The school district in our city proposed closing 21 schools to mitigate their budget shortage. The rationale is closing fewer enrolled schools and pushing children and families into other schools, which is more efficient for the system: the simple math of add and subtract.
The proposal encountered considerable pushback from parents. The pushback was so significant that the district backed down all the way.
Instead of accepting less, parents asked for more.
Keeping these 21 schools open was just the first step. What parents want goes beyond that: we should build our schools to remain open and grow stronger.
Instead of closing down schools, we want the system to do the opposite – improve schools to be better. To get there, we must figure out the problem we can solve together.
Share with your friends and families about my new book, What Is School For? A Manifesto for Parents, regardless of where you live. It has been Amazon's #1 New Release in school management since its launch in the first week, and it talks about the problem and the solution.
Nobody can change the school system alone. We need your help.
