Republican City Council candidate Ken Cockayne sent this along to answer my questions on the school site selection:
Unfortunately with decisions like these, not everyone will be satisfied. There are pros and cons on all the proposed sites, but I feel that the recommendations made by the committee were appropriate and I feel I would have come to the same conclusions.
Although the mall property is centrally located and owned by the city already, this would be contradictory to what I believe the majority of Bristol citizens, including myself, are supporting right now; which is to revitalize downtown with new business and to get the property back on the tax rolls as soon as possible.
While the idea of a “neighborhood” school, albeit a “mega school” (which seems to have become a popular term), is great, I do not support the use of eminent domain, nor am I comfortable with a major thoroughfare cutting through school property, as it would be if a school were placed at the end of Divinity Street.
There have been many proposed uses for the Roberts Property since the city took it over. Residents in that area were not comfortable with a sports complex or anything more than a park for passive recreation. I do not think they would be happy with having two of the largest municipal buildings in the city adjacent to each other in their neighborhood. It also just doesn’t make much sense to me to have one building housing K-8 and the other housing grades 6-8 in the same neighborhood. Regarding the eventual use of this property, while a compromise that is mutually beneficial for everyone might later be reached, that is a topic for discussion much later. Projects for Bristol need to be prioritized and that is not a priority at this time and should be left alone.
Placing the schools on the selected sites makes sense to me. The Crowley / Greene-Hills School property keeps a school in that portion of town, and even if it is a “mega school” it will still be a neighborhood school which I think is important. The Scalia property site on the surface seems to be the least invasive of the other proposed sites. It does not have any of the issues facing it like the ones listed above. It is very close to Rockwell Park and the West End and it can still have somewhat of a neighborhood school type feel.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
5 comments:
A neigborhood school is a small school with most students able to walk to and from the facility.
The school is "linked" to the neighborood - physically and socially by virtue of its walkability.
Because of walkability ALL students are able to attend after-school programs. Because of easy accessibility, the school can become a social bonding center for the parents. This further enhances the the sense of neighborhood and of place.
A "mega" school is a large school.
Most of the students are bused to and from the facility. Because of busing, there are few social links to the recepient neighborhood.
To suggest that the proposed "mega" school in Forestville is a "neigborhood" school is ridiculous.
Most students will have no connection whatsoever to the residents and surroundings.
Such a school is just another facility put in a neigborhood. The facility might as well be a Wal Mart,drive thru drug store, or airport.
On one hand, you say it is not suitable to put another one of these large facilities on Chippens Hill because the neighbors would find it offensive.
Then, why is it OK to create this "mega" school in a Forestville neighborhood?
Perhaps it were agreed that "small sized" schools were the best option for education, ( which is what over 25 years of education research suggests), the options for sites would expand tremendously.
The school system would actually SUPPORT the neigborhoods, support property values, rather than ENCROACH upon them with excess busing, noise, and traffic.
School conglomeration is a negative, not a postive.
Not a positive for neigbohoods, not a positive for educational achievement.
The kicker is that only small sized K8's provide the educational boost to overcome the disadvantages of middle-schoolism.
This key point is one that the BOE ,school site selection panels, and the city council are are keen to forget!
Why do people say that we would have to use entiment domain in order to build the school on the divinity/Park Street site?
Maybe some folks won't sell, howeverf if they are offered fair market value and not have thier land stolen like the Bugryn's did than maybe we can buy all the property needed.
Its called negogitaion and we're all making decisions without trying.
Than again, if the neighbors or homeowners had heard about it before the BOE sprung it on the city maybe they would be a little more receptive.
Mr. Cockayne, you speak out of two sides of your mouth. First you say the mall site should be considered for the school. Then you say people want businesses there. Please, please, please start making decisions on the basis of your convictions ... not because you feel it will get you elected. It's clear you don't know which bandwagon to jump on. I suggest you not make any comments unless you find out what people really want. By the way, what the citizens of Bristol don't realize is that most children are bused or driven to schools these days because of various reasons from parent concerns about the walk, i.e. kidnapping and other criminal concerns, distance from the school or no sidewalks to the school. Check the student roles and see how many are bused. They would be surprised. Even if they are within walking distance, many parents choose to drive their kids to school. The days of neighborhood schools where the majority of the kids walked to school is in the past. Society has changed and Bristol needs to change, too, although people seem to have a difficult time doing that in this town.
Ken where is the third site for the school going to be? Odds are that you will change your mind,Mall, Scalia,perhaps Divinity.Joe take this young man under your wing.
Mr Cockayne is it the voters that matter when it comes to education or is it our children?Interesting enough children should come before politics,do you have any kids currently in our school system?
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