Forest

That said to me, that if Forest missed AYP, Dr. Cain did not have to let Forest students into the other 3 high schools. They could apply for Title 1 funding.

BTW: KF is not the only high school to miss AYP -- Klein Collins missed last year also.

Well, I shared how I was coming up with 40%. If you correlate the feeder schools to Ulrich, using PASA demographics and AEIS data for economically disadvantaged, you will get between 36 and 43 percent depending on how you marry the PASA and AEIS data. If you have some better insight into the demographics for Ulrich, please share it. If not then what are you basing your opinion on?

My impession is that the district does not automatically designate schools at Title I once they pass that magic reduced lunch or economically disadvantage number because the pool of Title I money doesn't necessarily increase based on how many Title I schools you have, i.e. there's just a single pot of money and I'm sure there are mandates you have to meet. For example, some of the schools in the south end were eligible but were not designated Title I for a no. of years after they passed the threshold. Also, Wunderlich and Klein Intermediate, both Title I, do get some cool programs, like the AVID program and my daughter was able to attend summer school for free and get ahead on high school credits between 7th and 8th grade. So, being Title I is not necessarily a bad thing! Also, I don't think Klein Forest is designated Title I - even tho they would clearly qualify.

Most of us intend to leave here in a hearse, so value does not matter. Those of us who are transferred have a small problem, but most of the time, the company will come to the party. Those of us who are retired and have to move for family reasons are getting hosed. One of the question I have is when does the district close a school due to declining enrollment?

While I sympathize with this issue ... what is ironic is that much of this is caused by your neighbors who trash and the schools and your friendly neighborhood realtor who only feeds this perception by steering potential homeowners away from the zone etc. What has really changed in Greenwood Forest to help with people's worries about the schools was to create the Friends of the Forest group -- these are mostly retirees who volunteer and help at the high school and see firsthand what a great school Klein Forest has become. I am seeing a lot of home school families and ones whose older kids went to Klein Oak for the IB program now attend Forest. Ironically, KF was the only Klein school named to Newsweek Top 1,500 schools in America over the summer.

When school success eludes the majority of kids in the south end of the district, everybody blames the students and their worthless parents. Coming from a very long line of abolitionist it is my contention that it is the school who is failing the kids. The educrats in the Central office have had years to get ready. They were ready for June and Wards kids.

You make some good points about the extracurricular expenses ... and I think we're more on the same page than you would think. I was mainly referring to people who live near High School No. 5 who view that as "their school" and were PO'd about the Bond issue because they would not get to move into "their school" immediately. They are now painting the issues in the district with a very broad brush and I would hate for someone who is new to the area to simply take their word because emotions are still running high over the 08 Bond.

I have two kids at Wunderlich who are proudly headed to Klein Forest ... I have seen up close how successful these schools can be .. so I disagree with your statement that the majority of the kids are not succeeding in the south end of the district. Wunderlich is a Title I school but it has THE LARGEST middle school orchestra in the district ... there are so many kids whose parents find the money to pay for their instruments and private lessons. One thing we did this year was to find a private donor to match some of the fundraising done by the school's orchestra.

Also, there are great things going on at Klein Forest -- the International Business program makes much more sense to me than dragging up to Klein Oak for the Int'l Bacc. program. I've known some very capable kids who tried that Int. Bacc. program and wound up either back at KF or just didn't finish the program in their sr. year at Klein Oak. Are there problems at KF? You bet but there are also drug, gang and other issues at every other high school in the district. Have we been through a few principals at KF? Maybe but RIGHT NOW we have a great principal who is incredibly committed and was named Principal of the Year. If you're signed up to get KleINTouch emails -- be sure to notice how many times South end students are recognized for their achievements -- you'll be pleasantly surprised.

My family does not live in the area yet, but I cannot tell you how many times we've heard these types of comments concerning KISD. And I've been shocked at the amount of negative comments about the school board. Don't get me wrong...you never make a decision based on somebody elses experiences or hurt feelings, but it does raise red flags.

To be perfectly honest, I was one of those people who wasn't terribly happy with the School Board and the district -- thought they were ridiculously conservative etc. and were out to screw everyone living in the South end of the school district. Then, I was asked to be on a "key communicators' committee (basically a monthly dog and pony show) ... then I got invited to some events surrounding the 08 Bond issue ... and I gotta tell you.. I'm not easily impressed but I came away from this past year having spent countless hours involved and am a much stronger believer in the Klein ISD District and the high standards they set.

The demographics in Klein have changed over the last 10 years and basically you have one camp of people who don't like it and think they should get their way on what they want .. they have they money to purchase a very loud megaphone at which to denounce the Board. On the flip side, the people who are satisfied with the schools are just not as motivated to rant and rave. It sounds like you're doing your homework ... so Bravo and good luck ...

How is expelling problematic children an "appearance?"

I think public and private are equally good educations, depending on the child. So, I don't know why you are getting your nose out of joint calling our decision "hell-bent."

My point is that some people think that just because they're paying more for something ... they're truly getting something better, i.e. if you're sold on private school, no amount of information to the contrary will change your mind. I was just speaking for what works for my family... which may not be a one-size fits all situation.

Let's put it this way, one of my boys is a complete HAM. Good hearted but a total distraction and brilliant to boot. In the public system they just would put him on red or yellow for the day...no recourse.

In private, the kid racked up so many detentions for hamming ( 5 of them) and talking that he got suspended (in house). Next year 5 detentions means a 3 day suspenion. Two suspensions you are out. And this is for overly-social talking.

OK, I get your point about them putting up with a lot in public schools but you are also confirming the other downside of private schools -- they want the appearance of being super-strict with kids so people feel they are getting their money's worth. But the other side of that is that they cater to parents because they are also paying big bucks. I was chatting the other day with a neighbor who had taught at Northland Christian and she was saying how she didn't last but a few months because of the behavior problems she faced and that the school was unwilling to handle those kids because of their parents.

If you are hell-bent on sending your child to private school, I'm sure you'll feel like it is worth every penny. I also feel like I'm getting my tax dollars' worth with my two in middle school. Ironically, they attend what most people consider is a "bad" Title I middle school... when my son was asked in 7th Grade to participate in the Duke Talent Program and as part of that took the SAT with high school students and did pretty well... that's when I realized I was truly getting my money's worth.

I attended Trinity Lutheran School when I was a young, and my child has just completed a 3rd year there. It is a wonderful school with caring teachers, active parents, and lots of activities available for the students.

My co-worker's children attend St. Anne's in Tomball and they have been pleased as well. My nephew attended Northwoods Catholic for a year and a half and they really liked it there (very, very structured).

OK, I just have to throw this out there. If you are moving into Klein ISD, you should really look hard at what the public schools can offer over private schools. For example, private schools cannot compete with the fine arts curriculum in Klein (it's gotten high marks at the national level). The band, choir and orchestra programs offer so many amazing opportunities for your child. I've heard so many people say their children quit playing their instruments when they moved to private school because the programs were so far behind what their old public counterpart offered. The other issue to consider is that some (not all) of the students atending the private school are there because their either got kicked out or have too many issues to attend public schools. I, too, often considered private schools when I became unhappy with my children's elementary school...now that we are at the intermediate school level, it's a whole new world and I really see that it was worth hanging in there ... plus it does not strap our family to pay for addt'l private music lessons, sports camps, swim lessons etc. I would be really irritated to pay for all of this -- on top of private school tuition.