Let's open up a few satellite schools in commercial space. We can hire up some of those teachers who just got laid off with our new educational bailout/stimulus/earmark/budget/bank nationalization etc. funds.

Seriously, there are vast areas of commercial space which wouldn't cost a whole lot to childproof and outfit with a handful of teachers, teachers' aides, a principal, secretary and some office assistants. Why aren't we taking advantage of excess unused capacity in commercial space?

I know! Lets close Therakauf School and give it to Symantec workers for a day care center!! They could call it the anit-virus school!

Why would you use higher cost commercial space when the district owns other properties?

The new demographic study isnt that different than the analysis done when Slater was on the chopping block (for those that actually READ the analysis back then). I dont believe that the district has been caught flat-footed on this, and will certainly be able to react in time.

Maybe they should never have closed Slater. Parents there are demographers but they still were able to figure out this would happen.

oops should read "parents there were not demographers"

For whatever reason the school board was not able to recognize or acknowledge reality when we showed it to them before they closed Slater. That is why we took our kids out of the MV school system then, and I've not seen anything that shows the board has improved since then.

We're in the process of trying to decide public or private for our kids. The district doesn't seem to have a lot of credibility right now. The state has even less. What to do...

Dear Frances,
Don't make your decision based on all the negative press. Don't believe everything you read in the VOICE. It clearly is one-sided. My children went through the entire Mountain View School system and they were very prepared to be thoughtful, kind and productive citizens. I have nothing but high regard for the Mountain View School system. No school or school district is perfect, but this district works hard to meet the needs of children.

Are you kidding "concerned parent" MVWSD has not met the needs of our children, cuts, closing schools 5 superintendints countless problems letting the pact do what ever it wants without accountability. Hiring teachers that clearly shouldnt be educating our children. Misuse of money. This district gets a big F.

Frances-

If you were to look at similar message boards for ANY school district, you'd see the same sort of unfounded vitriolic compliants. You get the same sort of snarky whispers at private schools, too. You get the same PROBLEMS at private schools, as well (sometimes worse--private schools often become the depository of last resort for really troubled kids, not to mention disconnected parents that feel that once they write a check, they can check out. I'm not saying this represents all private school families, but this element exists).

Make the best choice for your family based on facts, not anonymous complaining and whining on a message board. My kids are in the district, and they are thriving. Every school at which I have friends (which is most, but not all) has a great sense of community and connection. We personally are very happy with our choice to live in Mtn View and pass on the private school options that are available to us.

There would be no overcrowding at our schools if we enforced our immigration laws.

We have a huge advantage in that we can reduce unused capacity, solving consumer economics problems, while educating more kids, and building more windmills, and building more plug-in hybrid vehicles, and educating more M.D.s, and exporting more aid, all while giving 95% of the people a tax cut. We may need to simplify the tax code into a two-bracket system in order to be able to figure out where the cusp would go if the lower bracket was 0%, but that's just math.

Why is it better to use open space held by the district than unused commercial space. Would unused residential space be even better?

reality is that immigration is the problem.i am a legal immigrant. my parents went through every process needed to migrate here.ILLEGAL immigrants just wants what everybody wants BUT you have to wait your turn like everybody else.would you cut in the food line because your hungrier than the other person whos been waiting all day?school on the other hand..when you close a school, where do you think the students are to go except to another school, right? and what do you get..OVERCROWDED CLASSROOMS!EVERYBODY always looks for something or someone else to blame..LOOK IN THE MIRROR EVERYBODY..take responsibility for your own actions..illegal immigration,closing of schools,teacher layoffs,bonuses for school administrations,etc...

During the Slater school closure meetings (that spanned several months, or was it years) the District was asked "What if your projections are wrong?"

No one answered this question that was asked at a public meeting.