Aside from the news about the federal stimulus package, the hot topic around Foster City is the overcrowding in the elementary schools.
Rightfully so, parents are upset and concerned as to how this issue will be resolved. School Board meetings have been packed with parents looking for answers while others are calling upon the City for support. I got the impression from some residents who attended a recent City Council meeting that the City was perceived by some as not being involved in this community problem.
The fact of the matter is that members of the School District staff and members of the City staff began meeting last year at which time the City was informed of the potential problem and the process the District would engage the public to determine a course of action. It was after these meetings that the District sponsored Focus Groups to field a list of options to the public in an effort to achieve both a short term and a long term solution.
An idea that I thought might have merit in alleviating the over-crowding is to build two story buildings on the larger campuses. This idea would naturally create a larger student body. I understand that parents are concerned about the larger student bodies as it means more traffic around the school and potential safety issues for children.
I will attest that this is a valid concern as I had the opportunity to observe parents dropping their children off at Brewer Island School last week. I was appalled at the blatant disregard for the rules for drop off set up by the school. It seems very simple!
There is a drive through lane which allows parents to stop, let their child out of the car to safely walk to class and then proceed to drive out to the street. The signs posted are very clear, yet that day some parents felt that they were entitled to use that area to stop, park and physically walk their child to class. That is not what the drive through is set up for.
In addition to this, at least 5 parents decided to drop their children off in the teacher’s parking lot, clearly an area that is off limits. In addition to all this, a parent pulled up across the street from the school and proceeded to let their child out of the car on the street side, and he prepared to walk across to the school on his own. This child was directly in harm’s way because there is no cross walk and it was in front of the drive through area. I had to stop all traffic on Polynesia to help this child cross the street.
There has got to be some accountability on the part of parents to use common sense thinking. I actually had a mother tell me that she didn’t care about what the signs said and would do whatever she wanted. That kind of an attitude is counter- productive and becomes a road block to finding any reasonable solutions. There needs to be cooperation and respect for the rules that are set up for the safety of every child. What happened to car pools? What happened to common sense?
I want to make it very clear that I am concerned about the overcrowding problem and the quality of the education afforded the Foster City children. Education is important to me and through my involvement on the selected Council sub- committee, City staff, School District staff and School Board members, I will study thoroughly all the options that were discussed and help make the appropriate decisions in the best interest of the community.
I was asked recently if I should participate on a committee working on a public school issue since I created and established Foster City's first private elementary school, Kids Connection. A simple answer to the question is that recent circumstances have put me in a position where I no longer have ownership of Kids Connection.
This is a very difficult time for me personally, but the story will be told at a later date. My interest is in making sure the children of Foster City have the best education that can be provided. I will help facilitate the right course of action in the best interest of the community.
You may email me at lkoelling@fostercity.org with your comments about this and other issues.
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