Op-Ed: An Open Letter to BRSSD Board of Trustees

Dear BRSSD Board of Trustees:

We are writing as a follow up to last Thursday’s board meeting.  First, thank you for your time, energy, passion and commitment. From talking to people, we understand board members have gone above and beyond in their time commitment.  We know this is a volunteer position and the board and the district spends countless hours on making our schools great, making our children great and making this community great.

We are also passionate about our children and our community. That’s why we urge you to reverse your decision from the Mar 21st Board Meeting and to add a 4^th Kindergarten class at Sandpiper. We would like to request a decision be made within a reasonable timeframe with May 16th as our target date for a decision. This would give everybody ample time to prepare adequately. Teachers and principals can use a full summer to get their rooms ready for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. Likewise, parents can prep their excited 5 year olds on entering Kindergarten, parents can plan afterschool care, and families can start integrating into the wonderful school and neighborhood community.  As it is, affected families have already missed out on a Sandpiper Incoming Parent Orientation and School Open House. 

An early decision on adding the 4th Kindergarten class at Sandpiper would also allow time for us to work collaboratively with the school district and school board to come up with a communication plan for new parents that can be finalized and ready for implementation by the last board meeting in June.  New parents start their school research in September, so waiting until September to come up with a plan is too late.  The goal of this communication plan is to educate and set new parent expectations appropriately, so that there is no need for irate parents to storm the board demanding answers next year.  Because of our recent experience, we have first hand knowledge of what kind of communication will be effective.  As parents who want Redwood Shores Schools for Redwood Shores Kids, our vision is that children will have a sense of belonging and can learn and grow with the support of their local community by attending neighborhood schools.  The first step towards that vision is setting expectations appropriately to all members of the community, not just current parents, so that we can collectively work towards long term solutions that will ensure the district is financially sound and can accommodate the demand for neighborhood schools.

Thank you,

Parents supporting Redwood Shores Schools for Redwood Shores Kids

More on Belmont Patch:

Op-Ed: Redwood Shores Parents Shocked Kindergarteners Assigned to Nesbit

Parents and School Board at Odds Over RWS Kindergarten Assignments

Op-Ed: Nesbit Exemplifies the Spirit of Excellence