There will be a meeting Monday -- see information below.
Please remember to be respectful and civil.
Neighborhood Meeting
NOTICE
For Grandview &
Rivergrove Neighborhoods
Date of meeting: Monday, May 7
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Grandview School
Please come and join in the conversation. Many neighbors are concerned about the
potential of increased congestion, traffic, and other safety issues. Freedom Academy is projecting an addition of
400 more students with this expansion.
Many of these would be driving their own cars. The school presently has around 675 students
there, most of them are brought and picked up by their parents each day by cars. If the school goes ahead with this expansion
at this location, the school is projecting over 1000 students attending school
in this location off 900 North.
When Freedom Academy was originally built, the neighbors
thought they had an agreement with the school administration and board that any
expansion would be in another location.
The location they chose was on 820 North, but the building didn’t meet
building standards so the school is seriously considering quickly building on
the present location to house their 9th grade students this fall.
Mayor Curtis, our Provo City Council representative Kay Van
Buren, Senator Curtis Bramble, Representative Keith Grover, and other city and
state officials have indicated that they have concerns about the impact this
expansion would have on the neighborhood and we expect they will be at the
meeting to answer questions and hear your comments. Representatives of Freedom Academy have been
invited and they have indicated that they will also be there to represent their
present thoughts and plans.
Please come Monday and make your voice heard.
Folks! This is a easy fix. Work to give charters the money to bus kids to school. Then all the traffic, congestion, parking, and safety issues go away.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is people just want to attack charter schools (for whatever reason) They are not interested in fixing your problem or trying to work the problem they just want to make laws to stop charter schools.
But the suggestion that the board at Freedom is not willing to work with the neighborhood is hard to believe, I am sure the neighborhood just attacked the board and did not offer any constructive solutions to their issues.
As an outsider this looks like the debate here is very one sided. Of'course Provo is going to take the side of the neighborhood, If they can get more citizens to get the Utah Senate and House to give the city more power they are all for it. The current laws were put in place to protect charters from cities that like to make up zoning laws to stop them.
@Anonymous
DeleteLet me begin by saying that as a parent I am very pleased with the quality of education at Freedom and we enjoy the choices we have in education. We are pro-charter schools.
I can see how after looking at this site you would see the debate is one sided. As both a parent of two students attending Freedom Academy and a neighbor in the area I wish the Board would communicate their side better. And not even necessarily better - just communicate.
Frankly, I think they've been a bit surprised and overwhelmed by the neighborhood's opposition. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at their surprise. ;) Our concerns are not new. We've been trying to work on potential solutions for the last five years.
My wife has personally walked a two mile radius around the school to collect and submit data (signage, crosswalks, number of walking students) to the state for a sidewalk grant to improve safety for walking students. We've been denied twice.
We've suggested buses naturally, but as you correctly point out, their isn't money for buses. And really, its a tough proposition as so many students attend Freedom from diverse regions of the area and county. It's been interesting to me to see that somehow, parents are still able to get their students to school - without expensive busing. I think this is actually a good example where Charters can save money compared to traditional public schools.
However, as has been noted, absent of buses comes increased traffic. Couple that with a neighborhood not designed to handle that traffic and you introduce safety and congestion issues.
And, while I understand your cynicism regarding the City's involvement; as one who's been personally engaged with many of our city and state reps on this issue, I think they are being fair minded in their approach in trying to find a reasonable solution for both sides.
I also think the Board is sincere in trying to find a workable solution. I only wish they would communicate their plans and ideas in a more open and transparent process.
I'm confident we can get there. While the neighborhood frustration is real, I think you and the Board would find that we just want to be heard. All we've really wanted was a seat at the table, but unfortunately (and I believe the Board would not disagree) the history has been that we're often informed about plans after they've already been decided, rather than being included as concerned stakeholders.
Here's to future solutions and collaboration...
Cheers!
Ryan Frandsen
PS - I'd be happy to talk to you or any members of the Board about ideas you might have. Please feel free to call me at 801.369.5790
Thanks for weighing in, anonymous. Frankly, as a parent at the school and a neighbor of Freedom Academy, I find it hard to believe that the Board is unwilling to work with the neighborhood, too, but look through the facts and comments and you will see how it did in fact happen. Keep in mind that this is not an anti-charter school sentiment going on. Many of the people in the neighborhood send their kids to this school and love the quality of education provided there.
ReplyDeleteThe problem here isn't that the neighbors don't want a high school nearby -- the school had previous plans to expand just a half a block away on a wider road with better access and none of the neighbors made a fuss about it. The problem is, rather, that the site the K-8 school is on has many, many problems that have not been adequately solved for their current students, much less the addition of 400 more, including teenage drivers.
The school is backed up against a hill with only one small, narrow road that provides access. There are no sidewalks on some of these streets, no turn lanes, and there are some blind corners involved. Additionally, the site itself is very small for an elementary school in our area and when you add a high school on the same property, you take away green space and further tax the resources of the tiny lot.
Parents at the school are not keen on the idea of teenagers sharing such a small space with young children and were never surveyed about plans to build on-site.
I don't see any evidence whatsoever for Anonymous's claim that Freedom Academy's neighbors are "anti-charter school." His or her comment reminds me of the student who never turned in any homework or went to class, and then when he received a failing grade, told his teacher "You just hate me because I'm Black."
ReplyDeleteThe neighbors' concerns have little to do with the issue of charter schools vs. traditional schools; as Hansfullmom points out above, many local parents send their children to Freedom, and yet these same parents are among those opposing on-site expansion due to traffic and safety concerns. This is simply not an appropriate site for a high school of any type -- public, charter, or private.
-Blair Bateman
In this situation, like many others, it's best to gather every side of the story before casting judgment. I am also a parent with children going to Freedom Academy and I live one street away. It is absolutely true that the neighborhood has been left out of the loop and it is absolutely true that parents have not been surveyed or given much information.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a decision to be rushed into. School administrators and board members have expressed that they are working on solutions to traffic and safety issues. However, no one thing like buses can solve this issue on its own. I am sure that buses would help with the traffic, but it would be costly. I am not against hearing solutions to the problems, but this is a BIG issue for both neighbors and parents.
I am not against charter schools, obviously since I send my child there, but I am against the school making decisions and assumptions without having parent and community input. I value the education given at Freedom Academy and hope to be able to continue to send my children there.
I hope that people will try to get the whole picture, then make up their minds.