TSPR El Paso ISD - Appendix A

As part of the review, community meetings were held in each of the four area districts. Parents, teachers, administrators, and community members wrote comments on the major topics of review, and in some cases, spoke with the review team. These comments illustrate community perceptions of the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD), and do not reflect the findings or opinions of the Comptroller. The following is a summary of comments received by topic.

District Organization / Education Service

Community / Personnel Management

Assets and Risk Management / Financial

Purchasing / Computers and Technology

Facilities / Transportation

Food Service / Safety and Security

COMMUNITY MEETING COMMENTS
DISTRICT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Site-based decision-making (SBDM) does not work.

Organization into regions is a waste of money; there are too many administrators.

The money is not reaching the children. Schools lack sufficient books, tables, desks and adequate facilities.

Dividing into regions creates more highly paid administrators and does not increase service to schools.

Downtown relocation wasted a lot of money and further isolated administrators.

Regional system just added more paperwork.

Regional concept does not work; it's too top-heavy; (the district) hires lots of assistant supervisors and support personnel (e.g. secretaries, etc.) which detract from classroom activity.

Communication does not reach the people involved.

If regions run schools, then it is not site-based management.

Board governance may be misunderstood or misinterpreted if the public does not attend meetings and relies solely on media for information.

School management varies across campuses depending on leadership team and prior experience.

Under SBDM not all employees comprehend the value of the District Education Improvement Council (DEIC) or communication with DEIC and EPISD employees needs improvement.

We support the regional concept.

Exercise true site-based decision-making.

In the superintendent search process, EPISD AdCom provided necessary information to give everyone the opportunity to attend.

Sometimes the school board attempts to micro-manage; many of the members do not have a background or knowledge of the "business" itself and tend to become political in their decisions. Due to lack of understanding, public opinions and criticism easily influence members.

Make sure that the schools are following the right steps in running a school, especially the principal; if he/she is not doing the job right, then who will?

The dress code is too strict.

SBDM needs support at the district level; needs more support and less management.

Stop social promotions.

Improve "quality" of student learning.

Set academic performance goals for students.

Do not allow school board to set policy.

Make schools accountable for the students that they deliberately slipped through the system.

Board should be instructed on its appropriate job and duty. Board members should be directors not administrators. Let the professionals do their jobs. If they don't perform in an adequate time frame, then "fire" them. The "Good Buddy" or "Good Ole Boy" system should be abolished. The regional concept is an absolute waste of personnel and resources.

True SBDM should be given to each school; including budget responsibility. Not long ago, it was decided that three areas were too great an expense. Now we have four regions costing way too much with high salaries and too much duplication.

Each school should be given a certain budget for outsourcing certain low-cost maintenance projects.

The school board members should worry more about the students and not their own egos.

The regional concept has helped schools by supporting initiatives.

Consolidation of school districts would combine the best administrators of each district and pool their resources effectively.

The regional concept created unnecessary competition, increased bureaucratic empire-building, and has taken money away from the children.

School counselors are overburdened by the number of students they must service; the net effect is that individual student progress and promotion suffer. Both my children received neglected service due to the sheer lack of time available to meet with their counselor. There must be an answer. How can these students receive needed scholarship information without career counselors?

The regional concept has taken away staff development from educators and money from students. EPISD needs to do away with this system. Give the money back to the schools where it is needed to help students the most.

Why can't students get in to see their counselors?

Why don't counselors counsel students on classes, scholarships, colleges, etc.?

Every facet of the district's life has been affected by politicizing forces - largely disgruntled citizens or former employees with axes to grind, or political hopefuls who hope to use the district as a stepping stone. Children are suffering from the bickering, micro-managing and downright interference of a few people. Hold administrators accountable, but first, give them the freedom to do their jobs. Employee morale is very low and public trust has been lost.

Overall, the district is being mismanaged from the board level and below.

Creating four regional superintendents only added to the bureaucracy. We do not need this waste of money.

The decision to accept the "Blue Flame" building provided consumers a "nice" donation and tax break for the donor. The anticipated maintenance costs do not justify its acceptance. Now we have two buildings to maintain.

Superintendent and support/administrative appear to have mismanaged oversight responsibilities as demonstrated by the misappropriation of tax dollars by employees.

The board blew it by rewarding the superintendent with bonuses while this was going on.

The reorganization plan that was implemented last year needs to be reviewed and evaluated by the new superintendent.

Change the rule of not being able to advertise until a position is vacant. This creates a time lapse until the new person is fully trained. Bring in new person as an apprentice under the person already in position.

Why should we have this dumb regional concept? If we are going to pay a lot of money to a superintendent he should do the job and not have his assistant superintendent do it. We are paying double for unresolved issues.

The superintendent isolated himself from the public. I hope this does not continue. An appointment is required to see him. You must get past all the security guards downtown (a rule by ivory -protected tower).

SBDM as interpreted by EPISD give principals more control of teachers and parental involvement.

Strategic planning is reserved for the professionals. Where is the community involvement?

How much community involvement is there in the superintendent selection process?

Superintendent contracts should have a clause stating that they get no severance pay if they quit. If I quit my job, I do not get a "golden parachute." I get nothing and superintendents should get the same if they quit!

Decentralize Regional (4) offices to their respective areas and rotate the regional administrator annually to a different school in his/her area of responsibility; this fosters feedback and contact with the community.

More access to school personnel (principals, vice principals in particular).

Consolidation of functions among local governments (e.g., EPISD, city and county) has potential for providing better service to the public at less costs: for example, purchasing of common consumables like paper in bulk; use of excess school buses could reduce costs of providing transportation to currently under-served areas in the county.

A condescending attitude by the main office administrators is no help.

Implement "one-stop" shopping; that is, a person with a question should not be passed around like a football.

The new slogan for EPISD should be "Administrators at the main building are sacred cows."

School superintendents should want to hold neighborhood meetings and give "State of the District Reports " and receive feedback from citizens often and not one or two times per year.

There are too many administrators. The farther away they are from the students, the more a person makes! We need more teachers and better quality teachers; class loads are too high; 30-37 students is too large; The idea of four regions is ridiculous.

The superintendent may get too many perks; when he left the district, he got paid for all his accumulated sick leave at his high rate of pay. Teachers do not get paid for sick days when they leave the district without retiring. Even when they retire, they only get paid for half of their sick days.

We are always told to express our concerns. Nothing ever happens! The people making the decisions are not in the classroom nor do they have any idea about what is going on in the classroom!

I agree that the site-based concept needs to be emphasized. We haven't truly given it a chance to work.

I would like for the superintendent to investigate why many students are being discriminated against at Rosa Guar. The principal is weeding out all the students that cannot keep up with her way of teaching. She has forgotten that the children are the reason for her profession, not how good she looks when the TAAS scores are high. So please investigate so we don't make our children go through all this terrible process of feeling dumb and hating school. My daughter hated school and felt dumb because of (the principal). Now she is back to herself again at Kohlberg. But there are still a lot of children going through this. The principal says that all other schools are no good and they give you the good grade and that is why children cannot learn in her school. The answer has always been to move. Now it is time to investigate why she cannot teach normal children. Because of the new zoning, children from Polk and Roberts had to go to Rosa Guerrero. Most of them have returned to their old school.

The weak board is due partially to lack of involvement by voters. Many are poorly educated.

EPISD needs locally recruited superintendents.

SBDM is good.

We should get rid of the regions, the regional directors, their secretaries, their offices and equipment and use that money on the school campus, the buildings, maintenance, supplies, and books.

We should get rid of the Blue Flame Building and use the money from the refrigerated air, computers, upkeep, maintenance, to add teachers and support personnel raises.

If we get rid of the Blue Flame Building we can save over 2 million dollars on downtown parking! It cost $300,000 to refurnish Boeing Building.

Regions only insulate the superintendent from the schools. It is an unnecessary, expensive layer of bureaucrats which has little to do with the essential teacher/student transaction.

Sell the Blue Flame for whatever it will bring.

The regional concept has destroyed Professional Development (New Teacher Orientation, selection of workshops, depth of facilitators).

The administration is top-heavy while custodians and cafeteria personnel are decreased and teaching positions are scrutinized.

Need to find out the overhead of administration to teaching staff. Compare 1978 to 1998, especially since the regional concept was re-introduced.

School management in this area appears weak. Either they are afraid of educators, especially coaches, at their school who have been there longer, or they just accept the fact that the educator may know best.

Administration is top-heavy and of little value to students and teachers.

Need to go back to a single EPISD superintendent deleting the four area superintendents.

The education and well-being of students should be the only priority for board, administrators, teachers, and parents. Bickering and politics only diminish our district's effectiveness. Site-based management is great!

Empower, truly empower your teachers to make the right decisions, given all the information they will produce, and the students will succeed.

School management is very low in this school. When it comes to coaches they think they're above everyone and everything. Administration needs to take parents' concerns to heart instead of always siding with coaches.

SBDM works if fiscal, instructional and custodial responsibilities are given to campuses regionally. Management is good, however EPISD is too big. Regions allow less governance from central office and more campus input, but instructional facilitators should be on campuses.

Does regionalization provide maximal efficiency versus centralization? EISD has regionalized and centralized several times; since the last Peat Marwick commission study.

I wonder if the school board knows what site-based decision making is! Decisions made at our school have been questioned by our school board.

SBDM is a farce. The campus improvement team at Coronado Senior High school (C.S.H) had no voice in the appointment of a principal during the 1996-97 school year. The management of the C.S.H. campus during school year 1997-98 was and most likely, still is, unfair. The principal of this campus had the police of El Paso search a teacher outside of a classroom during a state-mandated meeting. This search was conducted because the administration listened to and believed an anonymous tip. No weapon was found and no apology was offered. Why should the security, the civil rights, the freedom of this teacher be at risk of being lost because the C.H.S. administration, backed by the school board, exercises Nazi-like authority? If the principal appoints an advisory team to help improve a teacher's classroom instruction, why is he allowed to ignore their recommendation?

If an advisory team of experts states that a teacher in need of assistance has made progress and doesn't deserve to be terminated, why is the termination forwarded? Why is a principal allowed to ignore the advice of a team he created? Fire them all!

There are too many administrative and curriculum facilitators; put the money back into the schools and classrooms.

Facilitators make no impact on individual student performance.

Site-based management has put too much power in the hands of principals. The Campus Improvement Team (CIT) is a joke- loaded with people who are "yes men" to the principal.

The biggest cost to EPISD by far is the cost of having a student drop out. Statistics prove this costs money in the cost of social services for future generations. Spend the money needed to significantly reduce the dropout rate.

The school district should do a better job of looking out for alternative funding. We don't need to have the highest tax rate in Texas.

If SBDM is here for awhile every administrator needs to have the same definition. It is time for everyone to be on the same sheet of music.

SBDM has meant more time outside the classroom. Decisions are still made by the administration; Teachers are doing the work. What is wrong with placing one of the consultants on a campus to do the extra work?

The principal at Coronado appears to be very interested in the welfare and progress of the students at Coronado. He cares about the students.

Board members and staff need to listen to the community and ask themselves how does it affect the students and is it in their best interest.

The principal at Coronado has too much autonomy and authority and frequently abuses his power and micro-manages.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DELIVERY AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES

TAAS helps students.

Do not give us books.

We have no lockers, so we need fewer books.

Less time in classes, less work.

Eliminate TAAS. It's not a nationally recognized test. Instead make seniors take the SAT or ACT, even though they have no plans for attending college.

The curriculum is very generic not individually tailored for all students.

Spend less time on TAAS and more time learning.

Make TAAS more interesting, not boring!

Offer a Folklorico dance class or a Mariachi class.

The TAAS scores are not audited and probably edited and cannot be used to monitor school performance.

It should nevertheless warm our hearts that so many students may be ready to move on to the eighth grade.

Expand TAAS testing to all core subjects. Increase the frequency of testing to the beginning of student year, mid-point, and end of school year.

TAAS is an evaluation tool, not a standard test, and has been taken out of context, not only denigrating its usefulness, but also its validity as a tool, which is a shame.

All children are gifted, some in different ways than others. We must find the optimal method by which each child learns and build upon that strong point.

This district has very few athletic programs for middle school students.

Ysleta and Socorro spend money for boys' baseball and soccer and girls' softball and soccer. Many students are involved because of this, and not on the streets.

Logan should not be a magnet school.

There is too much emphasis on TAAS.

Get student teachers in classes with more than just 20 students.

My son is not getting the education he deserves. There is a seventh grader with the reading skills of a fifth grader. Teachers teach students to pass the TAAS test rather than teaching them how to learn.

We need smaller classes, please.

Teachers should be Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certified. There have been too many deaths caused by having to wait for the nurse.

How about a science technology magnet high school?

Both the federal and staff governments have succeeded in making a mess of special education. You make laws about something you know nothing about. Until you start to involve teachers and make realistic laws, lawyers will make a killing and the taxpayers will pay for it all. Teachers will be away from their classrooms in continual meetings and the kids will be the losers.

Teachers need to be the ones to decide where and how curriculum money will spend, not administrators!

When TAAS scores go up, check to see the increase in the number of TAAS-exempt students. Is it a coincidence? I think not.

Gifted and Talented (G/T) children are neglected. Magnet schools (such as Roberts) are not supported well by "feeder" schools and an excellent program (Connections) is not being used as extensively as it could be. G/T programs are being opened to too many. This dilutes the program.

Eliminate Bilingual education Get those children speaking English ASAP. I have no doubt we have bright, capable children who are being stifled in Bilingual education. As a student, G/T is a necessity in middle school because there is such a difference between some of the children!

Content mastery teachers are ineffective and excessive.

Teach English first. We live in the U.S.

Take the TAAS out. It is a waste of time in the classroom.

Toss the TAAS. Teachers and students are stressed.

Too much emphasis is placed on TAAS. It should be replaced by SAT and ACT in order to better prepare the children for higher education.

G/T program is a must!

Fifth grade is still an elementary grade. The maximum student-teacher ratio should be the same as lower elementary grades 22, to 1, not 30 to 1. Overcrowded classes diminish all students learning.

Teachers are being forced to teach TAAS questions and answers!

You have talented artistic students. Why not display some student work here in the cafeteria? Change displays. Have secure display cases locked.

Greenhouses? Why not a plant or two? Something green or even flowering?

There is far too much emphasis on TAAS in the school today. Not enough higher order thinking skills to truly challenge students.

I hate TAAS and my two have aced it. We emphasis minimum standards. Give our children the Iowa or some other test so I know how my children compare to children in other parts of the country.

Bilingual education program should be eliminated. Honors and gifted children's programs are discriminating and should be removed from the system. Math, especially Algebra, should be revised. Too many tutors are needed. The system is failing our children!

Why are there nurses only half the time at elementary schools?

Nurses are needed full time, especially when there is a campus that has early childhood, AIM, BIC, wheelchair students, students with walkers, diabetes and brittle bone disease.

Gifted and advanced math programs at Coronado are very good. They enabled my daughter to advance further in math. The initial testing of students in math enables the teachers to determine a child's level of mathematical comprehension. This enables students to test out of lower courses and move to more advanced classes.

Need progress reports for high school students. Parents need to be more informed of their children's progress. All instructors should issue progress reports in high school. This should be mandatory and uniform throughout the district.

Better explanations should be given to parents as to what elective courses are offered and as to what courses will better benefit a student's core courses.

TAAS would be better used to track student's progress! I'd like to know exactly how much money is spent each year on TAAS?

Summer school attendance should not determine retention/passage to next grade level. Mastery of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEK) should determine this.

Is the book selection committee made up of teachers who will use the books?

Pre-Kindergarten classes should be open to all 4-year-olds, not just "low-income" or "non-English-speaking" students. It should be equal opportunity.

In the past the enrollment age for school was set for September 1. For example: any child entering kindergarten had to be five years old on or before September 1. Now that we begin school in August, the enrollment age date needs to be changed to August 1. For example: any child entering kindergarten would need to be five years of age by August 1. This would allow the maturing young child to feel more successful. As the age requirement is now, a kindergarten class has students ranging from four to six Pre-Kindergarten students range in age from three to five years old. This great difference in age results in students falling behind and being retained due to lack of maturity, and not lack of ability.

We are excited about EPISD's Region 3 curriculum alignment project currently under construction.

TAAS realizes the need for accountability and measurement of impact.

Bilingual education; we appreciate the opportunity to pilot Dual Language/Gifted and Talented program in EPISD's Region 3. Special education; we are pleased with campus efforts on programs available, especially the pilot program at Mesita.

Support is needed for an accountability system in order to have these programs excel.

Banning TAAS testing is the best thing to do. Do not base a student's diploma on one test! It is not fair for those who don't know English.

The curriculum and educational programs are outstanding for an honors student. Very low expectations are set for "those kids" who are not labeled "honors" or "gifted." Regular students are not encouraged to reach high levels academically. Teachers with experience and a good track record in high school are the assigned teachers for the Honors or AP classes, while the rookie teachers are given the average students.

Where are the real evaluations of employees?

Evaluations are a joke.

Protect those who stand up for quality education by trying to reform, re-educate, or remove incompetent employees.

Students are given way too many chances to pass the TAAS test. Not enough time is given (in class) to prepare for it.

We are short-changing regular school child large class-loads. There is little or no technology except for overhead projectors and videos. In contrast, our Special Education students get resources that cannot be shared with regular classes. It is strange to see one classroom, one aide and one student. This is a very unfair distribution of educational resources.

Teachers have to teach "all" children: gifted, handicapped, learning disabled, etc., but yet there are no full-time paraprofessionals to help.

Over the past seven years or so, the district has undergone several "reorganizations" and other structural changes. Now, some are calling for the dismantling of the regional concept, which has been in place just over a year. Give this change some time! How can we know how effective something is when there is never any time to really implement it, much less let it be refined? In my view, dividing a huge, unyielding entity into smaller pieces makes sense for the support of educational programs.

The curriculum is fair. However, heavy emphasis on TAAS has resulted in too much attention given to test-taking and not enough to learning the basics needed to prepare our youth for college studies and life.

There should be a fine arts magnet school for the EPISD, using the same standards as those for a health magnet school.

School performance should not be based on TAAS alone. This limits the focus of a well-rounded curriculum.

If the principal does not bring up the TAAS scores after three years, get rid of them and start anew. Something is wrong at that campus. The teachers' and students' morale might be down because of all the important stuff the principal is asking of them!

Curriculum is given by state, not local option. Class sizes are growing due to lack of money for teachers and facilities.

I think TAAS is over rated and too much time is spent on it.

Since teachers are now rated on TAAS results, all scores are on the rise. Are we teaching the TAAS on basic education skills?

We are an international city enriched by learning more than one language. This will help them in the international market.

Special Education at EPISD needs to hire more related service providers and/or ensure that each student receives the type/amount of related services mandated by the student's Individual Education Plan (unlike the situation in the past).

It should be mandated that a student in elementary school who can't read at approximate grade level be remanded to a highly trained person on each campus to solve the problem.

Schools should include vocational learning at the site to service students in their area.

District to continue to search for inclusion programs to make an effort to make them successful.

District should train teachers, principals and staff on working with disabled students. This is the main reason why pilot programs do not succeed.

Teachers need the supplemental help to make "inclusion" a success and not to object when they encounter a "special student."

Keep programs for kids at the other end of the spectrum. The gifted need as much help in their own way as the other kids with special needs.

Too many children don't have to take the TAAS test. What is the percentage that doesn't take it? What are their reasons for not taking it?

Too many exemptions make inconsistent, unrealistic results to compare from one campus to the next.

Definite need for standardized pre/post test to determine a child's level upon entrance to that grade, and to see that teacher and student have worked hard to progress a child's growth - regardless of level.

First and second grade teachers need to concentrate on reading only!

Use a testing firm to come in to all schools and proctor TAAS - eliminate any possibility of altering answer sheets prior to sending to state for grading.

Do take pressure off all students, teachers and curricula in the district and let teachers do what we do best. Test to the individual rather than the TAAS!

The TAAS is more of a political thing than anything and the people administering it are creating their own positions.

TAAS test should be eliminated. Bilingual education needs to be eliminated.

You should implement better programs for Hispanic people.

Pass TAAS, fail life. Why do we support a system that encourages failure?

Teach culture, not black and white.

Some students transferring from states other than Texas have already passed the "do or die" standardized test as a freshmen, sophomore, or junior. Why test them again? It's only another standardized test required by another state.

Teachers do help the students a lot and prepare students to take tests.

Special Education should be revised and smaller classrooms with students.

Students should have TAAS testing, but with less importance.

Students should be given national tests.

Honors and AP good at high school, but not at middle.

The English as a Second Language (ESL) program has been greatly hurt by the formation of the regions!

Too much of the curriculum is text driven. Stay in your seat type educating instead of child centered.

Class structure is the same as in the 50's. Important classes should be 1 1/2-hour long, i.e. English, math, science, and business computers. Other classes maybe one-hour long i.e. social studies, health, physical education, foreign language, and electronics. High school days should be five hours long, which would allow students time for community involvement in their senior year and allow for maturing of students to be better prepared for college.

Magnet school concept is being used to improve TAAS scores and school enrollment of home school.

Block scheduling is waste of teacher resources 4 1/2-hour classes and 1 1/2-hour conference, schools have to hire 6-12 extra teachers at each school with block.

Students get only 75 percent instructional time compared to one-hour classes - sure they can take more courses - watering down all quantity and quality.

Students are often overlooked when policies are made. For example; if a school requires uniforms, administration gets feedback from parents, teachers, but they don't take into consideration what the students think about uniforms, same with block scheduling and regular schedules.

TAAS scores are being used as a measure of how to improve basic education.

Don't teach the TAAS test. Teach the basics so students will be literate upon graduation.

Campuses should decide curriculum.

How can per capita expenditures of special education be reduced to provide more funds for regular education programs?

I want to know why the state mandates a 24-credit graduation plan, mandates that we adjust our schedules to allow students to complete the required 24 credits and then they don't fund the extra teachers required to implement such changes? Too many demands on limited time; try quality instead of quantity in degree plans, curriculum, and schedules.

Students need alternative education discipline.

Evaluation is very subjective and no one cares about Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) since it is not tied to money.

PDAS is a waste of time and effort.

Curriculum should be based on the need to prepare students to enter a workforce that is dependent on technology. There is entirely too much focus on college preparation; look at the SCANS report. Let's prepare our students for the 21^st century, not a 19^th century Ivy League school.

Need to rid us of such standardized tests, especially national ones that tend to promote outcome-based education and Goal 2000 programs. Such tests are detrimental to parental rights and individualism and do not produce a good back-to-basics academic education, tempered with morality to educate well-balanced and productive citizens that will excel and have success and satisfaction at whatever work they decide to do whether in technological area or McDonald's.

Teacher's attitude of "not my problem" puts students at risk.

Get rid of TAAS and use comprehensive final exams. TAAS has proven to be an unnecessary obstacle for students that even end up attending Harvard University.

Need to refocus, concentrate on real skills, problem solvers, and promote independent thinking.

TAAS does not address the real problem.

Better screening system in the area of legal students in the school district, specifically Mexican residents crossing border and attending our schools. They are not paying taxes.

Middle school students are not getting money or an equal share of the pie. Special Education and Gifted and Talented students get a lot of funds. Regular students get very little and fall through the cracks.

We assume every student is college bound. There needs to be other options/opportunities for students. For example, instead of taking chemistry, offer a general science class; the student will be better served.

End-of-the-year exams for biology are a joke. Students can sit in a biology class and do absolutely nothing and pass the "Mickey Mouse" end-of-the-year exam and receive credit for the entire year of biology. It sends the wrong message. As a teacher, I am spinning my wheels.

There should be criteria for students to enroll in advanced classes. The advanced classes are watered down to address students who should not be in advanced classes.

We need to set the standards and encourage students to achieve them, instead of lowering the standards to address the limited capabilities of the students.

I would like to see a smaller teacher-student ratio in the classrooms. I also would like to see kids who don't get into trouble and try their best to be recognized, instead of coming up with "programs" for kids have discipline problems.

I would like to see a revision in the high school math program. The percentage of failure is high. Every teacher who fails a student should be evaluated.

I would like to see an end to Bilingual education. It is a waste of money. EPISD has a fund that gives grants; good job!

The way Bilingual education is taught should be changed. The class should not be taught in all Spanish, but English and then translated in Spanish. So, then Pre-K and kindergarten will be bilingual. This will help the children be in first grade on up.

SAT preparation courses are desperately needed and should begin this year. I think the Gifted and Talented program is a form of discrimination. Intelligence is self-discipline.

Why are English speaking, non-poverty level children not permitted to attend Pre-K? EPISD advises Pre-K criterion on the following: 1) child must be from Spanish-speaking family and/or, 2) low-income family. There are no programs for others. We were also told that Pre-K is for children at risk of becoming involved in gangs. Does this mean that others (English-speaking and non-poverty level families) are not at risk?

SAT tests should be administered free to all juniors and seniors (one time only).

Preschool program should be available to all children or none at all.

Too much discrimination in the system.

Straight A-students should not be acknowledged, especially in elementary schools. There are too many special programs (i.e. Hall of Honors, etc.). This can be very damaging to students. Good grades should be between parents and children only.

Regarding Pre-K and Head Start, why are similar programs duplicating the same goal of integrating the child into mainstream? Why not make Pre-K available to any child and maintain Head Start?

School nurses these days need to be at the school and very aware of the student body and their problems and sicknesses (i.e. diabetes, asthmatics, physically challenged). Don't nurses deserve more money?

Need more parental involvement and closer cooperation with community leaders.

Parents must be integrated, not just involved. Many parents lack the same skills their children now need. Knowing the characteristics of the surrounding community will assist the school in its goal to educate not only the children, but also the entire community. Education is not finite (for young students only). It should be for all. That's efficiency.

The schools discourage parental involvement. There is always an implied threat to the child should the parent be perceived to be creating waves. Parent patrol needs to be started again.

If you can have detentions held on Saturdays, why not have some kind of program for working parents to participate in. Why can't admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) meetings be held on this day also?