2016.01.04 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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meetings take place at the Oak -Land Junior High. A final decision on the B.O.L.D. Plan will be made by the Stillwater Public School District on February 11, 2016. If implemented, the change will take place during the 2017-2018 school year. No blogs, articles, statements, etc. have been posted addressing the means of being able to predict the closures before the levy and/or bond. Although Ms. Pontrelli stated in a telephone conversation that it was not known and the projections were only just completed by demographers and facilities analysts, it is a strong question to ask. The Schools Withrow Elementary Withrow Elementary received the 2012 U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Schools Award. The school houses 190 students through grades K-6, which is approximately 27 children per grade level. This school is located in rural Hugo, Minnesota. Marine Elementary Marine Elementary contains seven classrooms, one for each grade ranging from K-6. The school educates 157 students, and has the capacity of educating 175 students. This school is located in Marine on St. Croix. The Marine School Association (MSA) is the only school in which has released a formal statement against the school closures. The MSA is the "non-profit parent, guardian, and community support organization for Marine Elementary School," as stated on their website. The Marine School Association stated the following, "Smaller schools such as Marine and Withrow play a vital role in the health of Stillwater's school district. Families need options for kids who do not thrive in big box schools. This is shown in the 40+% of open/alternate enrollees in Marine Elementary. Many kids need smaller overall environments, despite the reduced access to special and additional services." Continuing, "It appears to us that the district would rather displace hundreds of Oak Park, Withrow, and Marine students rather than promote and grow schools in the district and meet all students' needs. These actions indicate that the district does not want to reduce the 30% who don't attend Stillwater schools; closings and reducing school options will drive people to charters, private schools, and neighboring districts." Furthermore, "We encourage the administration to find other solutions to capacity issues, such as: [1.)] Decreasing the Stillwater District's loss to neighboring schools and districts by promoting the strengths of all the schools! If all schools acted together with help from the District we could show how well the varying schools meet families' needs. [2.] Instead of displacing over 700 students, changing the boundaries to shift students north. Many fewer students/families would be affected." Oak Park Elementary Oak Park Elementary contains 480 students ranging from K-6. Oak Park is located in Stillwater, MN. Oak Park, in addition to all of the schools in question, promote themselves as having small classroom sizes, individualized learning, and a well-rounded educational experience. Potential Implications for Closing Many parents and others involved disagree with the B.O.L.D. proposal's closure of the three elementary schools. Analyzing the proposal with the concerns of a variety of individuals and organizations may provide light into the policy proposal. Currently, about 1,120 individuals are against the closure of the three elementary schools. Some of the main reasons of their disagreement to closures are as follows: decrease in home value; decrease in value of the district; decrease in educational value due to loss of small school sizes; "right -sizing" is not a proven means to increase 3