Hello:
I have received many emails regarding the proposals for school closing and realignment in Point Loma and have been reading the Dana Blog. Please know i am reading and listening to all the community input i am receiving. Please forgive the general response below but I believe it addresses the vast majority of the issues that have been raised.
I first learned of the staff proposals for Point Loma on the same night the community did. The details can be reviewed on www.sandi.net.
Financial Realities
As we face ever worsening finances with the guarantee of unavoidable budget cuts next year, my primary goal is for the district to avoid insolvency. Since joining the board in December 2010, I have been like a broken record in trying to warn my colleagues about the threats to our survival, but have had only limited success. I have inherited labor contracts which significantly increase costs to our district and state budget which reduced funding by over $100 million this year and which may cut $30 million more in revenues in January 2013.
Depending a on a number of factors mostly outside of our school board's control, our budget short-fall next year (12/13) will be from $60 million to over $100 million. I must honestly state, that I believe there is a real possibility of our district going into financial receivership within the next year, resulting in a State-appointed superintendent taking over. Our Board will receive a briefing on the current financial forecast and impacts Tuesday.
School Closure/Consolidations One Piece of the Puzzle
In order to address our financial challenges, school closures and consolidation must be discussed as part of both the short term budget solutions and the long-term viability of SDUSD. But it is just one piece of the puzzle. Additional reductions in transportation, review of how we deliver custodial, landscaping, administration and food services, and finding ways to generate more revenues are also key parts of the puzzle.
Specific Proposals for Closures and Consolidation of Schools in Point Loma
Barnard Mandarin Language Magnet
This nationally recognized program is an exciting part of SDUSD. But The Barnard language magnet's future, whether it stays where it is or moves is NOT and in my view should NOT drive the decision on the future of Pt Loma's middle schools. They are separate issues.
Dana
Regarding the staff recommendation on Dana, the question is, how can I, in these drastic budgetary circumstances, convince my school board colleagues that Point Loma should have TWO middle schools in one high school cluster? In these awful times, academic success is unfortunately not the over-riding issue. I am aware of the impact of closing Dana would have on hundreds of families. I am hopeful the creative minds of the cluster community will come into play. I will do everything within my power to assist Point Loma in responding to this quandary.
Cabrillo and Barnard
I must also fully understand the consequences of the proposals to close Cabrillo and move Barnard's Mandarin program to another site in our district, knowing that hundreds of additional families will be impacted.
Point Loma High School
I think this process should be viewed as an opportunity to discuss the future sustainability of PLHS which sits on a very small and compacted site. Some have suggested there be one or more additional "satellite" high school facilities. Can we afford these? Do the school closure and consolidation proposals create options?
The Process
I feel I must let the (rather short) process play itself out. This means allowing parents, the community, school teachers and employees review the staff recommendations, and seek creative responses and alternatives which we can present to my Board colleagues.
A Parent's View
Lastly, as a parent of two girls who are in high school and have attended SDUSD schools since Kindergarten, I know one of the most important decisions we make as parents is choosing where to send our kids to school. I completely understand the apprehension and anger over even the discussion of closing a school. But as an elected Board Trustee, I have responsibility for the education of 120,000 students, and the financial viability of SDUSD. My ultimate decision will be one which I think is in the best interest of the District as a whole, while doing everything I can to protect what currently "works" schools in neighborhood schools in Point Loma.
Please participate in your Cluster's review of the school closure and consolidation proposals. Lets find creative responses I can present to my school board colleagues. Feel free to contact me with further input and suggestions.
Thank you
Scott Barnett,
SDUSD Board Trustee
Scottbarnettsdusd@gmail.com
Sbarnett@sandi.net
I have received many emails regarding the proposals for school closing and realignment in Point Loma and have been reading the Dana Blog. Please know i am reading and listening to all the community input i am receiving. Please forgive the general response below but I believe it addresses the vast majority of the issues that have been raised.
I first learned of the staff proposals for Point Loma on the same night the community did. The details can be reviewed on www.sandi.net.
Financial Realities
As we face ever worsening finances with the guarantee of unavoidable budget cuts next year, my primary goal is for the district to avoid insolvency. Since joining the board in December 2010, I have been like a broken record in trying to warn my colleagues about the threats to our survival, but have had only limited success. I have inherited labor contracts which significantly increase costs to our district and state budget which reduced funding by over $100 million this year and which may cut $30 million more in revenues in January 2013.
Depending a on a number of factors mostly outside of our school board's control, our budget short-fall next year (12/13) will be from $60 million to over $100 million. I must honestly state, that I believe there is a real possibility of our district going into financial receivership within the next year, resulting in a State-appointed superintendent taking over. Our Board will receive a briefing on the current financial forecast and impacts Tuesday.
School Closure/Consolidations One Piece of the Puzzle
In order to address our financial challenges, school closures and consolidation must be discussed as part of both the short term budget solutions and the long-term viability of SDUSD. But it is just one piece of the puzzle. Additional reductions in transportation, review of how we deliver custodial, landscaping, administration and food services, and finding ways to generate more revenues are also key parts of the puzzle.
Specific Proposals for Closures and Consolidation of Schools in Point Loma
Barnard Mandarin Language Magnet
This nationally recognized program is an exciting part of SDUSD. But The Barnard language magnet's future, whether it stays where it is or moves is NOT and in my view should NOT drive the decision on the future of Pt Loma's middle schools. They are separate issues.
Dana
Regarding the staff recommendation on Dana, the question is, how can I, in these drastic budgetary circumstances, convince my school board colleagues that Point Loma should have TWO middle schools in one high school cluster? In these awful times, academic success is unfortunately not the over-riding issue. I am aware of the impact of closing Dana would have on hundreds of families. I am hopeful the creative minds of the cluster community will come into play. I will do everything within my power to assist Point Loma in responding to this quandary.
Cabrillo and Barnard
I must also fully understand the consequences of the proposals to close Cabrillo and move Barnard's Mandarin program to another site in our district, knowing that hundreds of additional families will be impacted.
Point Loma High School
I think this process should be viewed as an opportunity to discuss the future sustainability of PLHS which sits on a very small and compacted site. Some have suggested there be one or more additional "satellite" high school facilities. Can we afford these? Do the school closure and consolidation proposals create options?
The Process
I feel I must let the (rather short) process play itself out. This means allowing parents, the community, school teachers and employees review the staff recommendations, and seek creative responses and alternatives which we can present to my Board colleagues.
A Parent's View
Lastly, as a parent of two girls who are in high school and have attended SDUSD schools since Kindergarten, I know one of the most important decisions we make as parents is choosing where to send our kids to school. I completely understand the apprehension and anger over even the discussion of closing a school. But as an elected Board Trustee, I have responsibility for the education of 120,000 students, and the financial viability of SDUSD. My ultimate decision will be one which I think is in the best interest of the District as a whole, while doing everything I can to protect what currently "works" schools in neighborhood schools in Point Loma.
Please participate in your Cluster's review of the school closure and consolidation proposals. Lets find creative responses I can present to my school board colleagues. Feel free to contact me with further input and suggestions.
Thank you
Scott Barnett,
SDUSD Board Trustee
Scottbarnettsdusd@gmail.com
Sbarnett@sandi.net
Just curious why Mr. Barnett refers to Dana as a "middle school?" In reality it is an elementary school. It was a middle school years ago and yes, it has Middle School imprinted on the building but to me 5th and 6th graders are elementary. Maybe I am wrong.
ReplyDeleteBased on Mr. Barnett's above comments, I think there are certain "facts" we simply won't be able to escape in this debate:
ReplyDelete1. No matter how great/necessary we think Dana and Correia are, the School Board is simply not going to support any proposal that allows PL to continue to have two middle schools/Jr. Highs in a one high school cluster.
2. Cabrillo will need to be closed and its elementary students mergered into other cluster elementary schools.
3. Whether or not we agree with it, the Mandarin immersion magnet at Barnard is considered too valuable a resourse for the District and will be preserved either at its current site or, more likely, moved to a bigger site.
Accepting the above and taking into consideration the totality of community input as reflected in comments on this blog, I believe one can conclude the following:
1. The remaining cluster elementary schools will have to become K-5 schools.
2. Due to its geographically preferential and recently upgraded campus, The Dana site should become the cluster's 6-8 middle school.
3. Correia's campus should be used for either district offices/additional cluster atheltic space/fields or alternatively, as the place to relocate the Mandarin magnet if a relocation of that program is absolutley necessary and there are no other alternative places in the District.
Obviously, even suggesting the above comes with a heavy heart as I truly love the current programs at all our cluster schools. I simply think that expecting things to "stay as they are" or "just close Cabrillo" are unrealistic outcomes in light of the dire financial crisis we are in.
If Cabrillo and Barnard need to be closed, then they should be closed and the community schools will take in those students. If the Language immersion program (currently at Barnard) has funds to grow, then renovate the current Barnard property or go to another location (I understand there are other areas in the San Diego area that could house this program) but PLEASE DON"T mess up our current system that is working WONDERFULLY. Why break a system that is working well in our community? Keep the elementary schools K-4 - and the rest of the schools as they are!! Too many parents, teachers, and administrators have worked EXTREMELY hard to get these schools to the caliber that they are. Changing them now would be an extreme loss to our community.
ReplyDeletePoint Loma doesn't have 2 middle schools - it has a middle school and a Junior high - or a 5-6 grade elementary school and a middle/Jr high. The 2 schools serve 2 very different purposes and are both needed!
ReplyDeleteMr. Barnett,
ReplyDeleteThis is in response to your question "how can I, in these drastic budgetary circumstances, convince my school board colleagues that Point Loma should have TWO middle schools in one high school cluster?"
First, you'll note that others have pointed out that only one is technically a middle school.
When I went to school, elementary was K-6 and middle was 7-8, so Dana is just an more efficient, consolidated elementary school which houses all the 5-6 graders for the other elementary schools in the region. Parceling those students out to the other elementary schools in the cluster will not actually save funds as it just moves students (and their required teachers, etc) to other locations. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it cost *more* to effect this change.
Closing schools is one thing, but the students will still be in the cluster and still need staff. Add that onto the required retrofitting, etc for the proposed plan and it doesn't make financial sense, much less academic sense.
Close Cabrillo. Close Bernard and move the Magnet school program to a central location for all of SDUSD, not into the middle of a geographically isolated peninsula.
"In these awful times, academic success is unfortunately not the over-riding issue"...what an extraordinarily telling comment about the state of our public school system. I do not get any warm and fuzzies from Mr Barnett, perhaps because he is caught between a rock and a hard place. We need our communities voice to be heard. Let's hope sense will prevail but I fear the $ bottom line will.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Point Loma community being asked to close 3 of our schools? Why is PL being hit so hard?
ReplyDeleteYes, I was very angered at the statement Mr. Barnett made: "In these awful times, academic success is unfortunately not the over-riding issue..."
ReplyDeleteIf the bottom line is money then why in the world would you put a magnet school in place of Dana Elementary? It would cost the district a considerable amount of money to retrofit Dana to become a K-8 and to retrofit all the other schools in the cluster to handle the realignment of students. What about the considerable amount of money the district would have to spend on busing the students to the magnet and busing the students displaced from Cabrillo.
In these drastic budgetary circumstances I think you need to convince your school board colleagues that a magnet is a bad idea and the Point Loma cluster should stay the way it is!!!
Where is the money coming from to pay for all of this???
As a concerned taxpayer and Point Loma Cluster parent, my questions are:
ReplyDeleteHow much money will we save if this proposed plan is executed?
What is the cost of realigning the 5th grade students into the remaining elementary schools?
What is the cost of retofitting Dana/Correia to accomodate K-8 magnet?
What is the cost of retrofitting Dana/Correia for 6-8th middle school?
I assume these costs will include busing and environmental impact reports.
I'm sure you all have had nine months to figure this out so it shouldn't be a problem to get it out to the community asap.
The more I read, the more I wonder why in these "awful times" of budget cuts, why is SDUSD funding special projects like a Mandarin program? Shouldn't they just be focusing on the basics, for the large majority of students?
ReplyDeleteThere must be a financial benefit for SDUSD to continue to pour resources into a Mandarin Program. What is it? Please be up front with the public.
What is the percentage of Point Loma residents currently enrolled at Barnard who are not families who would be in that elementary school's district?
What's the demographic of the rest of the students?
How many of the neighborhood families, within walking distance of Barnard, will transfer to Dana, IF the Mandarin program goes there?
Mr. Barnett,
ReplyDeletePlease address why it will be better for the school district to displace 800 students from a SUCCESSFUL school to move the magnet school there?
Please address why, if the magnet school needs more room to expand that they can not install more bungalows or move and displace an unsuccessful school.
Also, please share with the public and the school board how much it will cost to retrofit a school such as Dana which is two stories, with all adult sized rest rooms, science labs, art studios, theater rooms, band studios, instrument locker facilities etc to a school ready to accept students starting at age 5? (note there are no child sized anythings, no play structures.....)
Please let the public know a dollar amount and why this is in the best interest of the school district at this time.
I would hope that the board would have been very diligent in their number crunching and would have a spreadsheet or other data for the comparisons of all options for the point. I think most of us would like to see that and then we might not have so many questions.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note I realize that many do not want to support bussing to the point and I realize that in the future do to budgets this might be cut. I would hope that the current children being bussed would be able to finish their education here at the point. These our children that have mostly started in kindergarten here and are part of our school family. They deserve to continue through to the end regardless of money.
Mr. Barnett,
ReplyDeleteYour letter references the need to be fiscally conservative during these economic times. You ran on this platform during your campaign. It is one of the reasons I voted for you.
Because of this, I am confident you will see that closing Dana Middle with a current enrollment of slightly less than 800 students and opening it up as a magnet school with an estimated size of 500 +/- is not a fiscally responsible decision.
Never mind the conversation regarding replacing an emphasis on visual and performing arts with pacific rim languages and the fact that large numbers of Point Loma residents are not sending their students to Barnard (unless it is geographically their neighborhood school).
From a financial perspective alone this doesn't make any sense.
If the district needs to close Dana Middle then so be it. I love Dana because it is my "neighborhood" school. But please don't let the district sugar coat this tough decision by claiming that Dana will "still be there as a language magnet K-8 school". I believe community members will see the politics behind this strategy and be upset at the money it will cost our district to implement.
I may not like the news but at least I will respect the decision because it is being based on integrity and not politics or emotion.
If financial woes are a main concern with the Pt Loma Cluster and San Diego as a whole; I truly believe you will have more parent contributions into the system by leaving Dana as a neighborhood school rather than making it a Magnet school. Local parents have already spent so much money improving Dana. These discussions are really bringing conversations of moving out of SDUSD into our home. We love Pt Loma but you are really going to change our landscape for our neighbors and our children with your proposed plans. Close Cabrillo, Close or Move Barnard to Correia if you must move it in our system and keep Dana. Who are the Pacific Rim financial backers being so silent during all this and why is this piece not being mentioned? We can all guess why.
ReplyDelete