In our last two lessons, we
learned about a hypothetical problem that needs a solution.
In the imaginary community of Quandary, NY, the Board of Education has decided to close one of Quandary's
five elementary school buildings. The plan also calls for sixth graders
to move to
Quandary Junior High School and join the seventh and eighth grade
forming a 6-8
school. These decisions were the result of budget cuts and a decline in
population and school enrollment. This will save money and help
to halt a huge increase in taxes.
We studied three courses of action
for the remaining 4 elementary buildings. We thought of
pros and cons for each
plan. In this lesson we will weigh the
choices and prioritize them.
Reviewing the
Pros and Cons of the Plans
Plan I:
Each of the four remaining elementary
schools will house grades kindergarten through 5th grade.
The
children from the school that is closing will be split into four groups, busing
students from each grade level to each of the four other schools.
Pros
Cons
Students in 4 of the buildings
would not need to be moved
Students in the building that
is closing might be bused far from their old school and neighborhood
Brothers and sisters in
different grades might need
to be separated to even up numbers in the schools
In addition to
losing their school, former classmates of the closed building will be
separated from most of their classmates
Plan 2:
Each of the four remaining elementary
schools will house grades kindergarten through 5th grade.
The children from
all of the elementary schools will be redistricted and sent to the school closest to their
house.
Pros
Cons
All K-5 children would go to
the school nearest to their home, so fewer buses would be needed
A few of the students from
schools that are not closing might need to go to a different school to
even up numbers
The majority
(most) of the children would not need to change schools
Older and
younger brothers and sisters would not be split up
Plan 3:
Two of the remaining
elementary schools will house grades kindergarten through 2nd grade.
The
other two remaining elementary schools will house grades 3-5.
Students
will go to their closest grade - level school
Pros
Cons
K-2 and 3-5 schools would be
adapted to meet the needs and interests of those grades only
Older and younger brothers and
sisters would be separated
Students
would meet more children of their age from the community
More busing would be necessary
Teachers
of the same grade level could plan and work together as a grade level team
Since
students would spend only 3 years in a school, a sense of school spirit
would be deminished (lessened)
Adapting
buildings to meet the needs and interests of 3 grade-levels only might be
costly
The
Decision
Before the final solution
can be chosen, the pros and cons of each possible course of action must be
discussed and prioritized. Counting pros
and cons is certainly an important part of decision-making, and should be
considered. However, although each point may be important, they are not all
equal.
We must first remember that the main
reason for closing a school building was to save
money. Because this is our chief concern, we must consider which
of these plans will best do this by saving the most money. Let's look at the list of questions
below to see if they can help in our decision.
1. Which plan do you
think will cost the most money? Why?
2. Many parents want to
keep their children together in the same school. This helps with
transportation and arrangements before and after school. It also
provides younger children with a greater sense of safety and security.
Which plan will be best for keeping brothers and sisters together?
3. Which plan do you
think will cost the least amount of money? Why?
Let's
Prioritize our Plans
Prioritized by cost:
Plan 2 would cost tax payers
the least amount of money.
Plan 1 would cost tax payers
more money.
Plan 3 would cost taxpayers
the most money.
Prioritized by family
considerations:
Plan 2 would keep all brothers
and sisters in grades K-5 together in the closest school to their home.
Plan 1 might separate some
brothers and sisters, and some students would be bused far from home.
Plan 3 would separate brothers
and sisters and many students would need to be bused.
The Solution
We are now ready to decide on a
solution. Plan 2 is the best
plan for taxpayers and families.
Each of the four remaining elementary
schools will house grades kindergarten through 5th grade.
The children from
all of the elementary schools will be redistricted and sent to the school closest to their
house.
Let's
Review
We discussed the
possible plans of action.
We decided on the best
three plans.
We listed all of the
pros and cons for each plan.
We prioritized our lists
of pros and cons.
We made our decision
based on our study of each plan.
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