Letter from Donna McClendon
Mr. Brown,
I am writing with regard to your website on postings to the proposed high school attendance zones.
First let me tell you that I have served on two redistricting committees one being Rivera. I know more about this process than I want to know, I can assure you!!!!!! I have a son who is a senior at DHS and a daughter who is a freshman. My husband is the robotics and engineering instructor at DHS. I am extremely involved in the campus not only as a parent but as the spouse of an employee as well. I would like to address your concerns one at a time. Teachers- they are very pleased with the boundaries as they are at this point. Only 12 employees out of about 145 have even applied for transfers. Additionally, the football coach has resigned. According to DISD there are limits on how many teachers can be taken from existing campuses to new schools. There have not been limits in the past and it has proven to be damaging to existing schools. Therefore the issue was addressed. Distance- I understand your concern on this issue. When Rivera was built there was an expectation from those in the neighborhood that they would attend Rivera. Of course many of them were not allowed to go to their neighborhood school because of their race and the upsetting of the balance of the schools. If your neighborhoods were shifted to Guyer it would raise DHS number of socio economically disadvantaged and significantly lower those numbers at Guyer. Denton high depends on your neighborhood for volunteerism and support. The inclusion of your neighborhood keeps the balance that must legally exist. There are federal mandates that state that no one school can have a representation in their school that does not represent the district as a whole. I trust DISD to address DHS slightly higher socio economic numbers before the proposed plan is approved. Denton High is an amazing school. The teachers and programs are incredible. Especially in the area of fine arts. Mr. Brown I want to thank you for attending Les Mis at DHS and supporting our fine arts program. I am sure you will agree the production was of professional quality! The principal is unbelievably supportive and accessible. I urge those who are unfamiliar with DHS to go visit with him and tour the school. While I currently live in North Denton we are building a home in your neighborhood so as far as transportation, I am about to be in the same boat with you.
Thank you for your time.
Donna McClendon
posted by Buster Brown at 8:15 AM
6 Comments:
Donna -- thanks for your insights into the process. Maybe there would be less confusion on the subject if there was a place where we, as parents and taxpayers, could become "educated" on the process at hand. I know that would settle a lot of confusion for me.
In response to your note, my wife and I know that both high schools in Denton currently, and I'm sure all 3 in the future, are excellent schools with excellent teachers and administration.
To restate the 3 points from our posting that really can not be argued, our preferred high school is Guyer because:
1. Significantly shorter distance
2. Newer facilities
3. Continuity/community, from elementary to middle school to high school
Thanks again for your input. I'm hoping that the above 3 points can be enough to balance out the socio-economic concerns.
--Bret & Michelle Curran
November 17, 2004 8:50 AM
By the way Les Mis was wonderful! I was blown away with the quality and outstanding performance of the production. You are indeed right that DHS has an outstanding fine arts department.
November 17, 2004 4:32 PM
And in the interest of equal and fair representation :-), we recently saw "The King and I" at RHS. And the entire family enjoyed it, and we were very impressed with the quality of the production!
November 17, 2004 6:09 PM
If i worked at Denton High I would be begging to keep these neighborhoods in my zone. A school is made by the parental involvement. By destroying the neighborhood school concept, by busing stundents across town, the fabric that made Denton schools the envy of other cities will be destroyed. This is the beginning of the end of good public schools in Denton, just look at Dallas and Fort Worth schools to see the future. I feel that DISD officials are looking at Dallas and Fort Worth's ISD's instead of PLano's ISD.
November 18, 2004 10:20 AM
Plano lacks the racial and economic diversity of Denton. Keeping schools in Denton equal racially and economically will benefit our school system and prevent it from becoming like DFW who made the mistake of abandoning that principle. Whatever the outcome our school board is committed to all children receiving the best possible education.
November 18, 2004 11:07 AM
for: bret curran
Remember diversity is the key to our international world, diversity is something some high schools seem to lack. And it's ignorant to base a high school based on it's "newer" facility- completely ignorant.
-Sr. High school student
April 23, 2008 11:54 PM
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