Letter to the Editor: Attention Carlsbad Parents

Dear Carlsbad Parents,

The Carlsbad Unified School District Board of Trustees is preparing to make decisions that will have a huge impact on your children's future. Don't let them do it without your input.

The board will soon decide whether or not the new high school at College and Cannon will be a "Math-Science Academy" enrolling 1,500 high school students (http://www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us/PropP/p-pdfs/PrelimRec.pdf).

The board's formal discussion begins at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Carlsbad City Council Chambers (1200 Carlsbad Village Drive), per the announcement in the Board of Trustees Agenda, Page 7, Section X, Item 45, Draft Program Design for the High School at College and Cannon (http://www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us/Pdfs/Board/2010/Agenda11-10-10.pdf).

If you care whether the new high school will be "comprehensive" (offering a balanced set of educational and extracurricular opportunities, like the existing Carlsbad High School) or "academy" (offering more courses—but fewer extracurriculars—than CHS) or whether your kids' attendance at that new high school will be determined by where you live, by choice, or by lottery, please provide your input today.

For example, kids who attend CHS may not have access to courses available at the "Math-Science Academy."  By the same token, kids who attend the "Math-Science Academy" may not have access to all sports, music, cheer, dance, broadcasting, theatre and other extracurriculars available at CHS.

Before deciding what trade-offs and sacrifices parents and kids will have to make, the board of trustees should listen to the community, which overwhelmingly supported Proposition P, the $198 million bond measure passed in 2006. Let's hope the board of trustees will support public debate over the new high school. 

If you want a say in what opportunities your kids will have, please attend the board meeting at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Carlsbad City Council Chambers (1200 Carlsbad Village Drive), or contact the superintendent and trustees through their public e-mail addresses:

Mark Tanner          mtanner@carlsbadusd.net

Lisa Rodman         lrodman@carlsbadusd.net

Kelli Moors            kmoors@carlsbadusd.net

Nicole Pappas       npappas@carlsbadusd.net

Elisa Williamson    ewilliamson@carlsbadusd.net

Dr. John Roach      jroach@carlsbadusd.net

Thanks,

Tom Gardner