I’ve enjoyed reading the great GATE debate being brought once again to the forefront. However, I’d like to ask our community to think more broadly in terms of equality and inclusivity when it comes to educational programs in Davis. In this regard, there is much work to do.

School choice is a hallmark of Davis schools. With wonderful magnet programs like GATE, Spanish Immersion, Montessori and Da Vinci combined with a very liberal transfer policy (46 percent of students do not attend their neighborhood school) it would appear that we have it all. But do we all have it all?

Having recently served on the South Davis Enrollment Committee to review enrollment trends and impacts at Montgomery Elementary, I can tell you we do not. Access to special programs requires information, family support, transportation and sometimes funding for a private test. These necessities are not available to all families in Davis.

Did you know 48 percent of Montgomery students are qualified as low socio-economic status? Forty-one percent are English language learners. Montgomery is an outlier when compared to other schools. Teachers fill the shoes of social workers as they feel the impact of students with needs that go beyond academic support.

Field trips are canceled because there aren’t enough parents able to volunteer to drive. Fundraising and community-building activities are also impacted, making for a less-equal school experience when compared to other schools. While fantastic instruction from dedicated teachers goes on daily, an achievement gap persists.

Programs and policies are impacting the make-up of students in our neighborhood schools. Montgomery is one of the first schools to feel this impact and more will follow if changes are not made. We must decide, as a community, if diversity is important to us. If we know integration can help us eliminate the achievement gap, why wouldn’t we work to prevent our schools from becoming unbalanced?

Choices are wonderful. Yet the choices we make can also divide us as a community. Separate is still not equal.

Please read the South Davis Enrollment Committee report on the district website and consider attending the Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Harper Junior High, 4000 E. Covell Blvd. My hope is that the Board of Education and community can come together to do what is best for all Davis students.

Tricia Bosco

Davis

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