Jordan Elementary School Boundary Questions
Why the focus on schools in this area?
Is this decline unique to these schools?
Which school attracts more students from outside its boundaries?
Why consolidate Jordan Elementary?
How much money could be saved by closing Jordan?
Would the classes be larger at Frost and Pomeroy?
Why aren’t special education numbers always included in the enrollments?
What are the home schools of the special education students?
If the school closes, where will the special education students go?
Are there are more young children in the neighborhood now?
What will happen to Jordan Elementary?
How were people notified?
What is PABDAC?
Why does it take so long for a decision to be made?
Will the students have to travel farther than those in other schools?
Does the district have any examples of revitalized school communities?
What is the minimum square footage required for schools?
I understand Frost Elementary School is beginning to implement the International Baccalaureate program?
What is the International Baccalaureate Program?
What are the plans for the IB Primary Years Program at Frost?
Is the Primary Years Program a program for gifted students?
Does the program use Mesa Schools curriculum and textbooks?
How is student progress communicated to parents?
What if I don't want my child to participate in the Frost IB program?
Why the focus on schools in this area? Top
There are four schools in the Mesa School District with 550 or fewer K-6 students – Roosevelt, Jordan, Pomeroy and Frost. The last three have fewer than 500 students who reside in the attendance area of the particular school. Three of these schools are adjacent to one another. It was logical to look at possible consolidation in this area.
At one time, the schools in this area were significantly larger. In 1992 there were between about 900 to 1,000 students enrolled in each school. This year there are less than 500 students in each of these schools. (These numbers for all years excluded self-contained special education regional programs which are assigned by the district.)
Is this decline unique to these schools? Top
No, we see it throughout the area. In the three adjacent schools in the Chandler School District we see a decline. Knox went from 596 to 472 in the last four years, Anderson went from 602 to 518 and Goodman, fell from 627 to 476. Goodman School was changed from a neighborhood school to the magnet Chandler Traditional Academy and has picked up enrollment. Even area charter schools are experiencing some decline in enrollment. One factor may be that this area has been saturated with district, charter and parochial schools.
Which school attracts more students from outside its boundaries? Top
Jordan attracts 88 students for its K-6 program and has 19 students in the Young Learner Program and 54 special education students assigned by the district. Pomeroy attracts 63 K-6 students and has 26 Young Learner Program students and 23 Special Education students assigned by the district. Frost attracts 59 students plus three special education students.
Why consolidate Jordan Elementary? Top
Jordan has shown a slow steady decline beginning in 1992. Today it is about half the enrollment it was at its peak. Efforts have been made to attract more students and market the school. In the past few years the district placed regional programs in special education and pre-school on the campus to compensate for the low enrollment and to fill unused classrooms. These programs are considered ‘district’ programs because they are placed by the district based on regional needs and could be assigned to another school, just as they were when they were moved to Jordan.
How much money could be saved by closing Jordan? Top
First, we anticipate that there would be no savings in the areas of classroom or special education teachers, teaching supplies, or classroom aides because we assume those costs would occur at the school where the students will go.
The savings would be in other areas. The salaries of the principal, media specialist, psychologist, nurse, health aide, facility assistant, lead and part-time custodians, secretary, office specialist, media assistant, reading aide, and crossing guards could be saved. In addition, extra pay for grade level chairs, student council advisors, and incentives for the above staff could be saved. There could also be savings for utilities and field trip/science camp allotments.
Using current year salaries and prior year utility costs, these expenses amount to $783,429. The exact net savings after a new program is placed at Jordan cannot be determined at this time. However, we know that smaller focus programs have fewer overhead costs than a neighborhood school.
Would the classes be larger at Frost and Pomeroy? Top
Teacher allocations to schools are based on a common formula for all schools. Using student projections, teacher contracts for the following year are allocated based on formulas/ratios in the Mesa Educational Association agreement. The student-teacher ratios in the agreement are:
Young Learner Kindergarten 22 to 1
Kindergarten 26 to 1
Primary (Grades 1 –3) 26 to 1
Intermediate (Grades 4 –6) 30 to 1
As the allocations are based on student projections, the resulting ratios at the beginning of the school year may vary from school to school if the number of students who enroll and attend is above or below the projected number of students.
Why aren’t special education numbers always included in the enrollments? Top
When looking at historic trends we have to rely on existing reports, and these reflect how enrollment is usually counted. Generally, enrollment figures and reports break out two groups – regular education and resource special education as one group and self-contained special education as another. In the former group, enrollments are used to allocate teacher contracts based on a targeted student-teacher ratio. These students in the attendance area would also have first right to use available space if there was overcrowding. In the later group, teachers are assigned by the District’s Special Education Department because the programs are district regional programs housed on a given campus. Therefore, special education self-contained students are counted, but they are counted separately.
What are the home schools of the special education students? Top
The self-contained special education programs are based at a school but serve a geographical region that consists of several nearby schools. Because of the declining number of regular education students, a number of regional based self-contained special education programs are placed at Jordan. Of the 44 (2/21/08) pre-school students in the program 20 percent live in the Jordan attendance area, 20 percent in the Sirrine area, and 16 percent in the Pomeroy area. The remaining students come from 12 different school attendance areas. Of the 62 (2/21/08) self-contained special education students in kindergarten through the sixth grade, 23 percent live in the Jordan attendance area, 10 percent in the Frost area, and 6 percent each in the Adams, Alma, and Redbird areas. The remaining students come from 16 different school attendance areas.
If the school closes, where will the special education students go? Top
The self-contained programs are placed on campuses in a region by the district. It is done based on the availability of space, the location of students and other factors important to a specific program. There is space available in neighboring area schools to house these programs.
Are there are more young children in the neighborhood now? Top
There is no current census of the number of students in the area. The U.S. Census data is from 2000 and therefore cannot be used to address this question.
The district does have data on kindergarten enrollment of regular education students from the third week of the school year. Those numbers show a decline over time and do not show a resurgence in the last few years. There were 80 kindergarten students in 1997, a high of 92 students in 1998, 63 in 2002, up to 67 in 2004, a low of 58 in 2005, a jump to 70 in 2006, and back down to 59 in 2007.
What will happen to Jordan Elementary? Top
MPS does not have plans to sell Jordan Elementary School. MPS will continue to maintain the campus and plans on putting the building to a future use. However, no determination has been made as to how it will be used in the future because the decision on whether or not to close the school has not been made.
However, several possible uses for the school have been suggested such as providing regional programs like self-contained special education and extended learning (gifted) classes or a west side early education center for pre-school children. Other possible uses include partnering with another institution to provide educational services, either to emphasize a subject area content or a specialized population.
How were people notified? Top
Letters to all Jordan families were mailed on February 1st and the first ones were received the following day. Of the 422 letters mailed, seven were returned as undeliverable. The letters announced the two PABDAC hearings and the planned school board meeting on March 11th. On Friday February 22nd a second mailing was sent. Notices were also put in the Frost and Pomeroy newsletters. In addition, the school is making an effort to inform the community through the marquee and plans on sending additional reminders home with students. Participants at the first hearing were also notified by e-mail.
What is PABDAC? Top
State law states that the Governing Board must have two hearings on closing a school. Mesa adds an additional set of hearings to get more input from people in the affected area and community members from throughout the district. This ensures that issues are thoroughly discussed and studied before a recommendation is developed for the School Board.
Mesa’s Planning and Boundary Design Advisory Committee (PABDAC) is made up of 10 community volunteers who serve with no pay. District staff provide information to the committee and recommend a potential action. The first meeting of the committee is to hear the information and recommendation and any public comment. Committee members can then ask questions, request more information or even propose different solutions. The following meeting(s) focuses on the new requested information and developing a recommendation for the Board. After sufficient meetings to gather information, PABDAC votes on making a recommendation to the School Board.
The School Board receives the recommendation of the citizen PABDAC committee, the comments received from the community and the staff recommendation as amended after the PABDAC hearings. This helps ensure that many viewpoints are considered before a decision is reached.
Why does it take so long for a decision to be made? Top
Mesa, like all districts, has to follow state law. The law states that the Governing Board must notify parents thirty days before the Board hearing and then cannot vote until at least 30 days after this Board hearing. The PABDAC hearings add a couple of weeks to the process, but it ensures that issues are discussed and studied before a recommendation is presented to the School Governing Board.
Will the students have to travel farther than those in other schools? Top
The elementary schools with the largest attendance areas, not counting the Salt River Pima Maricopa Community and Fort McDowell areas, tend to be in the eastern portion of the district (e.g., Sousa, Zaharis, Las Sendas, Red Mountain Ranch, and Wilson). Unlike these schools, the proposed Frost and Pomeroy attendance areas would be similar to the majority of elementary boundaries.
Does the district have any examples of revitalized school communities? Top
Over the past 20 years, the existing neighborhood schools that have declined and then have grown by 200 students or more from their low enrollment to now are Adams (807 to 1062), Emerson (594 to 1019), Field (669 to 883), Lowell (575 to 1041), Salk (725 to 929), Stevenson (678 to 978), and Webster (571 to 1146).
What is the minimum square footage required for schools? Top
There is no requirement that a school has a specific number of square feet for each pupil. However, there are rules for determining when districts will receive funding for new construction from the School Facilities Board (SFB). The SFB standard for elementary school construction provide 80 square feet per elementary student.
If we used this rule for determining the need to construct a new school to set capacities for schools in the Jordan area, we would see that capacity far exceeds the number of area students. Using the 80 square foot guide, Jordan (67,039 sf) could hold 838 students, Frost (62,678 sf) could hold 783 students and Pomeroy (60,115 sf) could hold 751 students.
I understand Frost Elementary School is beginning to implement the International Baccalaureate program? Top
Yes, both Frost Elementary School and Hendrix Junior High School are
currently in the initial planning stages to implement the International
Baccalaureate (IB) programs. This program is one of many innovative programs
offered across the Mesa district.
What is the International Baccalaureate Program? Top
The International Baccalaureate Program, commonly referred to as IB,
offers high quality instruction to schools in the United States and around
the world. There are more than 599,000 IB students at 2,226 schools in 125
countries. The program is divided into three levels, Primary Years (grades
K-6), Middle Years (grades 7-10) and Diploma Program (grades 11-12). The
primary years program will be provided to all students at Frost Elementary
School and the middle years program will be an option at Hendrix Junior
High School. A highly successful diploma program was established at
Westwood High School in 2005.
What are the plans for the IB Primary Years Program at Frost? Top
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP) focuses on
the total growth of the developing child. In addition to the emphasis of
student academic development in reading, writing, mathematics, science and
social studies, the program encompasses social, physical, emotional and cultural needs. The PYP draws on research and a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools to create a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant education for all children.
Is the Primary Years Program a program for gifted students? Top
No. The Primary Years Program is designed to support the diverse learning needs of all students.
Does the program use Mesa Schools curriculum and textbooks? Top
Yes, the PYP builds on the Mesa Schools curriculum and uses the
textbooks and programs that the other district's schools use. Like all Mesa
students, Frost PYP students are required to meet state academic
expectations as measured by the AIMS test and other assessments.
How is student progress communicated to parents? Top
The Mesa Public Schools report card and progress reports are used to
communicate the academic achievement of students. Parent-teacher
conferences, conducted in October and January allow time for parents and
teachers to discuss the individual academic accomplishments and needs of
students.
What if I don't want my child to participate in the Frost IB program? Top
The district offers opportunities for parents to apply for open
enrollment at any of its schools. If the Frost IB program does not meet the
needs of individual students and their families, the district will assist
families in seeking enrollment in any of our other exemplary schools.