Community For Education

Recommendations and reviews from 1 person

• Referral from June 10, 2013
  

  Christine D. asked:

  This is from Judy Marion Petrungaro post, she was on the board. About 20 years ago the Wolcott School Board investigated the possibility of annexing with H-F. We gave up the idea because we found out it would be a big fight with S.D. 205 costing hundreds of thousands of $$$$ with no guarantees we would win. This time it is no different and all the $$$$$ must come from individual residents.....no school $$$$$. If you have ever had any dealings with attorney's you know they are not cheap. For a 2-4 year fight I don't even want to think how much it would cost and like you said you taxes would go up. Plus is the benefit really worth the fight? How much better is H-F? I believe the money would be better spent helping district 205 improve the educational status and help the children there really learn. The teachers there are great. The parents need to be educated as to how important a good education is for their children. Then maybe they can instill that into their children's heads.

  

  Matt D. replied:

  From what was said at the detachment meeting Tuesday, initial estimates for a court battle range from $25,000-$50,000 with a 2-4 year timeline. You are 100% correct in saying that District 154 would not be paying for anything. However, there are many things at play determining what would happen to the tax rates. They may go up, and they may not. In either case, it would appear the tax bill change would be negligible. Most likely less than $100 a year. Is it worth it? Absolutely, in my opinion. Many Thornton families that have children approaching high school simply pack up and leave. And who knows how many people are steered away from moving into town because they discover a failing high school during their research. The slide show on the website (www.communityforeducation.org) details how much more successful HF really is. With a graduation rate of 95% vs. Thronwood's 72%, that is an obvious indicator that something is amiss at Thornwood. Also, out of all the tax money 205 gets from Thornton (approx. $2.9M) , only a very small percentage of our 8 th graders ever go there. I think this year, only 4 of the graduating 8 th grade class are going to Thornwood. Why pay taxes to a school your community doesn't want to be a part of? Why pay taxes to a school that drives down your property values and scares people away? Unfortunately, Thornton as a community can't change Thornwood and make it a better school, and no amount of our money will ever change that. To me, it is obvious that a detachment needs to at least be considered. From what I'm told, a lawyer has been contacted, and there should be a meeting scheduled soon for the questions & concerns of the community to be addressed. Check the website frequently for updates, and join the mailing list if you'd like.

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