My letter to the D11 School board

I am writing as a concerned parent of 2 children in the Montessori program at Buena Vista Elementary. I know the board has not yet made a decision on this but I wanted to make my voice heard and raise a few points.

1. Our 2 boys are in 1st grade and pre-school, the oldest is in his third year at Buena Vista, the younger is in his first year. And I can tell you that they are getting an outstanding educational experience from the school. The teachers, and the Montessori program in general have been excellent for both of them. And the knowledge that they are going to school with kids from their neighborhood, whom they could walk to school with as they grow older is crucial to their development.

2. I have read the consultants report, and in a cold, accounting sense their recommendations make sense. But that report does not address 2 important points. First, the impact of neighborhood schools, in this time when parents are finding it harder and harder to spend time with their kids because of work considerations, the knowledge that their kids are part of a neighborhood where they know other kids, and where the parents can help each other, is just huge. Closing neighborhood schools and forcing kids to travel farther, breaks up that closeness.

Second, I don't think we should retreat from our schools, and surrender our students to other Districts. The report notes that the District is at a negative loss of permitted students. And I believe one of the reasons is the people of District 11 have allowed their schools to become a laughing stock. And I don't think that is inevitable. I think that schools like Buena Vista, with the Montessori program, should be held up as outstanding examples, and used as a dfraw to keep students in the District and draw students from outside the District (which it is already doing).

3. One of the things that most partents desire, especially in an elementary setting, is a low student to teacher ratio. And closing and merging these schools offsets what has become one of the true positives for a lot of these schools. Instead of the more individual attentions the students get at all of the schools, the students who are having to switch, as well as the kids whose schools absorb the new students, will have to face much larger classes, and the teachers will have to cope with more students. Hurting both groups in the long run.

4. I know that it is hard to justify what seem to be excessive expenses in these difficult times. But I think that the failure here is in showing and demonstrating to the community all the good that comes from these schools, so they are not viewed as just drains on their pocket books. Again, show the people what an excellent education the kids are getting, show them the value they are getting for their tax dollar.