Q & A - “How do you feel about Princeton Plan?”
That’s a nuanced answer. When we bought our home, we were thrilled to find our neighborhood school literally at the end of our block. And the high school, too? SCORE. Our kids could walk to school - except when they were in middle school, but then they could experience all the adventures that riding a bus would have to offer. It was shortly after we moved in that we learned that our kids would actually NOT be attending our neighborhood school for all of elementary school. Naturally, I was a little…skeptical.
But, I decided to keep an open mind and listen to all the conversations going on in the community both against Princeton Plan and the fight to overturn it, and in favor of Princeton Plan and all of the benefits it could have for our district. I liked what I was hearing in favor of the plan: budget savings, equity, class size, grade teams…it seemed like the benefits for ALL might outweigh the inconvenience just for us. So I bought in.
After the first year, I was sold. There were kinks, but I loved the idea of all of the kids in one grade being in one building - together. The teachers and the principal I worked with on a near-daily basis as the Vice President of the PTA had so many plans and projects in mind and in place for their students. And every child was in the same building based on their age, not their socio-economic status or zip code. That was the major winning point for me. A level playing field.
It was extremely disappointing when the Board of Education then reorganized the school again and went with what they called Plan B. It erased so many of the initial benefits of Princeton Plan. I didn’t get the feeling that it was what the community-at-large nor the teachers and staff wanted. It’s not what I wanted. I wanted to give Princeton Plan a chance to work, to see the savings and the benefits. But instead, Plan B placed a big dividing line right through the middle of our district again.
As a Trustee, I will vote against any further reorganizations in the coming years. It has cost the district too much - both financially and emotionally - and it’s not worth costing us any more to go through it again. Studies have consistently shown moving as a significant source of stress, and all of the turbulence in our district over the past few years has taken a toll. I want to bring back the spirit of community that we were beginning to build after we all returned from the isolation of covid and from the original reorganization of Princeton Plan. I want to see the spirit of belonging and pride return to our buildings, our students, and our staff. I want to be a part of bringing that spirit back to Hen Hud.
