Comments on: School closures, shorter year eyed if measures fail

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:13:28 +0000

Rod, I appreciate & understand your perspective on GATE. Glad we agree on requiring proof of residence to attend neighborhood schools to help alleviate the overcrowded Davis classrooms!

By: Rod

Rod — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:50:33 +0000

I have studied other districts. GATE students in Davis are not “segregated.” In the elementary level, each child is placed in a unique classroom with one teacher for the whole year, both GATE and non-GATE students. Yet all of the students mingle together throughout the day for PE, art, music, recess, lunch, etc.
No student, including GATE students, is “segregated.” That is just absurd rubbish.
The GATE program skips a year of math in grade school, compressing 3 years of math into 2 years. Many children cannot (and do not want) to do that. We are profoundly grateful to the Davis school district that the GATE program exists, for that very reason.
To the point of this article- eliminating the GATE program would not save alot of money and close the horrific financial gap outlined in our school district. If there were no GATE program, it would COST the school district more money since parents like us of kids who need more math acceleration would demand it, and force the school to provide adequate math instruction for all kids, not simply those at the bottom.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:03:43 +0000

Another unintended consequence: GATE segregates. Other districts have intermixed GATE students within the regular student population. Perhaps study other successful public school districts in California.

By: Rod

Rod — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:55:47 +0000

I completely agree with making sure that kids in our schools come from Davis or their parents work in Davis.
How would revising GATE help? GATE is a very popular, inexpensive program that should be expanded, not curtailed. Both of my kids are in GATE and love it. GATE is one of the reasons we haven’t left our woefully overcrowded Davis public schools for private schools.
One thing I’ve noticed this year as the schools have gotten more overcrowded- the kids who are lower socioeconomic (SES) and/or have less involved parents are falling further behind as the class size has risen. My husband and I volunteer weekly in their classes and can see this first-hand.
For families who have the means, they simply hire private tutors or otherwise fill the gaps that arise from having these underfunded schools. For families who do not have the means, their kis are simply left behind.
This is an unintended consquence.

By: Rich Rifkin

Rich Rifkin — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:25:15 +0000

Scott's number is probably right. According to the California Secretary of State (via Cal-Access), the CTA's issue PAC spent $28,077,560.03 from 1/1/2012 - 09/30/2012. See here. Of that, it appears that $5.5 million was spent on Prop 30. The number Scott gives is a little higher. The difference is probably that CTA gives some money to campaigns like this indirectly. Far more CTA money (nearing $20 million), this year, has been spent on the No on Prop 32 effort.