Anyone Interested in Demographics?
This is the first I've heard of this and echoing Kellie LaRue who forwarded it to me, I don't know what to make of it.
| SPS Demographics Review Task Force Application | ||||
| Date: | Thursday May 19, 2011 | |||
| Time: | 9:00 am - 10:00 am Location: | John Stanford Center | ||
| Notes: | SPS Demographics Review Task Force Application Due Thursday, May 19, 2011 Seattle Public Schools is looking for a few volunteers from the community to participate on a Demographics Review Task Force. Current demographic projections suggest that up to 7,000 new students may enter Seattle Public Schools over the next 5 years. The total student population could rise from 47,000 students today to 54,000 students over the next 5 years impacting every school in the District. The purpose of the task force is to review the impact of demographics on the New Student Assignment Plan and Capacity Management for 2012 and beyond. The task force will also review national best practices, clarifying planning assumptions and current SPS enrollment projections. Who: SPS staff, local experts and community participants When: Weekly meetings beginning May 31st with a report to Superintendent and Board by June 30th Where: John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence If interested, Please contact: Janet Chin (206) 252-0102 jchin@seattleschools.org Please include your name, school, phone number an email address. | |||
Comments
Moreover, more students means more funding. State funding is per pupil, so, the more students we have, the bigger the budget.
It does mean that the school district made a mistake closing schools a couple years ago, which is what many parents told them at the time. Now, the district will have to reopen some of those closed schools at considerable additional cost.
Mr. Ed
The district will have (by fall) reopened 5 closed schools at just a facilities cost of about $50M. Not chump change when you consider all the other buildings that need help and now we have more undermaintained buildings back online.
.... there is that Best Practices phrase again ... Beware.
Yes it would. This isn't a math problem, where you can just add 3% capacity to each school every year.
Even in the best scenarios, the fixes are very "sticky" in nature, and involve a lot of students, families, money and questions. Capacity doesn't get added in 3% increments. It requires opening new schools, each of which requires drawing new boundaries (w/domino effects), forcibly moving families, snuffing kids' friendships, changing access to special programs, you name it.
Also, will the new students arrive with equal distribution around the city? 3% more at each school over each of the next 5 years? Not hardly. There will be pockets of growth and pockets of stagnation or even decline. The lack of good demographic data led to closing schools that obviously shouldn't have been closed (okay, this is probably giving the district too much credit, but the point is valid).
If the district is truly looking for better demographic data, that would be great news. Sadly, we're all so jaded now (myself included) that every move the administration makes is looked at with suspicion.
As I see it, the problem is that the district does not plan ahead but only reacts, not dealing with capacity issues until a school is bursting and it becomes an emergency.