Neighborhood Schools Joins Forces with Year Round Schools

We are pleased to annouce a partnership between “Keep Eaton Year Round” and the “Neighborhood Schools for New Hanover County”.

http://www.neighborhoodschoolsfornhc.com/

Here is the latest statement from the “Neighborhood Schools for New Hanover County”:

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Year Round vs Traditional.  Where do Neighborhood Schools fit into the mix?

In light of the recent controversy regarding year round schools, it may leave Neighborhood School proponents wondering where we fit in this new equation. While it might make sense to some to consider changing the year round program, the truth is, it is a very successful program and is an important part of a Neighborhood School system that includes choice for parents (as are strong Magnet Schools).  The goal of the Neighborhood Schools movement is to make sure parents have CHOICE. Just as we have chosen our specific neighborhoods based on the school system, it’s only fair that year round and Magnet school programs are available too. No one method is better or worse than the next - when parents are involved, resources are applied equally and there are strong teachers and leadership - all of these options work well. Let’s keep in mind that it is the same “take from theirs to give to ours” mentality that has prompted the Neighborhood Schools vs Busing debate to begin with and while it may fix one issue, it creates a whole host of others.

As we go into this next forum Monday night, please remember when you speak that challenging the year round schools or setting up an US vs THEM scenario (and therefore forcing them to come out in even greater numbers) only dampens our momentum and detracts people from the bigger picture. We have got to remain focused on supporting neighborhood schools and getting the board to remove Options 5 and 6 from the table. Period. Once we are looking only at a Neighborhood School map (likely Option 4), we can tweak it appropriately to disrupt as few children as possible in this redistricting.  Then, and only then, can we focus on finding both short and long term ways of resolving the challenges within our system.

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