The Eden Prairie school boundary change controversy has been in the newspaper for over a year now. I've been following it with mild interest. Sure, my kids were effected in that they had to change schools to the "new" elementary school in town; but, I didn't lose any sleep over that. Kids are resilient and making new friends is part of life for them.
That said, I do believe that the boundary change was a bad idea; and the the school board failed the residents of Eden Prairie not only in making the change but in how they dealt with the public about the change. This was the classic solution in search of a problem--bussing kids all over town won't help close an achievement gap.
Some residents have vocally opposed the failed leadership of the school board. And, a few of these voices are now running for school board. But, the question remains---what will they do if they win? Will they attempt to reverse the boundary changes? I'm not sure that bell can be un-rung.
If they can't do that, I at least hope that the new faces on the school board bring some leadership with them. The school board, even those who opposed the boundary changes, simply are not strong leaders. They seem directionless and unable to oppose staff-driven suggestions.
I really hope that changes.
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