It’s time for the Board to expedite the study of the costs/benefits of all the academies. I believe that the academies undermine the zoning process and are a means for students to attend a high school outside their attendance zone (see attached chart). In addition, the Board needs to change the zoning process. Currently, the Board Members rely on zoning recommendations from the Building Utilization Committee, which is made up of employees from school administration and school campus personnel (see attachment). IMO, the committee should also include citizens from the school community such as parents and business owners.
I recommend that the academy study and changes to the zoning process be done by a consultant that is not affiliated with any Board Member or the Superintendent. Why hire a consultant if the work can be done by administration? There are many reasons, but here’s just a few.
• To get the job done efficiently and done right the first time.
• Expert with “data-mining” methods and utilizing the full breadth and depth of available data.
• Experience in interpreting public data and gathering more information than is on the surface.
But what’s the most important reason to hire a consultant? The academies and zoning process are very volatile issues and a consultant can see the situation through fresh, disinterested eyes, without the filters and preconceived notions that internal people may have.
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