Post by article on Oct 13, 2004 17:29:15 GMT -8
PUSD on road to success
PARENTS earning $100,000 or more in household income and living in Pasadena, Altadena or Sierra Madre used to be faced with the following question: Which private school do I send my child to? Now that question is changing to: Private school or public school?
The Pasadena Unified School District's road toward credibility with middle- and upper-middle-class families residing in the district is growing wider. Though the evidence is still mostly anecdotal, it appears more parents can consider the need of their child and find a match within the PUSD system. One of the reasons for this change is an expansion of school choice.
That, above all else, is a fundamental aspect of the effort that must continue unabated at PUSD.
Now, the parents' choice is no longer Don Benito or bust. The fundamental school in the Hastings Ranch area with the sterling reputation is not the only jewel in the district's crown. The list of high-performing elementary schools for parents to place their kindergartner or first-grader is growing.
As reported by staff writers Gretchen Hoffman and Gary Scott, more middle- and upper- middle-class parents are weighing enrollment at Webster, Norma Coombs, Hamilton as well as Don Benito. Also, the board's decision to make Sierra Madre School a K-7 this year, soon to be a K-8, was another onramp on the road that will bring back more middle-class families to the district. Leaving no child behind, indeed.
Sierra Madre families may in fact be making that U-turn, now that the district has committed to Sierra Madre School. Some who thought about sending their children to private schools will think twice and will consider the PUSD choice in their own backyard.
If public schools are to work, they must in fact be public schools available to all the public. Too often residents of Sierra Madre or West Pasadena have considered they are only part of the taxation, not the representation of the public schools. That is changing, thanks to a vision by Superintendent Percy Clark and a school board willing to take chances to implement that vision.
No doubt, becoming more attractive to the one-third of the PUSD community who've opted for private schools, or to those considering private schools for their offspring, takes a concerted effort to keep experienced teachers, raise test scores, renovate campuses and give parents the opportunity for meaningful contributions to their sons' and daughters' educations.
As one parent considering a public school in West Pasadena put it, you can either invest in dollars at a private school or invest your time at a public school. There's a lot to be said for the latter. A community that invests people in its public schools will have better schools and a better community.
Parents should take the PUSD's offer and visit the elementary and K-8 schools. The district must keep vibrant its open-enrollment program, which gives parents the choice of school campuses. Board member Ed Honowitz is the poster child of choice: he has three children attending different schools across the district.
Last, real estate agents must re- visit the once forgone conclusion they give to prospective homebuyers in the district, that they ought to consider instead buying a home in South Pasadena. The old adage is changing.
The road to public schools in the PUSD is widening. And PUSD welcomes the added traffic.
www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205~12238~2463421,00.html#
PARENTS earning $100,000 or more in household income and living in Pasadena, Altadena or Sierra Madre used to be faced with the following question: Which private school do I send my child to? Now that question is changing to: Private school or public school?
The Pasadena Unified School District's road toward credibility with middle- and upper-middle-class families residing in the district is growing wider. Though the evidence is still mostly anecdotal, it appears more parents can consider the need of their child and find a match within the PUSD system. One of the reasons for this change is an expansion of school choice.
That, above all else, is a fundamental aspect of the effort that must continue unabated at PUSD.
Now, the parents' choice is no longer Don Benito or bust. The fundamental school in the Hastings Ranch area with the sterling reputation is not the only jewel in the district's crown. The list of high-performing elementary schools for parents to place their kindergartner or first-grader is growing.
As reported by staff writers Gretchen Hoffman and Gary Scott, more middle- and upper- middle-class parents are weighing enrollment at Webster, Norma Coombs, Hamilton as well as Don Benito. Also, the board's decision to make Sierra Madre School a K-7 this year, soon to be a K-8, was another onramp on the road that will bring back more middle-class families to the district. Leaving no child behind, indeed.
Sierra Madre families may in fact be making that U-turn, now that the district has committed to Sierra Madre School. Some who thought about sending their children to private schools will think twice and will consider the PUSD choice in their own backyard.
If public schools are to work, they must in fact be public schools available to all the public. Too often residents of Sierra Madre or West Pasadena have considered they are only part of the taxation, not the representation of the public schools. That is changing, thanks to a vision by Superintendent Percy Clark and a school board willing to take chances to implement that vision.
No doubt, becoming more attractive to the one-third of the PUSD community who've opted for private schools, or to those considering private schools for their offspring, takes a concerted effort to keep experienced teachers, raise test scores, renovate campuses and give parents the opportunity for meaningful contributions to their sons' and daughters' educations.
As one parent considering a public school in West Pasadena put it, you can either invest in dollars at a private school or invest your time at a public school. There's a lot to be said for the latter. A community that invests people in its public schools will have better schools and a better community.
Parents should take the PUSD's offer and visit the elementary and K-8 schools. The district must keep vibrant its open-enrollment program, which gives parents the choice of school campuses. Board member Ed Honowitz is the poster child of choice: he has three children attending different schools across the district.
Last, real estate agents must re- visit the once forgone conclusion they give to prospective homebuyers in the district, that they ought to consider instead buying a home in South Pasadena. The old adage is changing.
The road to public schools in the PUSD is widening. And PUSD welcomes the added traffic.
www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205~12238~2463421,00.html#