Atomictumor

Now, I’ve been watching this, particuarly the massive amount of work that my pals Doug and Cathy have been doing trying to work around this rezoning plan, effectively bussing kids at a half dozen schools to schools in other districts. The whole thing has made me immensely glad that I don’t live in Knoxville (not that I’ve ever needed a reason not to want to live in K-town), but what’s really been appaling is the way that elements in the Knoxville school board has shown a downright contempt for parents who have a very real problem with the plan.

Hell, from where I’m sitting, the plan is sublimely idiotic. Knoxville justifies the move by saying that several of the schools in their system are filled to capacity, and reshuffling is something that is more convenient for the administration of the school system. Cathy has pointed out that her daughter, now going to school at a more distant high school, is going to be crossing dangerous intersections, along with her neighbors.

And thats what it comes down to for me, is the neighborhood aspect of it. I moved into a neighborhood with my kids expecting that they’d go to the same school, that I’d be dealing with the same teachers and staff, that I’d form a relationship with the school to mutually aid the kid as he grows up. I think most people do that. I’ve sat with the Cemestos folks several times and talked about the fact that our kids are going to be going to school together for the next 100 or so years, with the expectation that this plan isn’t going to be screwed with.

Its an important thing, the bond of trust between schools and parents, and when it gets blown, it produces problems. Growing up in Chattanooga, there was a big problem with the local superintendant’s plan to close several elementary schools, including the one my sisters and I attended, due to money management problems that his staff had. I was going to be out of of the school anyway the year it would close, but my sisters ended up going to an inner-city middle school that didn’t provide anywhere near the offerings that I had received. They had to drive across town, which was an inconvenience on my family (big time), and I think it was a setback for my sisters (who have since gone on to blow me away on a scholastic level, with their 4.0 geek grade point averages, but its OK, because I’m cooler than they are).

The point is, Knoxville has screwed the pooch, and made a decision that is going to mess with a few thousand lives for a few years to come. And, apparently, this is done because the school board didn’t bother. Because people got elected to the school board who had no interest in dealing with parents, no interest in the schools, that saw the board as a political jumping board, or something to do on Monday nights.

I’m lucky to live in Oak Ridge, where the school board is united. Where we have several people who seem to act sincerely for the good of the kids and the parents, and the whole damn community, and work hard to make sure that the right thing is done.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 8:27 am and is filed under politics, Oak Ridge Schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.