As someone who thinks he's informed and up to date on the goings on around here, I read the local paper and check Chattanoogan.com three or four times a day, I think I must have slept through something. Been called a news junkie by friends and lady friends because of it, but when did parents have to start paying $5,000 for their child to attend a public school? Key word here is public.

I thought tax dollars paid for your child to attend a school they lived near. Was my understanding, lets say, if you lived on Highland Park Avenue and you didn't want your child to attend Orchard Knob Middle, or say Howard, even if you could afford to do so, you couldn't drive your child to Red Bank or Signal Mountain because you weren't in the zone. Low achieving schools didn't matter, it's just because you lived in the neighborhood and that's where your kids went to school.

Granted my older kids are well out of school and I'm not in the zone anymore, but to have to pay for your child to go to a public school as one person said, "they could see the school from the window of their home," amazes me.

And let's be honest here, Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house, guess Dr. Scales can see Texas from his. Makes about as much sense. We're talking about a quality education for those kids in North Chattanooga which should come first.

Unless they are the chosen few who live on the North Shore, those folks are working class people who can't afford that. But does that mean their children get deprived of a good education because mom stays at home to care for them and dad is a mechanic some where or laborer and doesn't make enough money to bribe Dr. Scales to let his kids go to a neighborhood school?

When I was going to Kirkman in the stone age, that place was called Northside Jr. High and the other City High. Then people got rich and famous, got new names for the schools, egos, prestige, and rights to brag, to friends my child attends a magnet school. Never have understood that either. Does that mean the kids stick to the building?

Gosh folks, we're talking about kids here. Not what parents get to brag about. And what about those folks who camp out in the rain and cold to get their kids in that other school? But that's a whole 'nother story.

When folks get back to basics, think of the child first and a good education, magnets will be just that, and academies will be what they were when I was growing up. Military schools your parents threatened you with.

It's a school. A place where kids go to learn, play and have fun, and hopefully a teacher will inspire them to become more than what they are at the time.

And I can only imagine the pressure those teachers are under. Oh, I can't mess up, or they'll transfer me to Howard. I'm a magnet school teacher, can't have that. You see, the teachers don't stick to the building either.

Have to agree with my twin brother on this one, he often writes about Dr. Scales and I don't comment. But maybe Jesse could use some extra help in Nashville and bring Mr. Scales up there. It's just wrong for parents to have to pay $5,000 for their kids to go to a public school in their neighborhood. That's what Baylor, McCallie and GPS are for. Got the money, spend it on a quality education for your child. Doesn't seem you're going to get it in North Chattanooga. I think the only place busing works is at Highland Park Baptist Church. You can go there from anywhere.

Just my thoughts, but sure am glad I don't have to deal with the local school system. And thank God for Rhonda Thurman. And she doesn't have to wear two pairs of glasses at the same time to read the agenda.

Arlos Dempsey
Signal Mountain

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First of all let me say, "When my last child was in pre-school at a regular paying institution, the cost was about $500 a month." When you multiply that by the ten months of regular school, you arrive at the same figure the 12 parents are paying to send their children to Normal Park. It has been stated that they were promised a spot in the school through eighth grade. While I agree a promise should be kept, the school board should never have made that promise to them. It makes it seem like they are by-passing the lottery and buying their way into the school.

Many parents aren't financially able to send their children to a pre-school program and are forced to school them at home until they are of legal age to attend public kindergarten. If you are going to have a pre-school program, it should be open to everyone the same way. If the admission process is by a lottery system, then follow that guideline. To say that by paying $5,000 your child is guaranteed a spot is wrong. It feels like something has been done under-cover. If it is public school, all children should benefit, not just the few that can pay the $5,000 and avoid the lottery process.

I see this the same way as two people bidding on a contract. Both have the skills necessary for the job, but one hands the contractor money under the table for the job and is given the job. If this was for a city contract, the good people of Chattanooga would be outraged and cry foul. In the above instance, the people of Chattanooga should be upset or even outraged that the school system has allowed this to happen in the first place. This is a practice that should be eliminated totally.

Sarah Parks
Chattanooga

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I have been wondering about this ever since the Normal Park uproar
started. Since this is such a great school, why can't every school in
Chattanooga become a "Normal Park" school? This is a school that has
excelled and blossomed into a true gift to children and parents alike.
So what's the hold up in creating more schools like it? Every parent in
Chattanooga should demand it.

Ginny Smith

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In response to Ginny, Normal Park is a great school, but unfortunately not all county schools can pick and choose their students. So, what happens to the children that do not get chosen for your perfect school? Any ideas? I worked in a inner city school once called Chattanooga Middle Museum Magnet School (sound familiar?). Many students were not given the opportunity to be a part of your great school. If it is so great of a school, Mrs. Levine should not have needed to rezone when she came in; she should’ve been able to turn around the school and given all the children a great, excellent blossoming education that all children deserve.

Paula Hurst

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I think it is time someone printed the truth about Normal Park and its Pre-K program. This preschool was set up by the Hamilton County School Board and the school to try to attract new students to Normal Park and the decision to allow pre-kindergarteners automatic entrance into Normal Park was decided unanimously by the school board in 2005. This is also the case for children in at least two other programs in Hamilton County that are paid pre-K programs. The $5,000 charge was not to outsmart the system but to defray the cost of the pre-k program so that the HCDE would not bear the expense with an already stretched budget (these programs are not Title 1 programs) so the parents would need to pay for it (not the taxpayers who did not have pre-k students). It was also the board’s decision to grant automatic enrollment to those pre-k students who attended Normal Park pre-k into the rest of the program. As stated above, this was a UNANIMOUS vote FOR the pre-k program by the school board (yes, even Ms. Thurman).

On another note, I cannot believe that the false statements regarding the closing of Chattanooga Middle Museum Magnet School continue to be passed about. This lie needs to be put to rest. All the students that attended Chattanooga Middle were offered spots at Normal Park Upper if they responded back to the letter sent home to every Chattanooga Middle Museum Magnet School student (or the phone calls made to them when they did not respond) and met with our principal just as every magnet student and their parents must do. Only 32 decided to stay, only 32 responded and came to Normal Park. We love those 32 students. We are proud they stayed and are part of the Normal Park family. As for the other students from Chattanooga Middle, they were not kicked out – they chose to go elsewhere. Jill Levine didn’t “rezone” Chattanooga Middle, the school was closed by the Hamilton County School Board because it was failing. There is no Chattanooga Middle Museum Magnet School any more, therefore there is no longer a zone for Chattanooga Middle. Normal Park’s zone has been the same since 12/31/2001. It was set by the School Board in 2001 before Normal Park’s first year as a magnet school.

Also, Normal Park Museum Magnet School does not “pick and choose” its students. Out of zone students (magnet students) are picked through the lottery system at the central office for magnet schools. In the lottery, an applicant pool is determined for each grade level at each school. The Information Services office analyzes each pool to see how its socioeconomic breakdown compares to the district's overall student population and then uses a mathematical formula to award extra lottery numbers to students from underrepresented groups. For example, in the 2003-04 school year, 46 percent of district students qualified for free and reduced lunch. If only 40 percent of the applicant pool for a particular grade that year qualified for free and reduced lunch, those applicants may have received one or two extra lottery numbers to maintain a balance. The district may also award extra numbers to suburban applicants to maintain a balance between students who live within the city limits and those who do not. Finally, the district saves about 15 percent of available seats at each school for siblings of current students.

Ms. Levine has done nothing but work endlessly with her staff, students and parents to turn around 2 failing schools into the successes they are now and has done so with grace and professionalism. She works hard for all children and has always done so. When Normal Park was expanded after Chattanooga Middle was closed, it was able to add almost 500 more students from all of Hamilton County to Normal Park.

It is amazing to me that six years ago when my child started at Normal Park, the consensus was that Normal Park would never be a great school and not only was there no waiting list, but we were practically begging people to come. What a difference a few years make.

Oh, by the way, I’m one of those lucky magnet parents…and I do feel like a hit the jackpot in Vegas.

Cameille Vlietstra
Very Proud Normal Park Parent