In the last few weeks, several educational topics have stirred up interest in the community. One is the Columbus Middle School project options. A second is elementary classroom space issues. The third is our district registration process, especially as it relates to immigrant students. Today’s column will attempt to address some of the questions that have been asked about these areas.

Question one: Why are the code issues at CMS only being addressed at this time? Why has the district not addressed these issues before they accumulated a price tag of more than a million dollars?
Answer: First of all, the specific areas in which the building is out of compliance are fire code issues, American Disability Act regulations for such things as doors and door hardware, and ventilation systems. These code items have not been ignored. Most of the code items would not require immediate attention unless a significant renovation was to be made. The government does not require buildings to get up to code in non-safety areas unless you do a major improvement project. 

Question two: Did the district under build when they constructed the new elementary buildings? Why did they not plan for enough space in those buildings to meet growing enrollment needs?
Answer: The board did in fact foresee the need for expansion in the future. Therefore, they planned the elementary schools with the thought of future expansion in mind. For example, a plan for North Park already exists to make it a three-track building. When it was initially built, it required only the number of classrooms in a two-track structure.

The board has been very prudent in its building plans in order to be fiscally responsible. Thus, it has only built what would be needed according to the projected enrollment needs in the foreseeable future. This is wise as long-term enrollment projections can be very inaccurate. They are dependent on several unknown variables. These include new housing, additional jobs, and resident mobility.

One more factor has played into the facility crunch in the elementary schools. That is the addition of all-day kindergarten which could not have been foreseen ten years ago. This has doubled the number of needed kindergarten classrooms.

Question Three: Where will the money come from to build more elementary classrooms?
Answer: The district building fund has enough money in it to do the elementary projects under consideration. There would be no need to ask taxpayers for approval in a bond vote for these projects. The same is true of smaller projects, like the fire sprinkler system and some of the code-compliance issues at CMS.

Attempting to do a large CMS remodel or a new CMS building will take a bond vote from the community. Whether or not this is attempted is dependent on the results from a phone survey being done this month.

Question Four: Why does the school district allow illegal immigrants to enroll in their schools?
Answer: A 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyler vs. Doe, required school districts to enroll any students who seek an education. This ruling says that undocumented children have the same right to a free public education as U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

As a result, school districts may not require children to prove they are in the country legally. The only documents school districts can require are birth certificates, immunization records, and proof of in-district residence.  In other words, districts are required to treat immigrant students like all other students.

Currently, only about 7 percent of CPS students are immigrant students. How many of this group are illegal is not known.  Twenty-seven percent of CPS students were from minority groups last year. The great majority of these were born in the United States.

Hopefully, the information above clears up some of the questions you might have been asking lately. Feel free to call our offices any time you have questions about these or other issues.

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