Winning a $7.5 million federal education grant with enrollment strings attached was a victory for the Glendale Unified School District as it confronts declining enrollment, severe budget cuts, and demands for new programs. The imposition of a district-wide lottery for three schools was conversely perceived as a defeat by homeowners concerned with preserving neighborhood schools.
District officials discussed these issues at a Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association meeting organized to air concerns about the enrollment lottery, which could exclude students living just beyond 1/2 mile from any of the schools.
Notes from the lively discussion:
GUSD Superintendent Richard Sheehan stated “We wrote the grant to be successful.” – His point was that finding funds to keep good programs going is a priority for the district. School Board member Christine Walters had remarked in an earlier conversation, “All the funds we get come with strings attached; this is no exception.”
The publicity surrounding the award emphasized that it created three new GUSD magnet schools – Arts (Keppel), Technology (Edison), and Foreign Language (Franklin), but it is actually a desegregation grant with incentives for students to enroll in schools outside of their neighborhood or district. Assistant Superintendent John Garcia said GUSD lobbied for a provision giving priority to local students living within 1/2 mile of each school, as the federal grant typically doesn’t accommodate any local preference.
Homeowners hoping to send their children to the nearest local school, or property owners hoping to sell their home based on the local school’s reputation, didn’t have that guarantee even before the grant was in place, said school officials. District caps for K-3rd class sizes have placed some GUSD students in schools farther from their homes for years.
Intra-district permits are already being given to 5% of GUSD students who choose to attend other schools. District officials cited statistics showing that an increasing number of students within Mark Keppel’s boundary have elected to attend other schools.
Communication between the school district and the community it serves emerged as a critical need, as the homeowners felt they weren’t informed about this important change in the local school enrollment system. School Board President Greg Krikorian said GUSD will be hosting a special joint meeting March 21 with the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council.
Last takeaway: The Great Recession rolls on, forcing compromises, changes, and possibly elimination of educational programs at every level in this state. GUSD board members must stay abreast of developments, be sensitive to the community they serve, and show they are capable of making very tough choices. TUNE IN to the GUSD School Board race – attend the Forum tonight in the GUSD Board Room, or watch on GREGtv (Channel 15 or 99) – and make sure to vote in the upcoming April 5 election.