I currently live in an area that has had some major cuts in the eduction programs. Many schools are being closed and others combined in efforts to save money. Unfortunately, some of these changes are bringing dangerous and unsafe conditions to the neighborhood and even to those who will be attending the combined schools.
There are a number of children that because their families live barely above or below the poverty line will be attending school far less than they did the previous year because they will now have to travel by public transportation to another school, should their parents not have reliable transportation. These are the same children who are barely making it as it is for a number of reasons that are separate issues.
The worst yet is the combining of the alternative learning schools. Not all alternative schooling is bad but they have been used as a dumping ground for the large environment of students that have disiplinary problems or criminal background. One of the worst alternative schools is in an area where there is alot of crime and gang activity, well the new proposal is to move this school to another property into an area that has a relatively low crime rate. At the same time they will close another campus and combine on this same property, all for the sake of saving some money.
Here lies the problem, these three schools are combined increasing the number of problem children in one area with less supervision or policing. The neighborhoods surrounding this new school are furious as the potential for criminal activity will be increased by 100%. These alternative schools are for more that just your average criminal teen and those with behavioral problems, they also service those students who just don't do as well in a traditional classroom environment and want to at least graduate.
As a parent of a student, who would benefit from the alternative education program, I am unsure whether I am willing to put her in a situation that could be volative at any given moment. When I say criminal students these are students that have or have had gang affiliations, been known to carry firearms, burglary, assault and the list goes on. How can the school board think that they are doing anybody any justice by mixing these schools. You have people that will not only be afraid of what could happen to their property if they are not around to police it themselves but there is also the uncertain danger of what could happen to a student no matter if they are good or trouble.
The sad thing is, it doesn't matter what kind of fight the surrounding neighborhoods do, the students, the parents or even the surrounding merchants the schoolboard and state will do what they see fit as long as they are saving some money during the fiscal year it doesn't match matter what the ripple affect is.