPS's own numbers, depending on the plan adopted, this could affect as many as 30-80% of current families. We are circulating a petition about this very issue. We believe that you cannot strengthen neighborhoods or communities by breaking apart families. Please add your name to the petition. Together, we can make sure that Mayor Menino and BPS know that there is RESOUNDING support for keeping families together. http://signon.org/sign/tell-boston-public-schools
The only thing predictable for Boston parents about the Boston Public School system is that it will break your heart sooner or later, more likely sooner.
For the parents like Anna Ross who commit themselves -- their time, talent, and resources -- so fully to the community of their school it is this sense of betrayal that is the last straw. I imagine Ms Ross will be writing her next op ed piece for the Globe from her study in Milton or Newton or Brookline.
So sad.
BPS has come a long way, and much of this we can credit to parents like Ms. Ross. BPS is forgetting their part in these successes - we owe it to the schools to remind them! Please sign one or both of these petitions about this very same issue. Tell BPS: Families belong together! http://signon.org/sign/tell-boston-public-schools or http://signon.org/sign/grandfather-siblings
I understand the disruption that this can cause, but where will sibling preference end? If the plan is to create new school zones for the purpose of reducing transportation costs, and parents want the sibling preference factor to stand, how will we save money on transportation? And this also further chops up what kids are in what school. If the purpose is neighborhood schools, the longer you keep a sibling preference policy in place, the longer it will take to establish community in the new school zones.
Sibling preference under the current system can easily end when the families in the current system have moved through the school. So Ms Ross and all the families assigned under the current system can opt to hold on to their sib preference, or not, depending on what works for their family's needs.
All new famlies entering the system, thousands every year, will also get a sibling preference, but this time under the new assignment plan.
School systems with tens of thousands of students, teachers, and administrators, and tens of millions of dollars in annual budget don't turn on a dime. It really is not difficult to grandfather in the few thousand siblings under the current assignment plan while the new plan is working itself out.
In fact it would likely be less disruptive overall and make it more likely that committed parents like Ms Ross and her compatriots stay in the system rather than transferring their children into private schools or the suburbs in sheer frustration.
Kathode, even by BPS's own estimates, the new plans will only save about 10% of the busing budget. 10%! And this disrupts thousands of families. Parents strapped between two schools are not going to be able to add to the "new communities" in the way they would want to. And families do not go on forever. Many of the children affected are already playing on school playgrounds, unaware that they will not be able to go to their siblings' schools. Sibling preference will obviously end. This is a biological fact. Boston is trying to push the work and expense of this onto families. As a single mom, I worked very, very hard to establish the "village" at my child's school - that support that will get my family through the next several years. Now I am told that this will be for nothing? When I live only 7 minutes away from the school? How is it fair for BPS to cut me off from a school which was once in my walk zone, and tell me, "oh, well now you aren't in the walk zone, or the home zone. We're changing the walk zones." How is that fair, to me, or my children, who need each other, who need that support? Today I saw a little girl and boy get off the bus together. The little girl is suffering from a bit of separation anxiety. Her older brother held her hand and waited for her to go in to the school before joining his own line. His sister kissed him twice and walked into the school happily. Tell me that this isn't important for these children, to have each other for support. How can BPS disregard such an important emotional and educational support system - the SIBLINGS - and speak of creating "study circles" in neighborhoods? How many times as a child did your brother or sister bring home homework for you when you were out sick? It worked a lot for my family. I am very sad that BPS is even trying to draw this line. A line that makes sense in no way, because whatever savings they think they will have in busing, they will LOSE in school quality as families withdraw from school communities, are strapped between many, or, good families leave Boston altogether.
Mayor Menino and the BPS have yet to develop a school plan that will take families and community building into consideration. Consider the number of years Menino has been Mayor of Boston, and it is down right discouraging that he is unable to accomplish anything of significance. Boston requires a BPS design that focuses on community building. It truly time for a 'new' Mayor who is healthy enough to do the job. It is the end of the Menino era.