A meeting about the future of Central Elementary in Neosho will be held 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, but R-5 officials apparently don't think many people will attend it.
Why else schedule a meeting about the future of a school that has been attended by generations of children in a different school, the junior high school, that is not even located in the same part of town?
Central parents also received little advance notice of the meeting. The message was sent today.
Central teachers and staff received only slightly more advance notice than parents. They were herded into the cafeteria for a mandatory meeting Friday afternoon to hear Superintendent Jim Cummins break the news. Cummins was flanked by Assistant Superintendent Nathan Manley and Director of Operations Ritchie Fretwell.
Principal Shannon Peterson was there, too, but this was above her pay grade.
Central's location will be used as an alternative school.
The elementary students who are currently attending Central or who will be in that geographical area next year will be split among Benton, Carver, South and the district's new and highly touted RISE (Reaching and Inspiring Through STEAM Education) school. (STEAM stands for Science, Tech, Engineering, Art and Math.) It's a paradise for acronym lovers.
Faculty members and staff will not be distributed among those buildings.
The other teachers are being given the option to apply for any district openings, but with no guarantees.
The same is true for secretaries, janitors and aides.
All were encouraged to hurry and get their applications in for any openings.
After all, and it bears repeating, there are no guarantees.
This is dejavu 3 years ago!! Cummins came in and told the staff they were shutting down Central to turn it into a STEAM school. With little to no information the staff began transferring out because no one would give them any info to their future. They were just told they would have a job if they were tenured. We lost some of the most kind caring teachers only to then find out they changed their mind the next year because it would cost too much to update it. So instead of $5M for Central they are dropping over $10M on the HASS building. The Central families deserve better than this administration has given them. Time for fresh faces on the Hill!!
ReplyDeleteCentral has the most ethnically concentrated student population in the district. Why is the school targeted for closure when it was recognized in a published report by the state for making progress for Missouri’s 30 highest poverty schools?
ReplyDeleteAll Central teachers have been placed at other schools for next year. No one is out of a job. Don’t Central students deserve to have the same quality of facilities of the other students?
ReplyDeleteI think the motive of the district is the best environment for all elementary students. It is good for all students to be integrated with other students and not isolated.
People love a negative story, getting everyone fired up. It would difficult to have a potentially large meeting at Central. Have you seen the parking? Let’s support change for the better and our school leaders instead of being critical every time a change is made. Do you ever make a plan and change your mind? Corporations, colleges, and school districts do too!