06.02.12
Supporters of the four Cedar Rapids basic schools under consideration for closure — Harrison, Madison, Monroe and Polk — took to the microphone Monday round-the-clock to address the Cedar Rapids school board.
Linda Seger, president of the Northwest Neighborhood Fellowship, pointed to Harrison Elementary as a source of stability for students who went through the 2008 d. She said returning to the school, to teachers who know them and care about them, was part of their restoration process.
“Schools are more than buildings,” Seger said. “Schools are the children within.”
Jennifer Hill, the old lady of a Polk Elementary first-grader, emphasized the school’s record of scholarly success.
“Polk has outstanding academics,” Hill said. “If it didn’t, I wouldn’t be asking you to keep the school.”
Jen Kovach, co-president of the Madison Elementary PTA, cited Madison’s enrollment numbers as a understanding to keep it open.
District administrators have pointed to declining enrollment as a element for school closures. But Kovach said Madison’s 2011-12 enrollment represents a 9 percent grow over last year, with 20 percent of its students choosing to attend Madison over their about school. One percent of Madison’s students open-enroll in the public school from outside districts.
Source: The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines (blog)