As strong supporters and advocates of The Columbia Borough School District, we want to express our opposition to the reconfiguration of elementary schools that is currently being discussed for Park and Taylor K-6 elementary schools.
We understand The School District is facing a significant budget deficit for the 2012-2013 school year and that changes will need to be made to address this issue, in addition to overcrowding issues at Taylor School. We feel strongly that making such a significant changes to the structure of our elementary schools is not in the best interest of our students/children.
Restructuring to divide the 5-6 elementary grades from the K-4 elementary grades will create a substantial transportation burden for families in Columbia. Many families will have children attending two, or three different schools. Additionally, students will be forced to travel 2 or more miles one way to/from school. The PA state law for districts that offer bus transportation states that a student is not to have a bus stop in excess of 1.5 miles from their home.
Wouldn't we want to abide by this same law, despite the fact that we do not offer bus transportation?
The reconfiguration of elementary schools will increase stress for our children/students by creating additional transitions to their educational careers. Where there is increased stress, there is a host of other problems we would need to consider.
If the discussed changes go into effect we will have 6-7 of each grade in one school. This large number of students per grade is what is typically seen in larger school districts where children are seen less as individuals. We risk lowering property values in Columbia Borough, as, with the proposed changes, we will lose the “small school” feel we have currently.
We ask the Board of Education to consider the strong community opposition to reconfiguring of elementary grades when putting together the 2012-2013 budget