Wednesday, January 12, 2011

New School Boundary Map vs. Your Home Values

Another Step away from Democracy: The New Eden Prairie School District Boundary Maps

And it means over 1,065 children will be going to different schools next fall. This follows the school board’s 4-3 vote last month which approved these changes.

The goal was to reduce the disparity between low-income students at Forest Hills Elementary and the more affluent population of students at Cedar Ridge. Hundreds of Eden Prairie parents opposed the plan but they clearly haven’t been heard.

As a Realtor, it’s always “location, location, location” and School Districts are the primary driver of where most families choose to relocate. Both relocation and local buyers define their search parameters by School Districts. Strong School Districts help to maintain strong housing values – they just go hand in hand.

So, what message is the Eden Prairie School Board sending to their District? What does this mean for parents that have worked hard so they can buy a home in a neighborhood where their children can walk to school - only to have their children bussed out of their neighborhood to a school outside of their community?

I can’t imagine how it would feel to have moved to Eden Prairie a year ago and purchased a home in a neighborhood where your children can walk to school, only to be told a year later, that your children will not, in fact, be going to that school. What is a parent to do?

It sounds like the Eden Prairie School Board is more interested in serving the needs of the low-income families in their District than the needs of the families that have a higher income. A higher income typically translates to higher property values, and higher taxes. Does this make any sense?? The families footing the majority of the tax base in District 272 are the families that haven’t been heard – they have been ignored. What is happening here?? Couldn’t the Board come up with a solution that would serve the needs of all the families in the District?

I like to find the silver lining in challenging or discouraging situations – but I’m just not seeing it here. District 272 has stripped the parents of their choice of which elementary school their children will attend . . . that just doesn’t seem right to me – it doesn’t sound like freedom or even sound American to me….it sounds like socialism. I don’t like it and I don’t even live in the District and according to news reports, there are hundreds of parents in District 272 that don’t like it either.

To see a map with the new boundaries, go to http://www.blogger.com/www.StarTribune.com.

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