PISD Board Meeting Tuesday, Oct. 18th @ 6:00 PM / Final Feeder Realignment Decision Pending

Posted on October 17, 2011 by

REMINDER TO ATTEND SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION

THIS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18TH @ 6:00 PM

FINAL DECISION & VOTE ON THE FEEDER REALIGNMENT ISSUE IS ON THE AGENDA!

BE SURE TO COME & OBSERVE WHAT THE BOARD DECIDES…ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN

Dear Plano Neighbors,

We wanted to remind everyone to attend the Board Work Session this Tuesday evening, as the Feeder Realignment Issue is on the agenda to be discussed again. After almost 2½ months, 3 regular Board Meetings and now what will be 3 Work Sessions, it appears that the Board will be making a FINAL DECISION on the Feeder Realignment Issue. Please make plans to attend so that you can see and hear first-hand what the Board has decided to do to resolve this issue.

PISD Meeting Location Information

Tuesday, October 18th @ 6:00PM

PISD Sockwell Center

6301 Chapel Hill Boulevard

(across from Willow Bend Mall)

UNDERSTANDING OPTION 3 PLAN RATIONALE

Save ALL of PISD has preferred that the Board not make any changes to the 2009 Boundary Decisions. However, after thoroughly reviewing the currently considered “Option 3″ Plan – the removal of the Schimelpfenig Middle School (SMS) “Choice Zone” and designate Clark High School and Plano Senior High School as the 100% feeder path for SMS – we can understand the Board’s rationale for wanting to make this change which includes:

Capital Cost Savings - Option 3 will result in an estimated $4 to $5 million in net savings of capital expenditures from not having to expand Plano West High School as originally planned and expanding Clark to accommodate more students. Considering the current economic climate and the remaining limited capacity to obtain more capital dollars under the current bond referendum, this is a fiscally responsible decision.
Operating Cost Savings – Removal of the SMS Choice Zone will save over $100,000 in estimated annual operating cost savings from the elimination of running double bus routes in the SMS zone. This will also result in less pollution and traffic congestion in Plano.
Enrollments Predictability - Option 3 will afford the District Administration better visibility into future projected High School & Senior High campus enrollments and therefore allow for them to plan accordingly in advance more so then what they would have been able to under the SMS Choice Plan.
Split School Elimination – The implementation of Option 3 would remove the “soft” split feeder pattern at SMS. While split feeders have been necessary in the past to accommodate and deal with PISD growth issues, they negatively impact (i) Academics & Extra Curricular Activities, (ii) School Spirit and (iii) Friendships. Split feeder schools should be eliminated or avoided whenever possible.
Lowest Community Impact - While impacting students, families and communities is regrettable, out of all previously proposed plans and alternatives, it appears that Option 3 will impact the lowest number of students within PISD. Furthermore, the Board has stated that they would apply a more open transfer program for all of PISD that will allow some students to attend Jasper High School if desired. This liberal transfer policy, combined with what appears to be minimal UIL eligibility impact on transfer students (as we previously published, transfer students only lose 1-year of UIL eligibility at the Varsity level and there is no loss of UIL eligibility in academics or music), should result in a low number of SMS students being negatively impacted.

Based upon the above factors, we feel that the PISD community should support the Board if its decision is to approve and implement Option 3.

It is anticipated that individuals whose primary interest is to minimize enrollments at Plano West will be wearing white shirts as with their past practice, and those who want the SMS Choice Zone to remain in place will be wearing red shirts like they did at the last meeting. It is encouraged that those that want to support the Option 3 Plan come dressed in any color they desire. It is time to put away colors representing a singular position and show that despite the different interests within our schools and communities, we can all come together and support our School Board to do the right thing for the long-term benefit of PISD.

TIME TO MOVE FORWARD

The PISD School Board and Administrative Staff have spent a significant amount of time, energy and resources on the Feeder Realignment Issue over the past several months. It is time for a final decision on this issue to be made so that the District can begin focusing on more important and pressing issues at hand, such as the selection of a new Superintendent.

We strongly encourage everyone in the entire PISD community to put behind any and all past differences that you might have experienced with other neighborhoods, schools and interest groups over this Feeder Realignment Issue and focus your efforts and energies in supporting ALL of PISD. There are so many other issues and tasks presently facing PISD, including (i) school finance challenges, (ii) closing achievement gaps, (iii) supporting teachers and staff facing the need to do more with less and (iv) the development of the Academy model to name just a few. Just think what PISD will be when all of us now take only a fraction of the time that was spent on this issue and redirect it in supporting our PTAs, teachers and staff. The potential of PISD is endless…

Let’s ALL move forward with helping ALL of PISD continue to be

Excellent in Education!

PISD Feeder Alignments & Board Meeting Summary / Vote NO to Splitting Schools

Posted on October 8, 2011 by

PISD Feeder Alignments & October 4th Board Meeting Summary
Vote NO to Splitting Schools

Dear Plano Neighbors,

For your information the following provides a summary of the Feeder Alignments Issue, what transpired at the October 4th PISD School Board meeting, and the upcoming steps that the Board will be taking as part of the process to bring closure to this issue.

FEEDER ALIGNMENTS ISSUE BACKGROUND

The Board of Trustees has allocated time at two regular Board Meetings and at two Work Sessions to discuss feeder alignments in PISD. Specifically, the issue addressed was whether or not the projected enrollments at Plano West Senior High School (PWSH) should be reduced before PWSH is expected to hit a temporary high watermark in 2014-15. As a result, the Board looked at several options including building sufficient space at PWSH to accommodate higher enrollments; creating a new 4th senior high school; shifting students from PWSH to the Plano Senior High School (PSHS) feeder system and to the Plano East Senior High School feeder system; and shifting students from the PWSH feeder to the PSHS feeder.

As a result of these discussions, the Board, at the September 20th Work Session, directed the administration to focus on the specifics surrounding “Option 3″ which shifts students from the PWSH feeder system to the PSHS feeder system. In addition, the Board targeted the current Schimelpfenig Middle School “Choice” plan to see if students could be shifted to PSHS while allowing them continued flexibility at the high school level. Finally, the Board wanted to know the ramifications of transfers and UIL (University Interscholastic League) eligibility as part of their next meeting.

OCTOBER 4th BOARD MEETING SUMMARY

At the meeting, administrators addressed Board questions from the previous meeting, listened to about 80 speakers address the Board, and agreed to make a decision at the next meeting on October 18th.

Staff Presentation – At the meeting, the PISD administration addressed the specific questions surrounding “Option 3″. The plan would:

designate Clark High School and PSHS as the feeder path for Schimelpfenig Middle School
have no secondary split-feeder arrangements
allow for any Schimelpfenig student to transfer from Clark High School to Jasper High School
summarize all UIL implications for students who would like to transfer
allow current ninth grade students to continue their projected path through grades ten to twelve placing all PISD students under the same school assignment procedures

The UIL implications for students who would like to transfer are:

Music & Academics – If a student transfers to a school outside of their established feeder pattern there is no loss of UIL eligibility in academics or music if the student declares that they did not transfer specifically for the purpose of participating in academics or music.
Athletics - There is a one year loss of varsity only eligibility every time a student transfers to a school in a different feeder alignment.

The presentation slides with specific transfer scenarios are available here. (https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=31716169)

Public Input – After the administrative presentation, about 80 members of the public addressed the board. Most of the speakers represented the Mathews attendance zone and were dressed in red. There was also some representation from Bethany and Carlisle. Some of the message themes included:

irritation over this issue surfacing again since it opens old wounds,
Schimelpfenig is always unfairly in the crosshairs of change,
an interest in leaving the current “Choice” option in place,
a lack of interest in “Option 3″ because of distance and perceived lower academic challenge at Clark,
concern over declining home values, and
a preference to see a new option that would send all of Schimelpfenig to Jasper followed by a split to Plano Senior High School.

Members of the public wearing the white shirts whose primary interest is to minimize enrollment at Plano West expressed support for the views expressed by the speakers in red shirts who wanted to re-activate a split between Jasper and Plano Senior High.

Board Discussion – The Board decided not to vote during the October 4th meeting. Members expressed interest in drawing a conclusion as quickly as possible. A vote is scheduled to occur at the next meeting which will be held on October 18th. It is a work session where there will not be any public input. In the meantime, the Board will complete a commitment that it made at the September 20th meeting to meet with members of the community and conduct a survey. After some discussion, they agreed to ask the district to work with PTAs to identify 2-3 representatives from each campus in the Jasper feeder system to meet with a subcommittee of the Board to allow for more open discussion.

Next Steps – There has now been a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, October 11th, where a subcommittee of Board members will be meeting with these campus representatives from Jasper feeder system schools. In addition, PISD has launched an online survey to parents who have students currently attending Jasper feeder school to garner more information regarding the current and future feeder alignment for Schimelpfenig Middle School, including the community’s input on splitting schools.

We will keep you posted as to other future developments.

*** PISD SURVEY ALERT ***

Please let the Board of Trustees know that splitting any school is not a good idea

If you have a student in the Jasper feeder alignment zone, you have the opportunity to vote in the online survey to let the Board of Trustees know how you feel about splitting Jasper High School in the future. This survey is accessed through your PISD Parent Portal account at http://parent.mypisd.net.

We strongly encourage you to vote NO – that you do not support a split feeder by selecting NO to the survey question: “Do you support Jasper High School students being aligned to both Plano Senior High School and Plano West Senior High School?”

Why a Split Feeder is Bad

Academics & Extra Curricular Activities – Our school district is designed to support vertical alignment in our curriculum and extra-curricular activities which allows for seamless transitions between each grade level in every cluster. When you have a split high school, the academic and extra-curricular departments must choose which senior high to align with for planning and coaching. All students in the split high school are thereby impacted.
School Spirit – Ask any former Jasper student about school spirit and they will probably respond with “What school spirit?”. How can your class cheer for the football team when you may have students playing for opposing rivals sitting together with you in your math class? Until the split feeder is ended, there will not be school spirit at Jasper.
Friendships – While academics are important for the success of our students, their friendships and social support are critical for their happiness. Socially, students create new friendship circles during their first two years of high school. In a split feeder, they are forced to choose between following their friends to senior high or go to their assigned senior high.

For a student’s perspective on split feeder schools, click here to read an article that was written in 2009 by a Jasper/Plano West student. It is a powerful article and shows first-hand the adverse impact of a split feeder school on students.

It is time to end the split feeder pattern for Jasper High School. This was the decision from the 2009 boundary realignment and this has been the recommendation of past Board of Trustees, the Blue Ribbon Task Force and the administrators in our district. A split feeder high school is not in the best interest of our students.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey and letting the

Board know that you do not want Jasper to become a split feeder school again.

NEW REALIGNMENT SCENARIOS NOW AVAILABLE FROM PISD

Posted on September 19, 2011 by

ATTEND SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20^TH @ 6:00PM

WEAR A RED SHIRT TO SIGNIFY STOP REALIGNMENTS!
_______________________________________________________________________

Dear All Plano Neighbors,

PISD has posted new realignment scenarios online that will be discussed at the upcoming Board Work Session this Tuesday, September 20^th. These scenarios will have a significant impact on students in several Elementary and Middle Schools.

SCHOOLS POTENTIALLY IMPACTED BY NEW REALIGNMENT SCENARIOS
Please review all the information provided by PISD on the 4 different realignment scenarios so you can be completed informed on the potential ramifications to your schools. The information can be located here. (https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicAgenda.aspx?ak=43910&mk=50034740 Go to Item V. A. Senior High Options Report). The following provides a brief summary of the different scenarios:

1)     100% of Schimelpfenig attends Jasper then Plano West Senior High (Note: This scenario is not new. It is the current 2009 plan’s worst case scenario that assumes all Schimelpfenig students choose Jasper over Clark.)
2)     Schimelpfenig remains an “option zone” where students choose between attending either Clark or Jasper High Schools (with a 55% Clark / 45% Jasper “choice assumption”) ( Note: This scenario is not new. It is the district’s experience with the current 2009 plan that has 55% of the Schimelpfenig students selecting Clark and 45% selecting Jasper.)
3)     NEW: 100% of Schimelpfenig attends Clark then Plano Senior High (Note: This scenario is new. It shifts Schimelpfenig back to Clark and then on to Plano Senior High. This option attempts to divide enrollment between West and Senior. Senior high enrollment at West and Senior remains fairly balanced over time.)

4) NEW: Balancing enrollments amongst all 3 Senior High Schools that includes the following feeder pattern changes:

Carpenter Middle School to Williams High School to Plano East Senior High School
Jackson Elementary School (100%) to Wilson Middle School to Plano Senior High School
Hightower Elementary School to Haggard Middle School to Plano Senior High School
Schimelpfenig Middle School to Clark High School to Plano Senior High School

(Note: This scenario is new. It moves 2 elementaries and 2 middle schools into different feeder patterns in an attempt to divide senior high enrollment between West, Senior and East. Senior high enrollments do not remain balanced over time between the 3 campuses.)

NOTE: SOME MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REQUESTED THE DISTRICT TO PREPARE

THIS INFORMATION. THE DISTRICT IS NOT BRINGING FORWARD THESE PLANS ON THEIR OWN.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
The most effective way to stop this plan from moving forward is for the majority of the community to tell the PISD Board of Trustees that they are OPPOSED to readdressing boundary and feeder alignment decisions.

If you have not already done so, then you need to:
1) Send an email to the Board of Trustees to voice your concerns – Please send your own personal email to the Board stating that you are opposed to the reopening the feeder alignment decisions. All the email addresses of the Trustees can be found here and if preferred, a suggested form of email is provided. Please send only one email per account.
2) Sign a Letter to the Board –Go to our Board Letter page and add your information and your own personal comments and submit your information. Please only complete one letter per household.
3) Tell everyone you know – Many people may still be unaware of this issue or how it might now impact them. Therefore, it is important that everyone spreads the word.
4) Attend the Board Work Session on September the 20^th at 6:00PM and wear a RED SHIRT to illustrate that you are against readdressing boundary and feeder alignment decisions. It is important to have as many people show up as possible in order to make the Board understand that the majority of the PISD community does not want this issue reopened.

PISD Meeting Location Information
Tuesday, September 20^th6:00PM
PISD Sockwell Center
6301 Chapel Hill Boulevard (across from Willow Bend Mall)

The Work Session is not open for public speaking. After the meeting, anyone can speak to a Board member. Therefore, it is encouraged that you stay for the entire meeting and speak to a Board member informing him/her of your concerns and encourage them to vote “NO” to reopening this issue.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ON THIS ISSUE.

IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Attend School Board Work Session 9/20 6:00 pm

Posted on September 18, 2011 by

REMINDER TO ATTEND SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION
THIS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20^TH @ 6:00PM

WEAR A RED SHIRT TO SIGNIFY STOP REALIGNMENTS!

Please attend the upcoming Board Work Session on Tuesday, September 20^th at 6:00PM at the Sockwell Center and wear a RED SHIRT to illustrate that you are against readdressing boundary and feeder alignment decisions. It is important to have as many people show up as possible in order to make the Board understand that the majority of the PISD community does not want this issue reopened.

PISD has not yet published any specific information or boundary and/or realignment scenarios that are to be discussed at this work session. Save ALL of PISD will let you know as soon as any information becomes available for review. Stay tuned…

PISD Meeting Location Information
Tuesday, September 20^th
6:00PM
PISD Sockwell Center
6301 Chapel Hill Boulevard
(across from Willow Bend Mall)

The Work Session is not open for public speaking. Everyone needs to be quiet during the meeting and conduct themselves in a respectable fashion. After the meeting, anyone can speak to a Board member. Therefore, it is encouraged that you stay for the entire meeting and speak to a Board member informing him/her of your concerns and encourage them to vote “NO” to reopening this issue.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ON THIS ISSUE.
IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

9/6 PISD Board Meeting Summary

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

Although there was no official vote on this issue, it now appears that a majority of the Board does not find converting Jasper into a Senior High as a fiscally viable alternative. Next, the Board will be reviewing “balancing enrollments” over (i) 2 Senior Highs (West & Senior) and (ii) 3 Senior Highs (West, Senior & East). This means that boundary lines and/or feeder alignment pattern changes will be reviewed at the Work Session scheduled on September 20^th. Please plan on attending this meeting, as you will have the opportunity to directly hear the Board members viewpoints on these other alternatives.

Stay tuned…such changes could have a material impact on where your children are going to attend school. Therefore, we encourage everyone to stay engaged, informed and active on this issue. Save ALL of PISD will continue to provide you with additional updates and information.

THANK YOU to EVERYONE that has participated in this process. From sending your emails to the Board, signing the Letter to the Board and showing up at the meeting last night and speaking out on your position on this issue. It is greatly appreciated and all helps to make a difference in this process. Keep up the great work!

Reminder to Attend the School Board Meeting

Posted on September 6, 2011 by

REMINDER TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING THIS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6^TH @ 7:00PM

It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to attend this meeting. If you would like to speak to the Board of Trustees, plan on getting there before 6:00 PM to fill out a speaker card and state your position when it is your turn to speak. You do not have to have any formal comments prepared. You need only to state your opinion on this issue. The more people we have speaking out against this issue, the better. This is VERY IMPORTANT and will demonstrate to the Board that the majority are OPPOSED to converting Jasper High School into a new Senior High and readdressing boundary and feeder alignment decisions.

PISD Meeting Location Information
Tonight, Tuesday, September 6^th
7:00PM (but get there early!)
PISD Sockwell Center
6301 Chapel Hill Boulevard
(across from Willow Bend Mall)

WEAR A RED SHIRT TO SIGNIFY STOP!

Everyone please wear a RED shirt to collectively show that we want the School Board to STOP plans for converting Jasper to a Senior High and to STOP readdressing boundary and feeder alignment decisions.

STOP having District personnel waste time on realignment issues and allow them to focus on educating our children

STOP changing our school feeder patterns

STOP increasing our commute times

STOP increasing the District’s operating costs when it must cut another $10 million from its budget

STOP having PISD incur unnecessary debt

STOP causing the need for our taxes to be increased

Just like last time, a special item will be passed out at the front entrance for you to wear along with your RED shirt.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ON THESE ISSUES

JASPER SENIOR HIGH CONVERSION SCENARIOS & COSTS NOW AVAILABLE

Posted on September 5, 2011 by

What a conversion of Jasper into a Senior High means:

You will be paying higher taxes
Your Middle School feeder pattern will likely change
PISD will no longer have remaining funds for technology investments in schools to improve the student learning experience, and other projects & improvements would have to be shelved

The ones that want change are not going to have to experience any change!

______________________________________________________________________

Dear All Plano Neighbors,

PISD has posted information online regarding the scenarios for converting Jasper High School to a Senior High that will be discussed at the upcoming Board Meeting this Tuesday, September 6^th.

Please take a few minutes to review these plans, as they will have a significant impact on students in numerous Middle Schools and High Schools. These plans will affect your children’s educational future, your local neighborhoods and community schools, and increase the taxes you will be paying.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The most effective way to stop this plan from moving forward is for the majority of the community to tell the PISD Board of Trustees that they are OPPOSED to converting Jasper High School to a new Senior High and that they are OPPOSED to readdressing boundary and feeder alignment decisions before the past 2009 decision is even fully implemented.

If you do not want to see (i) your children’s Middle School Feeder pattern impacted, (ii) Jasper High School converted into a Senior High, (iii) have PISD incur additional unnecessary debt resulting in higher taxes you have to pay, then you need to:

1) Send an email to the Board of Trustees to voice your concerns. Please send your own personal email to the Board stating that you are opposed to the conversion of Jasper into another Senior High and reopening the feeder alignment decisions from 2009. All the email addresses of the Trustees can be found here and if preferred, a suggested form of email is provided. Please send only one email per account.

2) Sign a Letter to the Board – If you have not already done so, go to our Board Letter page and add your information and your own personal comments and submit your information. Your letter will be delivered along with others to the Board of Trustees. Please only complete one letter per household.

3) Tell everyone you know– Many people are still unaware of this issue or how it will impact them. Therefore, it is important that everyone spreads the word.

4) Attend the Board Meeting on September the 6^th at 7:00PM – Plan on getting there as early as 6:00 PM to fill out a speaker card and state your position when it is your turn to speak. You do not have to have any formal comments prepared. You need only to state your opinion on this issue. The more people we have speak out against this issue the better. This is VERY IMPORTANT and will demonstrate to the Board that the majority are OPPOSED to converting Jasper High School into a new Senior High.

Please watch for further announcements regarding this meeting from Save ALL of PISD as to what color of shirt we want everyone to wear. As many of you know, the group that wants realignment – “Save Plano West”, now known as “Strengthen Plano ISD” – learned of our white shirt color plan last time and passed out the same color t-shirts in an effort to confuse the Board and dilute our visual message.

PISD Meeting Location Information

Tuesday, September 6^th 7:00PM (but get there early!)
PISD Sockwell Center
6301 Chapel Hill Boulevard (across from Willow Bend Mall)

THE FOLLOWING PROVIDES SOME SUMMARY INFORMATION FOR YOUR REVIEW AND POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION. PLEASE VISIT THE PISD WEBSITE AND REVIEW ALL THE AGENDA INFORMATION. (The information can be found at https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicAgenda.aspx?ak=43910&mk=50033133. Go to Item XIII A. Senior High Options Report)

SOME MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REQUESTED THE DISTRICT TO PREPARE THIS INFORMATION. THE DISTRICT IS NOT BRINGING FORWARD THESE PLANS ON THEIR OWN.

SCHOOLS POTENTIALLY IMPACTED BY JASPER CONVERSION SCENARIOS

Please review all the information provided by PISD on the 4 different Jasper Senior High feeder pattern scenarios yourself, as the ramifications are numerous and difficult to summarize in only a few comments.

Here are some potential changes to the Middle School feeder patterns under the scenarios:
Middle School to High School Potential Changes
Carpenter to Vines
Rice to Shepton
Rice to Clark
Robinson to Clark
Schimelpfenig (100%) to Clark
Schimelpfenig (100%) to Shepton
Schimelpfenig (100%) to Vines
Wilson to Shepton
High School to Senior High Potential Changes
Clark to Plano North (Jasper)

In EVERY plan High School enrollments will FAR EXCEED the enrollment at Senior Highs in the Central and West Cluster. In some cases, the enrollments at the High School level will increase by almost 1,000 students.

Under the proposed scenarios, parents in the new middle school feeder patterns would double, or possibly triple, their drive times.

Due to the short timing of when transitions would potentially need to take place, high school students could end up taking 9^th grade course at one campus and then have to attend a completely different campus for 10^th grade.

There are no changes to the existing middle school feeder patterns to Shepton High School under any of the proposed scenarios. So the ones that want change are not going to have to experience any change!

NEW DEVELOPMENT – DEMOGRAPHER PROJECTION ERROR ON PLANO WEST ENROLLMENTS

It was recently discovered that the Demographer projections incorrectly included 100% of Schimelpfenig MS students (instead of the option zone split) in the Plano West enrollment forecasts resulting in overstated numbers for the school years 2014-15 & 2015-2016. These incorrectly overstated enrollment forecasts has been the concern for some Shepton HS parents that want the school alignment issue to be reopened. You can see the new projected enrollments here.

New forecasts now reflect a 2014-15 level down from 3,482 to 3,168 and maintaining an average around that level for the next several years using an estimate of 55% of the option zone choosing Clark.

Plano West forecasted enrollment in the following years will only be a few hundred more students than Plano Senior.

The new Academy, IB, STEAM Academy and other programs, and a higher than projected 55/45 option zone split will further reduce Plano West enrollments to below 3,000.

By comparison, Plano East Senior High enrollment is 3,100 and expected to peak at over 3,200 during the next school year. Many East Cluster parents and students would prefer to have their campus size remain the same due to the benefits and opportunities that a larger school provides.

CONVERSION OF JASPER TO PLANO NORTH SENIOR HIGH WILL COST OVER $38 MILLION – RESULTING IN HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES

The estimated cost to convert Jasper to a Senior High is $38.4 million, as compared to only $17.3 million for the originally planned Plano West conversion – over 2 times the cost!

PISD already has the borrowing capacity to incur the additional $38MM+ in debt, so no bond election would be necessary in order to convert Jasper into another Senior High. Only a Board vote would be needed.

The Jasper Senior High plan would require the use of funds already earmarked for building new schools and the expansion of existing schools to be sacrificed, along with some technology improvement plans and other projects. This would leave PISD with little to no ‘dry powder’ for any other future funding needs. In other words, this would leave the “PISD piggy bank” empty losing the ability to make needed repairs that may surface.

In addition to this capital cost, there would also be additional costs for operating a Senior High as compared with a High School, at a time when the district must cut another $10 million from its operating budget. Now is not the time to put additional financial pressure on the district.

This conversion of Jasper into a Senior High would require incremental debt to be issued by PISD at levels higher then already planned and therefore would result in higher property taxes for everyone. Even homeowners in the East Cluster will be impacted.

Under all the Jasper Senior High scenarios, students currently going to their local schools across most of PISD would have to be bused significant distances, resulting in greatly increased transportation and operating costs and family disruption.

Should Plano spend over $38 million on a new Senior High School and increase our property taxes just to reduce campus enrollment by only a few hundred?

WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT?

If a decision is made not to move forward with converting Jasper into a High School, then numerous other scenarios, including feeder realignments, boundary changes, and/or school closures could be potentially introduced. The resulting impacts to students, families and schools cannot be known at this time. So be prepared to continue to closely follow and stay engaged on this issue, as it most likely will not go away soon.

Senior High Options Report

Posted on September 2, 2011 by

Breaking news….

The previously reported high numbers for Plano West (3,482 etc.) are not correct. To see the corrected numbers view the last bullet point – Senior High Enrollments.

All the links below will direct you to the PISD Board Books where they put all the information for a School Board Meeting.

VIII. REPORTS:
Update/Status Report

A. Senior High Options Report
Presenter: Superintendent’s Cabinet

School Board’s Sept. 6 Meeting Location Changed to Sockwell

Posted on September 1, 2011 by

To accommodate an anticipated increased attendance for the regular school board meeting on September 6, the school board will meet at the Sockwell Center, 6301 Chapel Hill Boulevard, Plano 75093. The start time of 7:00 p.m. will remain the same.

TAKE ACTION NOW ON THE PISD BOUNDARY ISSUE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

Hello Plano Neighbors,

As Save ALL of PISD informed you last week, the PISD Board of Trustees is considering reevaluating the boundary and feeder alignment decisions that were finalized in December 2009, before they have even been implemented. This reevaluation could result in an all-encompassing review and implementation of modifications to many things including:

Eliminating choice options
Changing enrollment boundaries
Realigning feeder patterns
Creating a new senior high school by converting an existing high school (Jasper or Clark)

These potential changes could result in major shifts in the Plano education system and have a long lasting impact on our city and communities and where your children attend school.

HOW CAN I VOICE MY OPINION ON THIS ISSUE?

Many of you have asked for our assistance in voicing your concerns to the PISD Board of Trustees. We have heard you and are offering assistance via our website in an effort to provide everyone with a very easy and quick way of informing the Board where you stand on this issue.

Steps for you to follow – It is important to complete all of the steps:

Electronically Sign a Letter to the Board – Click here to go to our Board Letter page. There you will find a completed letter to the Board. Simply add your information and any personal comments (if desired) in the fields provided at the bottom of the page. Then click the submit button and your comments and information will be printed on this same letter and will be physically delivered along with others to the Board of Trustees. We want to be able to visually show the Board how many are OPPOSED to readdressing boundary and feeder alignments before they have even been implemented. Please only one letter per household. (Note: Your information will only be used in the preparation of this letter and will not be distributed, sold or otherwise provided to any third party.)
Automatically Send an Email to the Board with only a Few Clicks! – When finished with your Board Letter, next click here to go to our Board Email page. There you will also find a completed email to send to the Board. Click on the button provided and this email should automatically load into your own email account. Simply add any personal comments you like to the email, sign your name and then click send from your email account. (If the email does not automatically load properly, you can easily copy and paste the information into your own email account for sending.) Please send your emails anytime up to the Board meeting scheduled on September 6th. Please leave the subject line the same so the Board will be able to quickly identify the purpose of your email and only send one email per account.
Pass along this email to your friends – Inform them so they will also have the opportunity to participate and voice their opinions on this important issue.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

Attend the Board Meeting on September the 6th at 7:00 PM. Plan on getting there as early as 6:00 PM to fill out a speaker card and simply state your position when it is your turn to speak. You do not have to have any formal comments prepared. You only need to state your opinion on this issue. Having all our voices heard will make a difference! More information regarding the meeting will be forthcoming from Save ALL of PISD.

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SaveALLofPISD.org

Save All of the Plano Independent School District – for the children!