Becoming a K-6 School.

 

 

History:

 

In May of 2004, the Riverview Site Council began the discussion about becoming a K-6 elementary school.  This was in direct response to the decrease in enrollment that Riverview was beginning to experience. Although this is consistent with that of the district as a whole, the impact on our school has been significant.  A meeting with Dr. LuzMaria Serrano and Dr. Pat Harvey resulted in a plan that would address the need to increase enrollment:  The implementation of a Dual Immersion program here at Riverview, and becoming a K-6 school.  Dual Immersion must be a K-6 program so this answered our need to distinguish ourselves from the other two West Side schools and addressed declining enrollment.  Immersion programs throughout the state are popular and desirable. The discussion included acknowledgement of the impact a change like this would have on Cherokee Heights and Roosevelt elementary schools.  The result is that all three West Side elementary schools are now K-6 schools.

 

Rationale:

 

1.  Families state that a major reason for leaving Riverview is that we are not a K-6 school.  Parents crave simplicity and ease in their increasingly busy lives and having all children attending the same school is desirable.

2.  Transportation, family involvement activities, parent conferences will be available from one school site rather than two or three.

3.  Safety and security from being at the school for seven years will increase, families will stay and enrollment will stabilize.

4.  The three elementary schools would be able to cultivate closer partnership with Humboldt Junior High School and will create a natural pathway for students to enroll there and this will help bolster enrollment at the secondary level.

5.  There will be a K-6 options on the West Side, which is currently not available.

 

Action:

 

The three West Side Schools of Excellence have done considerable research toward the end of being a K-6 school.  All affected stakeholders have been surveyed:  Parents, community leaders and school staff.  A survey was designed, translated into five major languages and distributed.  82% of the responses received at Riverview WSSE from the school community indicate support for the K-6 Initiative.  Response from identified community partners was 70% for support of the K-6 Initiative.  Response from school staff is 94% in support of K-6.  We made every effort to ensure that all voices have had the opportunity to be heard.  District representatives were active and engaged in this process as well providing us with data and guidance as we pursued transition.

This plan fits in well with the district and its effort to make sure all Saint Paul schools serve the population as best we can.  With a K-6 option in place on the West Side, all three schools become desirable to parents looking for a school that best suits their child’s needs.