Creekside: The "redistrict or expand" debate continues

The Herald-Sun's coverage of last Thursday's school board meeting on the debate whether to redistrict students away from overcrowded Creekside Elementary or to instead speed up an expansion of the school makes for compelling reading. Including, for the first time at public meetings, the thoughts of at least two teachers concerned about the current size of the school:

In a heartfelt plea before the Board of Education and parents gathered for a public hearing on the matter Thursday night, [art teacher Patricia] Vanderhoof described Creekside today as a drastically different place than it was when it threw open its doors four years ago.

Students barely fit into their classrooms, Vanderhoof told the school board. The playground is so overcrowded it's unsafe, she said, and the bathrooms are crowded and hard to maintain....

After the meeting, other Creekside teachers approached Vanderhoof to tell her she'd said what they had wanted to say or had been thinking. Vanderhoof said she knew of other teachers who shared her views, many of whom feel they can't come forward because they might damage their relationships with parents actively fighting for their students to remain at the growing school....

Vanderhoof wasn't the only voice urging reassignment at the hearing. A fellow teacher told the board that this was the most stressful year of her career as the result of overcrowding, and that teaching assistants and resources were spread so thin, that students' education was suffering. Teacher Chrissy Slavinsky asked the school board to consider hosting a "safe" teacher forum to give educators the chance to speak out without fear of parental reprisal.

Not exactly your typical school board meeting material, to say the least. (Actually, very recent newcomers to Durham missed the far more disruptive "fun" of the Jackie Wagstaff era on the board -- but that's a topic better left in the dustbin of Durham history.)

Of course, not every teacher is opposed to expanding Creekside, as this one instructor points out in signing an online petition favoring continuation of the current assignment zone--

As a DPS educator ,and a parent of a young child who attends Creekside Elem. , I feel strongly that the children who attend this school currently should be allowed to continue there through 5th grade (be grandfathered in) and that being a DPS teacher, I should have the right to place my child where I feel is best for him, as Creekside is that place. Also, children's EOG test scores tend to be higher when they remain at the same learning environment through 5th grade as opposed to having to move to one or more schools. Future decisions made to redistrict students in DPS should not interfere with the current placement of the children attending Creekside Elem. Schl. They should be allowed to remain through 5th grade.

We talked about the Creekside reassignment issue here a few weeks ago, at a time when redistricting seemed the only option. Now on the table: building a second elementary school on the remaining 20 acres at the Ephesus Church Rd. site. The N&O tells us it was destined for a middle school to provide a "K-8" experience -- in light of the pressure the school board is facing, though, it's not surprising school administrators would be looking to backpedal quickly.

In our earlier discussion, I was glad to hear so many different opinions expressed, from folks with first-hand experiences as parents, teachers, and affected neighbors. But sometimes the best way to get a story is from the affected parents themselves.

To that end, I went through the petition comments and did some very rough and unscientific analysis of the online petition that's circulating in opposition to the redistricting. Just what are the reasons that affected parents and residents themselves are putting forward in standing in opposition to redistricting -- an opposition that has to date drawn 300 online signatures.

I reviewed those petition signatures that had associated comments and coded each one into one of seven kinds of concern expressed. Comments could be coded into multiple buckets (and most petitioners mentioned multiple ones of these reasons.) Reasons other than these seven were not coded.

• My child loves the "Creekside family," the school, teachers and their friends
• General concern that school redistricting is disruptive to children's ability to learn effectively
• The other area schools to which children would be reassigned are also overcrowded. (Creekside was built to relieve pressure at Southwest, Parkwood and Forest View.)
• I chose my neighborhood specifically to be in Creekside (which is regarded as a good school district); this includes expressed fear of impact on resale value, difficulty selling homes, etc.
• Other public school options in Durham do not provide the same educational opportunities or environment as Creekside
• Changing schools would disrupt parents or the family (commute issues, proximity of job to neighborhood school)
• Concern that rapid development or overdevelopment is the problem

The bar graph at left shows that, as a percentage of total responses, by my admittedly unscientific count, the fourth response was the most frequent one -- that is, residents concerned that their homes would no longer be in the Creekside zone, that they had expressly chosen their house for its Creekside assignment, etc.

Which tends to at support the argument that the parents most concerned about this change were highly attracted to Creekside as a school in the first place; some express in their comments that they would have never moved to Durham if they couldn't have enrolled their students at this particular school.

Notably, the next two highest reasons -- and within a nose of the first one -- has to do with the level of education per se at the school and the disruption that redistricting would bring. And summed up (they are in fact two sides of the same coin, one general and one particular), they were together mentioned more often.

I was intrigued to see that the theme that other Durham schools just don't provide the same quality education wasn't explicitly mentioned very frequently. Still, there's an implicit sense of it in the manner in which commenters discussed neighborhood- and property-based concerns:

"We are deeply concerned about the possible redistricting of Creekside! Not only did we purchase our home in July of 2007 for the SOLE purpose that it was zoned to Creekside (despite the fact that it requires my husband to make a significant commute to his job at all hours of the day and night,) and not only have we been very pleased with my son's first-grade experience at Creekside thus far, but we will also be forced to SELL our home in 2 1/2 years due to my husband's job. The impact this adjustment will have on the value of our home is a real (albeit secondary) issue for us!"

"My husband and I moved to the Fairfield neighborhood in Durham specifically because it was in the Creekside School District. Short of selecting a private school for our rising kindergartener, which is not an option, we feel our choices in Durham Co. for public education outside of Creekside do not offer the same level of quality education, safety or diversity."

"We had the opportunity to move to Wake county but decided to stay in Durham to avoid the constant instability of the school system and redistricting problems. We thought when we recently moved to the Fairfield neighborhood we would not have to deal with these issues. Our son is to attend Creekside in the fall as a 1st grader."

"A major reason we live in this neighborhood is that our children will be attending Creekside. Otherwise, we will likely move!"

"I have lots of clients that would be very upset with these changes! [N.B.: Commentor appears to be a real estate agent with Fonville Morisey]"

"Even though I am not currently using the Durham Public schools, I strongly believe that this redistricting of our neighborhood is not in the best interest of the schools or the kids."

"My wife and specifically moved to this neighborhood, from Chapel HIll, with the understanding that our son and daughter would be able to attend Creekside, one of the only elementary schools in Durham with a good track record. Our son would be distraught if he had to change schools again. Durham's decision to redraw the school zone feels like a bait and switch and will discourage high-end growth (and the associated increased tax base) from continuing to flow into southern Durham. Durham should skip the bandage solution and speed up the planned expansion of Creekside."

"Many people moved into my neighborhood because it is districted for Creekside. If you want NEW homes to be districted elsewhere, where it can be clearly stated as such in the marketing of those homes, then so be it. But those who were districted for Creekside WHEN they bought their new homes should remain so. It is only reasonable that people expect that the school board and the county will keep their word [with respect to] the districting they were given when they bought their homes."

What will happen next? It's tough to say what impact the two teachers' comments at Thursday night's meeting will have. If it leads DPS to consider redistricting over an expansion of the current school, expect the protests from parents to grow louder. On the other hand, a second elementary school at the site would likely make parents very happy -- but can such a solution happen quickly enough?

And, at the end of the day, DPS has to address an important question: does purchasing a home in a neighborhood guarantee access to a particular school? To my way of thinking, children are entitled to a quality public education, not a quality public education in a particular school.

The data suggest that children from privileged backgrounds perform well in any school -- but parents nationwide, not just in Durham, are very hesitant to send their kids to anything less than the "best performing" school. And most often for parents of means, that school is the neighborhood school, the school around which they patterned their home-buying decision.

As the comments of these parents demonstrate, that's a position that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

Comments

[Elizabeth T.]

One thing DPS could do is to tell transfer students at Creekside that they will not be allowed to attend the school next fall (this may have already happened). There are several families in my neighborhood whose children attend Creekside even though they don't live in the district.

You say, "And, at the end of the day, DPS has to address an important question: does purchasing a home in a neighborhood guarantee access to a particular school? To my way of thinking, children are entitled to a quality public education, not a quality public education in a particular school." I think this is the rationale that Wake County is using to transfer children all over the place (and to be fair, they really don't have much choice because of the growing school population).

As the parent of a high-strung child, however, I think it really isn't in the best interests of children to be forced to change schools. Kids will adjust to new schools if they have to, it's true, but it creates all sorts of problems at home (extra tantrums, stomach aches, eating and sleeping problems, a diminished interest in learning, etc.). I have a lot of sympathy for people who don't want to put their children through that.

I also understand what the teachers are saying. It can't be fun to work under such crowded conditions. I'm glad I'm not on the school board!

[Emily]

When my husband and I bought our house in North Durham a few years ago, we weren't looking at resale value and schools with high test scores; we looked for diversity, a sense of community, and a friendly neighborhood. We found that in a small neighborhood off Dearborn, a neighborhood not filled with $200k+ houses or HOAs or any kids that attend private schools. Our son will go to Glenn Elementary School, not the best school in Durham by far, but we're still not moving. I taught high school at a failing school in Vance County. The test scores weren't at AYP levels, but we still offered 10 AP classes that were always full, and one of our students even received a fullride to Harvard. Most students will do well at any school, even a failing one, as long as the parents are involved in their education and make education a priority. Teachers are dedicated at schools everywhere. Rather than making such a fuss about staying at the school they're currently at, why don't parents get involved in their child's not-so-perfect school and make that one great as well? We know, based on this whole Creekside mess, that they have the energy and drive to fight for their school's needs. What Durham needs is that dedication in all schools, not just schools in neighborhoods similar to those in Cary.

[Tom B.]

The concerns expressed by the two Creekside teachers in the recent Herald-Sun article are valid. I have no doubt that the teachers of Creekside want to provide the best possible educational experience for their students. Having said that, it seems that the root of their concerns has more to do with scaling resources in proportion to classroom space. In expanding the Creekside facilities to accommodate the growing population, it will be necessary to expand staffing and resources accordingly. One art and one AIG teacher may be sufficient for a census of 650 students, but as we approach 1000+, additional teachers, equipment, etc, will be required.

To echo the concerns already voiced by many concerned parents, transferring children from Creekside to other overcrowded schools will only serve to transfer the problems.

[Toby]

It's interesting to me that this situation seems to be treated as if it were a surprise that there is overcrowding at Creekside, similar to the exceptional regional drought. But there's a big difference: although we rely on nature to supply us enough water, there's only one source of supply (and demand) for schools -- ourselves!

The real question for rapidly expanding areas like southwestern Durham, Wake County, etc., involves planning and financing. After all, if you approve the construction of hundreds or thousands of new houses, is it that hard to estimate the number of new students that will need to be accommodated several years hence?

[Dave N.]

Have proposed redistricting lines been released by the DPS staff?

[Relocated Family]

"The data suggest that children from privileged backgrounds perform well in any school -- but parents nationwide, not just in Durham, are very hesitant to send their kids to anything less than the "best performing" school. And most often for parents of means, that school is the neighborhood school, the school around which they patterned their home-buying decision.

As the comments of these parents demonstrate, that's a position that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon."

I really feel your above comments do not show the entire picture. If parents in Durham, specifically Creekside, were only looking for the "best performing" schools we would be in neighboring Chapel Hill / Carborro or Wake County. Many people who choose this area could have afforded homes in the neighboring districts. Most of us were looking for diversity, balance, and stability for our children when we picked our school and neighborhood. If we all just looked at test scores / school performance we would not be at Creekside. It has an ABC rating of 75%, which is not great compared to neighboring districts.

In Aug 2007 the registrar at Creekside explained to me that at Creekside they try to balance the classes so that no one ethnic or racial group is dominate but instead there is a mix of students. She explained they would never put a Hispanic Boy in a class where he was the only Hispanic Boy. Coming from a school where my child had very little exposure to different races and socio-economic classes, I loved this idea. And still do. My child’s Creekside Class is made up of African American, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Korean, Hispanic, Mexican, and Caucasian kids. This is a an education experience that you will not find at many Durham Public Schools. And the ones that you will find this at are over crowded like Creekside.

In my opinion, that should tell the district something. Parents who come to Durham want a rich cultural experience for their child. It's hard to achieve a rich cultural experience when the majority of the school is the same race or culture. We know this from experience from our previous school in another state.

And let’s face it, the majority of people in the Triangle moved here from somewhere else. Many of us have already put our children through one painful move. We hoped we would find stability in Durham along with diversity. There is much research that points to the fact that children thrive and do better (not just on tests in school but the hard real life tests like staying away from drugs) when they have stable, consistent adults in their lives. The more trusted adults they have the better they can deal with the hard issues in life. If you have family out of state /out of town then school becomes a place of community for you that is even more vital. We Creekside Families found a sense of community here and want to keep that for our children.

Next year the school will be over capacity by more than 300 kids. No one school in South Durham can handle 300 more kids. So what are they going to do? Split these kids up and send a 100 to Parkwood, 100 to Forestview, and 100 to Southwest. This will just further the impact on these kids and families, reducing any sense of community that has been built by these families and lessen the chance these kids will transfer to new schools knowing many kids or recognize any teachers.

Personally, if there was a school in South Durham that had space for all 300 kids then I would be more willing to uproot my child and reestablish a new community yet again. BUT that is not the case.

I admire that you are trying to glean more information by analyzing parent comments on the petition, but as a Creekside Parent, I can tell you that these parents are only listing a small part of their concerns, and maybe not their main concerns for fear of public rebuttal. We each could have blogs full of content if we listed all our concerns, not just for our children or the children at Creekside, but for all the Durham Public School kids.

Lastly, I completely agree that education in this country is not on a level playing field. For those who are concerned about leveling the playing field, contact your local school district. I know Durham Public Schools is in need of adult volunteers at many schools. It's humbling to see how a few hours really do make an impact on a child's life.

[Carol]

"In my opinion, that should tell the district something. Parents who come to Durham want a rich cultural experience for their child. It's hard to achieve a rich cultural experience when the majority of the school is the same race or culture."

You imply that DPS is deliberately drawing lines to make schools predominantly one race or another. When you look at the demographic breakdown of some of the DPS schools, or the entire system for that matter, you can see the difficulties in achieving an equitable distribution across ethnic groups. When other ethnic groups avoid schools that are 80 or 90% one race, the situation is hopelessly self-perpetuating. DPS could do like Wake and bus kids around at an attempt to break up the ethnicity and/or socio-economic composition of schools, but I think that would just lead to more private school enrollments and an even more demographic disparity than currently exists.

All that being said, I have no answers for DPS or Creekside parents. I think the three neighboring schools mentioned could benefit from the enthusiasm of Creekside parents and students. Some of that parent involvement and passion could go a long way in bringing along neighboring schools and making all of SW Durham a strong zone for elementary education. I can't help but be a bit wistful at the thought.

[Relocated Family]

“You imply that DPS is deliberately drawing lines to make schools predominantly one race or another.”

No, that is not what I imply. But I do think DPS could do a better job in trying to recreate culturally rich schools in their magnet programs. This could be achieved by weighting lottery applications. This has been done in districts in other parts of the country.

“ I think the three neighboring schools mentioned could benefit from the enthusiasm of Creekside parents and students. Some of that parent involvement and passion could go a long way in bringing along neighboring schools and making all of SW Durham a strong zone for elementary education.”

While I completely agree with this, what about the affect it has on the STUDENTS that are transferred. Not all children are a bundle of resilience. Children need trusted adults that they can go back to and visit when they need an extra adult to hear them out. If they don’t get along with their 5th grade teacher how are they suppose to seek out their Kindergarten Teacher whom they have a special bond if they are at a different school. It’s not just about test scores. It’s about creating a long term safe community for all students. Not just the ones who happen to live closest to a school.