The School Board may have voted to close Hoover, but there
are still options available to us—namely, getting candidates elected who are
committed to overturning that vote.
To that end, a “Meet the Candidates” gathering is scheduled for Sunday, August 25, 4 p.m. at Creekside Park. It is crucial that the candidates know
our concerns and we hear exactly where they stand on this important issue. Spread the word to your friends and
neighbors; let’s show that we don’t intend to go away! In the words of Margaret Mead:
Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Now that the date to get yourname infor next school board election has passed, what pro-Hoover candidates will be running?
ReplyDeleteNote, time has not passed to reverse this decision. Vote to have the 3rd high school built, then the expansion pressures can be taken off of City.
Jeff Haring
Hello, Jeff. Good question. As you may know, of the two incumbents running, Karla Cook voted for closing Hoover and Tuyet Dorau voted against it. Of the newcomers, Phil Hemingway, Sara Barron, and Greg Geerdes have come out in favor of keeping Hoover open. The others have more nuanced responses, with Brian Kirschling seeming to come out the strongest for closing Hoover. Here's a link to their views:
Deletehttp://ablogaboutschool.blogspot.com/2013/07/candidates-responses-about-closing.html
As for the 3rd high school taking pressure off City to expand, I'm afraid that's not how the district sees it. We met with Principal Bacon shortly before the school board vote, and he expressed concern that if City did not expand it would be relegated to being the smallest and most neglected of the 3 high schools. It is clear that, regardless of the existence of a third high school, City wants to expand. Hoover families differ on this from a number of vantage points, just a few being:
1. Does City REALLY need to expand?
2. How MUCH does it need to expand?
3. Is it worth closing one of the district's most vibrant and successful neighborhood schools?
4. What would Hoover's land be used for?
To date, the answers to all these questions and others have been unconvincing, nebulous, and seemingly dissembling. With the future of our children at stake, that is just not good enough.