Sentiments on the turmoil in Cave Creek Unified by justkeepmoving

We saw this comment at the Arizona Republic and found it worthy of reprinting.

Cave Creek district considers kindergarten fees (Comment, Page 2)

We couldn't agree more the commentary on "PVUSD jr".  Trying to keep up with PVUSD is a recipe for continued mediocrity which will unfortunately sucker in some parents who don't look beneath the surface of these supposed improvements.  Heck, nothing has changed program wise but they are already marketing LMES as a STEM school and BMES as a Friend of Core Knowledge.

justkeepmovin

I say, since CCUSD is abondoning those features what made it unique and strong--a focus on quality teachers, smaller school environments and differentiated learning-- in lieue of five elementary schools all vying to become something "unique" so they can "stand out", grasping at whatever curricular fad is out there--not really being able to fully implement it. CCUSD hires PV folks and rather than embracing what made it special, has now decided to try to become Paradise Valley Jr..

Well, since that leaves me with no curricular choice, I'm going to move my kids to PV. Though I'm not a fan of what seems to be their teach-to-the-test, Core Knowledge curricular focus, since Cave Creek is going down the same road I might as well have my kinds in a district that is better funded with programs CCUSD continually seems to start and then cut and technology that is actually up-to-date and not 15 years old (oh! I forgot--that's only the OLD schools that have the OLD technology.)

While I have worked hard, as a parent with children in the north schools, to vote to support programs that were best for the district and in many cases--that did not even benefit my children. I voted for bonds to build those schools down south while the old schools were neglected because we were told they were (needed). Now, in repayment for that support of others, those schools are being "saved" (though one has had the lowest enrollment for two years) and the board/administration REFUSE to investigate any other options with a stubborn eye to punishing those of us who have been here continually by closing one of our schools.



As for the K-8 ideology, I've never had a problem with it, but I also had no problem with the current structure. The 7th & 8th graders were kept away from the 6th graders. When my child was in 6th grade and I would ask him/her about something I had heard was going on in the 7th or 8th grade, he/she would look at me very seriously and say "you know we NEVER see those kids. I don't know what you are talking about."

What I do have a problem with is making thi s change with so little time to prepare effectively. They have known since this summer--no matter what BS they try to feed to keep "legal" in their statements--that they were going to close DAMS. It would have been so much better if they had just been honest (IF they had first truly investigated ALL other options and SEARCHED for alternative solutions so they could lay out all that informaiton with great detail to parents) and said their research showed they had NO OTHER choice but close the school but they were going to work wiht the parents over the next year (or almost a year) to make the transiiton as smooth as possible and MAKE SURE the kids and teachers were taken care of.



BTW, those secretaries of administrators who admonish DAMS parents because they should "trust the administrators" should let the administrators know that trust is EARNED. It is earned when financial feasibility committees receive the actual financial informaiton they request...when ALL options for closing schools (if necessary) are put on the table and discussed fully and out in the open...when there are forthright answers to questions and not avoidance or blaming "the state" for everything. This is WHY we do not trust them. They DO NOT provide the information we need, when we need it.



This is a prime example. They couldn't approach the DAMS early and lay out the detailed argument because they did not do that research. They had no intention of investigating other options. They had another plan. They focused their energy on saving Desert Sun, kept financial information from the financial feasibility committee, invented new Aca Dummies and spent advertising money promoting them through paid ads and direct mail (thought the district had no money), set all elementary schools in a battle with each other for "favored" status in the distirct by jumping through all sorts of curricular hoops and the latest "fads".

The adminstration has become so enamored with their own pet curricular projects and ideas that they forgot to care about the 6000+ district students and parents who were very happy with things in general -- they always would push for improvement that is what we all strive for--but did not see a need to turn everythign here upside down. They wanted so desparately to bring in the 100 or so students who had left the district or never enrolled here for whatever reason that they were willing to turn their backs on the students here as they bowed to those outside the district. Kind of reminds me of the current Presidential administration--surround yourself only with people who think like you and you start to believe that everything you do is what people really want.

I think this behavior has led to apathy. I know it has for me. I no longer feel that my voice has any weight. I do not feel like it is worth my time to attend the board meetings. I'm not going to sit through another dog-and-pony show of their "budget" meeting where they talk about the same old BS and "pools of funds" and never really answer any quesitons with detail. So ... i'm done. I'm gone from CCUSD, but I will leave my "no" vote behind.

Good luck on your override renewal in the fall CCUSD. To those parents in the south who chastised the DAMS parents and gloated about your schools being saved...I say...enjoy it while you can. When another 150 students (they lost 90 last year) leave and CCUSD loses over $600,000 your school and/or your programs are GONE. They're coming after your school next.

Or, more likely, they'll come after another north school as I am seeing an exodus from one of the schools for many reasons I will not elaborate here. That exodus added to the students leaving the district, will lead to lower enrollment and thus a good excuse to argue another closure when the budget impolodes further. This decision is bad in so many ways that will only be felt about two years from now.

For the comment that DAMS needed new leadership. That may well be the case. But then the district administration needed to show some leadership and handle the situation NOT use it as an additional excuse for school closure.