Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Nobody wins when schools close
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Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
Shanna Flowers
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Six months after the Roanoke School Board voted to close Forest Park Elementary School, the issue still isn't over.
With any luck, it will be soon.
The closing of the school on Melrose Avenue Northwest has been a dysfunctional exercise in school-community relations that must not be repeated as Roanoke confronts declining enrollment and underused buildings.
It's very possible that more schools will close, and that school attendance boundaries will change. Parents of elementary children who fear being caught by surprise should arm themselves now with information.
"They need to pay attention to what is happening," said Theresa Gill-Walker.
"I don't know if people are passive or they think it's not going to happen," said Gill-Walker, who fought to save Forest Park and give parents greater choices.
The Roanoke woman was in court Monday afternoon to support Forest Park parents who sought legal intervention in the controversial school closing.
The two plaintiffs, Levita Washington and Nathaniel Craig, accused Superintendent Rita Bishop of failing to provide them with enough choices of where to send their children. A judge ruled against them but gave them 21 days to refile.
The onus isn't solely on the parents in what certainly will be an emotional issue. School officials have an obligation to keep the community informed because school consolidation has real effects on real people and their lives.
"I'm very sympathetic with concerns about change that involve children," school board Chairman David Carson said after Monday's hearing. He said school officials are committed to sharing with parents "what we're doing, why we're doing it and how we're going about doing it."
This issue is far from over.
To their credit, school officials are diligently trying to put information before the public. The board had two meetings last week.
Under consideration will be attendance zones, busing and buildings. And those have the potential to affect many more families than merely those at schools that might be closed.
Right now, 14 of Roanoke's 20 elementary schools have fewer than 350 students -- the minimum number the school board is aiming for. Only one has more than 550 students, the maximum number.
Any plans will affect all segments of the city, and every parent should pay close attention. If their school isn't one that could be closed, it may be one that takes on students from a school that is closed.
Mark my words: Somewhere, class sizes will increase and classroom noise levels will grow. That has the potential to affect your child, and you.
It's uncomfortable, but necessary. There are no absolute wrongs or absolute rights in controversies like these. Nobody wins.
