Letter outlining some concerns

from an email sent Friday, April 20, 2012; a few slight changes have been made for clarity and readability
Dear Governing Board Members,

As I'm sure you know, I started the petition that has inundated your email box the last two days.  My husband attended your meeting on Wednesday night and we felt it important that the neighborhood and parents at the school understand that a high school at the current location is under consideration. 

I understand that some of you might feel some frustration with the neighbors weighing in on a decision that hasn't been fully made yet.  It's worth pointing out, however, that none of us opposed the high school when it was to be located on 820 North. The neighborhood as a whole felt that 820 North has the infrastructure and existing traffic to accommodate a high school.  It's when you're talking about putting the high school on the current site that concerns us.  It's not "not in my backyard;" it's "not at THAT site in my backyard."

The following is a summary of some of my concerns:

Concern #1:  Lack of Communication with the neighborhood and the parents
*   The meeting that happened on Wednesday was only advertised two days in advance AND the email sent out didn't even list a time.  I checked my email and yes, it does appear that there was an email about the change of date on the governing board meeting sent out on the 14th, but that email didn't indicate what the agenda of the meeting was.  I understand that the Board is complying with law in giving the 24 hours notice, but you should also understand that the change you are talking about is not minor.  I'm not sure that the Board could have framed the decision and discussion in any way that would have caused the neighbors to feel this is a good idea, but because of the lack of communication from the school and the Board, you are placed in a position where the opposition is defining the debate. 

*  Except for a survey sent out years ago when the idea was first explored, the parents at the school have never been asked their opinion on the high school.  We have not been consulted on whether we want a high school at all, much less our opinion on its location. 

*  As far as I know, the decision to change the school's charter to K-12 has never been ratified by a majority of parents. 

Concern #2:  Other options need to be considered.
*  The Governing Board has increasingly backed itself into a corner with a series of decisions and mistakes.  First, the charter people who went to the state were NOT authorized to change Freedom Academy's charter to K-12.  Because they did that instead of getting a separate charter for the 9-12 students as was authorized at the meetings my husband and I attended, we are now in this position where the location for the high school is so restricted.  Why can't we consider going back to the state and doing what was originally planned and getting a separate charter for the high school?  Doing so would open up the whole city for possible expansion.  I don't oppose a high school; but I do at that site.

*  What about some of the lots further west on 820 North?  Or going to the state to get a variance on where the location has to be? 

*  Frankly, I don't see a solution other than building at the current site that would get you a high school by the fall (and even building on-site is iffy).  But I don't think that's a compelling reason enough to build at the current site.  Don't make a hasty decision that will impact BOTH the K-8 and the 9-12 grades for decades because you feel an obligation to the 65 students signed up for the fall.  I know it's a huge blow to all the planning and to the parents who were so excited about the fall; but that cannot be the reason this decision is made.   

Concern #3:  Lack of Space on the current site
*  Frankly, the grounds of the school are really inadequate for the students already housed there.  Putting the high school building into the hillside does not make more room in that small field where the kids play.  A high school, to be successful, ought to have more space for outdoor recreation than is at the current site.

*  Extensive grounds are not essential to a college prep environment; however, if you want to appeal to parents, they would certainly be a part of the decision people make to attend.  Frankly, the former site on 820 North was pathetic in that regard; I can see how the current site would be better than that alternative.  However, given enough time to consider other sites, I'm sure there could be some found that would have room for an actual soccer field or track.  At one point, there was a site at Geneva and Center Street that was under consideration that would have had plenty of room.

Concern #4:  Parking and Traffic Problems
* I live in the neighborhood and know of the frustrations of the neighbors with the cars already here.  The only thing the school can do to restrict the drivers is not allow them to park there -- I don't think you can legally restrict a licensed driver from driving anywhere he pleases.  If you restrict the parking, the high schoolers will just park on the street or in the neighborhood like the students do around BYU and UVU.  Even IF it were possible to restrict high school students from driving, 400 additional students mean more families and more cars.  It means more after-school activities and more traffic.

*  There are current traffic problems.  It is difficult for me to get around the neighborhood at drop-off and pick-up; my kids are in danger every day because there is no sidewalk on 1250 West.  Yes, some of it is lingering frustration about "that one time" but if you try and get around the neighborhood at drop-off and pick-up time, you'd know that it is more than just occasional annoyances.  

Concern #5:  Inadequate Separation of Teenagers from Young Children
*  I don't see any way to adequately separate the teenagers from the young kids.  Even if we stagger the times the different groups use the grounds, there are plenty of after-school and before-school times where they will be together, especially during pick-up times.  And as I said to Mrs. Herring, all it takes is for one deviant teen to be alone in the bathroom or in the forest with a little kid. 

*  It's true that deviancy can happen anywhere.  However, my kids don't spend a lot of time away from my influence and oversight except at school.  So if we are talking about keeping MY kids safe (and next year, I'll have six of them at Freedom), then you can bet that I'm going to do everything possible to keep them away from what I consider dangers.  I saw the kind of kids who were attracted to Freedom Academy when it first opened up the seventh and eighth grades.  Parents saw this as a "second chance" for their wayward kids.  There were ten of them or so who were so disruptive that they were kicked out (correct me if I'm wrong).  While I would hope that the high school would only attract the best and brightest, the fact is, it's a charter school, not a private one. Anyone is welcome to apply for the lottery and when there's pressure to fill seats in order to get enough funding to pay off a building, as there will be at least for the next four or five years, it's not likely that the students will be of the best quality.  The fact is, there are only 65 students for the fall.  There's no waiting list and there's also no guarantee that all 65 students are even planning on attending Freedom.  Some of them could well be keeping their options open by keeping their spot there "just in case."

And we're not just talking about possible molestation, which I agree is not going to be happening every day.  We're talking about bad language, public displays of affection, bullying, etc.  I don't want my kindergartner to be around teenagers that aren't their siblings on a daily basis.  Every parent I've talked to so far feels the same way.

Concern #6:  No Guarantee that any Promises made to the neighborhood would kept
*  I understand that many in the Board think the problems inherent in a high school are solveable.  However, we have no guarantee that any solutions you bring forward and are accepted by the neighborhood will actually stay that way in the future.  For example, the current Board might set up separate times for the high school to start, but who's to say that a couple years down the road, another board is tired of hearing complaints from parents about having to drive to school four times a day for pick up and drop off?  At that point, they could go back to the same start times for the sake of convenience.  Unless there are legally binding decisions made, the neighborhood and parents are going to oppose this.  You know how varied the Board's opinions currently are and that the Board's make-up changes often enough that a thoughtful, wise solution made by the current board could be thrown out on the whims of another one.

*  There have already been promises or implied promises made that have not been kept.  For example, at one of the first meetings, I was told several times that there would never be any pressure to attend the Freedom Academy high school.  I've also been told more recently that "we understand this school won't be for everyone."  However, from what I understand, the school has not allowed the counselors from Provo High to come to the school and register the interested eighth-graders as has been done in the past.  Furthermore, I understand that at least two eighth-graders went to the front office and asked how to register for Provo High and were told that they were on their own to do so.  I was told today that all the students who were signed up for Freedom High School were invited to a meeting where they were served pizza, while the other eighth-graders were excluded.  I'm not sure what happened at that meeting and I'm hearing these things second-hand and they might not be completely accurate.  I would love to hear an explanation, if you have one.

Concern #7:  The impact on the current, successful K-8 model has not been thoroughly considered.
* I don't have access to the research on this computer, but at the original meeting where the separate charter was authorized for the 9-12 grade, we brought several studies that showed the benefits of a K-8 school.  Until I see research supporting a K-12 model, I stand behind that.

***
I love Freedom Academy and have been an enthusiastic supporter for many years.

I'm not against a high school, but I am against a high school at that location.  I hope there is a Freedom Academy high school built for interested students and I hope it's wildly successful, but as long as the current site is under consideration, I will do all that I can to oppose it.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my concerns,

Christina Bartholomew