Kilroy doing some homework!

Red Clay eliminated Choice Transportation for Red Clay Elementary Schools in 2005. Currently Red Clay Choice elementary students are either being transported to and from their Choice school by parents or taken to the feeder bus stop. This could account for what appears to be re-segregation of Red Clay city schools.

So currently Red Clay middle schools and high schools student are using Choice Transportation. Keep in mind there is no Red Clay middle school within the city of Wilmington. Cab is 6-12 but is a selective school based on an audition test. Keep in mind Red Clay does not have a high school within the city of Wilmington. Again rule out Cab.

So the fact is there is not re-segregation of Red Clay City of Wilmington middle and high schools are there are none! Wait! Stop the presses! What happen to Neighborhood Schools in the City of Wilmington? Somebody really go rolled under the bus. Should Red Clay have a city middle school and high school? Is it fair for city kids not to have a neighborhood middle school or high schools? Is it fair for city students to be bused to the suburbs?

No other school district in the state of Delaware provides Choice Transportation! But no other school district has students not assigned to a high school or requires them to complete a Choice application and abide by the choice transportation rules. Is this fair? Does it discriminate?

Red Clay has two magnet schools that are 100% Choice with no feeder pattern. Theses students will get pickup as close to their homes as possible. Is this fair? Does it discriminate?

Let’s dump the word Choice Transportation and replace it with a preferential transportation policy that is no equal to all students.

My guess in the board vote at October’s board meeting will be 4-3 in favor of eliminating Choice Transportation as we know starting fall 2009.

Kilroy’s prediction! No more than 5 or 6 parents will fill out a green slip to oppose the elimination of Choice Transportation. The Delaware Secretary of Education will stand down. No legislator will attend the board to speak against the proposal. I will be there and speak out particularly for those students with no assigned high school and force to Choice which will force parents to drive them to the in feeder bus stop of that choice.

Judging by the lack of perseverance of those wanting full financial transparency the 4 board members voting for the elimination of Choice Transportation has nothing to worry about in fact one will be vote out of office this coming May. So I guess its early pay back!

This issue is not about the board’s concerns with school finances, far from it!

Do make note the board is voting on the district proposal given by Merv at the August board meeting! This is not a board proposal as they were ask to support it by district administrators!

added 8:30 pm

Mervin B. Daugherty, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent for

Academics

August 20, 2008

“There will not be an attendance zone assignment to Wilmington High School for ninth grade students. Current eighth graders in the Wilmington High School attendance zone have enrollment options for high school selection but must complete a school choice application by the deadline to be eligible for the options. All Wilmington High School attendance zone students will be guaranteed enrollment in the school selected (Dickinson, A.I.DuPont High or McKean) and will be provided transportation according to the Board-adopted transportation plan for school choice.”

Again, in my opinon assigned some sudents to a feeder high school and not all does appears to be discrimination. Then to tell those not assigned the must Choice to a high school then comply with choice transpotation that may create great hardship the by forcing parents to transport their children to the feeder bus stop of that choice school in my opinon should be criminal. Put students in limbo status is wrong and appears to be discrimination.

Right is Right!

As much as part of me says don’t the other side forces me to do so!

For the last 13 years I have been involved in Red Clay and much of my bitching has been behinds the scenes. I’ve been eyeball to eyeball toe to toe with Bob A and many phone calls and debates with board members. It was a healthy give and take process.

Right or wrong on the issue my heart is in it all the way and when someone enlightens me on the issues with support I will yield. I am one for saying if a man’s ego exceeds that of his integrity he has a personal problem. For the last year I’ve don’t all I could to discredit Mr. Becnel as a person far beyond the issues. I’ve personalized the issues to the extreme.

However, I strongly stand my position on the issue. So, more for me failing myself and a bit of the right thing to do I must make a personal apology to Red Clay Board President Mr. Becnel. It the right thing to do! Blame the brainwashing of the years of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Gee, I can hear Copeland now, what about me! Don’t know Charlie, Becnel pissed me off and you disappointed me! I’ll have to go to Mecca on that one.

So bacon boy bring your camera and James Bond recorder as I must make the public apology! But make note all I will not budget on the issues! One thing I’ve learned is, even with reasonable clear evidence particularly about the charter school application votes and stood alone! Even for Kilroy it gets to be a lonely battle!

What I do isn’t about entertainment as I take the issues seriously and feel everyone needs to be involved in the community and speak up if you “feel” something is wrong. Many people throw stones from the safety of their homes and hide behind anonymous. But, I step out of the shadows and say what I “feel” that needs to be said.

Doesn’t mean I won’t say I feel Mr. Becnel’s position may be crap but I must leave it at those positions.

I am not sure I’ll be going to hell or heaven and maybe I might not get assigned to a feeder pattern. However, I must do what I feel is right.

Red Clay lighting the desegregation fuse!

See FixRedClay for links to News Journal articles
http://www.fixredclay.com/2008/09/two-news-journal-articles-in-case-you.html
“Opinions on busing run strong” & “Schools change as parents choose”

Red Clay’s pending board vote to eliminate Choice School transportation will light the fuse that may cause legal action that could involve the federal courts.

The Choice School program does represent the best means to promote racial integration in Red Clay and all school districts. The Choice Transportation is series of convenient special bus stop hubs that transports student to their school of choice. Members of Red Clay school board particularly Jack Buckley wants to eliminate Choice transportation citing the need for curbing transportation cost. However, neither he nor the district provided the actual cost savings. Buckley and certain other board members want to require parents to drive their children to a bus stop within the school of choice or to and from the schools by their own means. Sure the need for the Choice buses would be eliminated but how many buses will be added to the feeder pattern bus stop.

However, here is where Red Clay is lighting the fuse and may awake the sleeping desegregation giant. There are many parents particularly high poverty parents living in the city of Wilmington whose transportation are mainly family, friends and public transportation. Cutting out Choice Transportation will put these parents and students in a position where they may not participate in School Choice. This Choice Transportation is vital to ensure all students have equal access to Choice Schools.

Red Clay is pulling the good faith rug out from under the community that keeps the playing field level and promotes uninhibited access to Choice Schools.

All eyes are on state legislators, the Delaware Secretary of Education, the Delaware State Board of Education, Mayor James Baker and certain community leaders to intervene.

I’ll put odds on Red Clay just moving forward with this dangerous action that “will” spark major debates and concerns.

The News Journal articles are a warning shot that there are concerns. My guess with Red Clay shooting themselves in the foot will end up spending more money in the courts defending their actions then the actual transportation cost savings which is still a mystery even to the district’s Community Financial Review Committee the so-called Red Mushrooms in the dark! Board member Buckley is a member of this committee and he hasn’t provided actual transportation cost savings.

Buckley destined to be the next school board president may be unraveling a future nightmare he will have to deal with.

The district went from a prediction of $260,000.00 June 30th carryover to a $4,700,000.00 June 30th carryover putting them out of DOE Financial Recovery. That ever surprised unknowing district Community Financial Review Committee.

President James Buckley Bush! What is the rush to war !