December 18th Re-Districting Committee Meeting
| The redistricting committee for the Siler City and Silk Hope areas met on Monday, December 18, at 4:00 p.m. at Siler City Elementary School. The committee had planned its next meeting for January 4, but the OR/Ed. Lab requested an additional meeting for map suggestion clarification. The suggestions were made during the December 13 meeting.
During the December 18th meeting Mike Miller, Program Manager with the OR/Ed. Lab, worked with the committee to clarify and adapt the optimal elementary scenarios for the 2007-08 Siler City area re-districting. Miller will now take the suggestions and create updated maps from them. The maps will be available at Siler City Elementary School, Silk Hope School, the central office, and on the district website as soon as they are completed. The goal of the school system is to have the maps accessible for families to view over the holiday and give feedback before the next redistricting committee and Board of Education meetings. The district website contains an email link for making redistricting comments and suggestions. The redistricting committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 4, remains on the calendar. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. and be held at Siler City Elementary School. The Chatham County Board of Education will have redistricting on its January 8 work session agenda. |
February 12th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Mr. Totten, I have been very impressed with your support of the Silk Hope Community during this whole redistricting process. At the last meeting Deborah McManus was really not happy with the results the redistricting commitee came up with. She was pushing to fill the Virginia Cross School with Silk Hope children not taking into account the length of the bus routes. Parents were becoming frustrated with her comments.
Silk Hope is a proud community. There is alot of history as generations of residents have attended the school. You understand this history and we appreciate it. We are all concerned about the upcoming Board of Education meeting. With Deborah McManus’s reaction on the 6th many are wondering if the Board members are going to reject the proposals and redraw the lines themselves. It is my hope you will not let this happen. We are all anxious for this redistricting process to come to an end.
February 16th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Each member of the board has one vote. I have heard nothing about the board redrawing the district lines themselves and feel common sense will prevail. Like you and the other folks with children I’d like to be able to put this chapter behind us on the 26th. You deserve to know.
The majority at our meeting at Siler City Elementary favored the “D” map as did I. Ms. McManus voted that way too I believe. My opinion has not changed nor have I heard from Norman Clark who was on the committee but could not be at the last meeting.
Thank you for your kind words about my support of Silk Hope - I hope folks from all over the county will feel that way too.