Why would it make sense to transfer this neighborhood into the Beaverton school district?
- Their main argument was simple geography: while they were in the Hillsboro district for historical reasons, they sit on the border of the Beaverton district, and Beaverton schools are much closer. The closest elementary and middle schools in Beaverton are .5 and 3.7 miles away, while the correponding distances for Hillsboro are 3 and 9 miles. And Beaverton is planning a new high school in the area, while the nearest Hillsboro high school is 10 miles away.
- Due to these distances, as part of the Beaverton district, many students would be able to walk or bike to school, while as part of Hillsboro they would depend completely on buses. Aren't we supposed to be encouraging physical activity in students these days?
- Beaverton is generally considered a much better school district overall. Shouldn't every parent have a right to demand the best possible education for their children from among available options?
- Beaverton also offers many opportunities through its "learning options" program that simply aren't available in Hillsboro: magnet schools with Arts, International, and STEM foci, and two charter schools specializing in foreign language immersion.
- Every homeowner in the neigborhood has signed on to this request.
・Hillsboro is growing and is capable of accomodating the neighborhood. But I don't see why this is an argument against the transfer-- certainly it is also capable of not accomodating the neighborhood, if that's what is best for the students. And if the district population isn't growing, won't the removal of some students help by slowing down the increase?
・This would "hurt" the closest elementary school, Groner, which would have fewer students. Again, why is this a compelling reason to fail to provide the best education possible for each student?
・Worry about the precedent this would set. In the words of board member Carolyn Ortmann, "You don't start whittling away the district".
If you believe the Hillsboro school board and administration should consider children's education their top priority, call the Hillsboro School District at 503-844-1500 and email schoolboard@hsd.k12.or.us , and demand that board members Ortmann, Canas, Sollman, Strelchun, and Lantz change their votes on the South Cooper Mountain issue. And if they refuse, remember this when board members Ortmann, Sollman, and Lantz come up for re-election this May.