May 27, 2014, the Iowa City Community School District's Board of Directors finally appeared to show signs that they are in charge of policy, not Superintendent Steve Murley. Foremost among them are the longest serving board members, Tuyet Dorau and Patti Fields.
None of the board members appeared to be happy with the current school boundary maps. Those maps of attendance zones will be redrawn. Dorau asked about operational costs, but the costs seem a moot point given that Patty Fields in particular is unhappy with the attendance zone of Coralville Central and no one is happy with the maps in toto.
Eric Johnson, a community member, pointed out that the "disruption [caused by redistricting due to the board's diversity policy] isn't felt equally in the community. If a family relies on public transportation, then why are you moving students who have the least resources to deal with the burden? Look at more incentives. Break down the housing barriers."
We know that the school district, with its new diversity policy, is scrambling to desegregate the school district ("Free and Reduced Lunch" criterion), which wouldn't be segregated in the first place without poor City of Iowa City urban planning policies.
Just how disruptive should desegregation be if the students being "helped" are disrupted more than students who don't need as much help?
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
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