Thursday, May 07, 2009

CLOSED CAMPUS AT KHS




Wow. The Board of Education made the tough but correct decision Wednesday. I hesitated to celebrate when I first heard the news for fear of imagining things.

So, beginning this fall, most students will be restricted from leaving the campus. Does anyone realise that the property value of the homes within three streets of the high school will jump in value? Don't tell the assessor, please!

At first read through the article in the paper, there will be a modest increase in seating in the lunch room. Any kinks in the program will be worked out during the summer, however...if the seniors do well in their classes, they earn the privilege to venture off campus. A positive incentive. Hmmm

Whatever changes the board has in mind for the cafeteria will be paid for by the 2009 budget, so we already paid for it. Making it more a "restaurant feel" is less of a concern to me as a school tax payer. The cafeteria felt like a cafeteria when I went to school and considering the students are patronising the poison distributors like Burger King and McDonalds, the issue of a nice restaurant will be lost on many of them anyway.

I just know that starting next fall, the number of complaints from the hundreds of homes surrounding the campus will diminish. Yes, the students will still speed up and down the streets at 7:30am and 2:30pm, making your skip across the street as treacherous as usual, but we will have less activity during the hours of operation.

Can I add that no-one labels all the students as villains in the immediate neighborhoods. As noted in previous posts, 90% of the student body is working studiously in class while the off campus shenanigans are taking place. The sports teams and the Jazz Band are two examples of phenomenal talent and a testament to the administration for encouraging students to develop their strong points.

What the locals want is security, cleanliness and respect for our property as well as the satisfaction of knowing our tax dollars are spent on quality education without off campus distraction. Believe me, that's all we ask.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, so we already paid for the future renovations to the cafeteria, what are we going to do once the new School Tax bill comes out and half the HVMall funding is spread amongst the rest of us? Who do we blame for the whopper of an increase? It's not the school board...It's those clowns running Ulster.

Anonymous said...

The Jazz Band at City Hall was astounding. For those who missed it, KHS Jazz Ensamble will be heading to Lincoln Center to compete with 14 other bands and let me tell you, they've got a good shot at the title.
A terrific night at City Hall. Great sound from our talented youth.
These are not the students causing grief around the campus.

Anonymous said...

A few observations on this issue.

It is not "students" period. It is the drop outs or soon to be drop outs whose parents don't think enough of their own kids to keep half an eye on them.

The school did not enforce their own rule. Many, many 9th and 10th grade students leave that campus every single day.

The KHS National Honor Society does an adopt a highway on the street around KHS.

The local businesses will suffer, many will close.

This is short sighted and a failure of the implementation of the policy that was in place at KHS.

Anonymous said...

Mike- Two excellent areas of strength- but you have to remember to talk about the Orchestra and the Theater groups as well. And like Mel Allen- the great Yankee announcer of the 40's & 50's would comment:
How about that:
The new public access channel 20.
Can't wait until the city of Kingston and UCCC begin programming along with all the other muncipality programs.
and when are they going to announce their meetings- I think it is probably part of their Bylaws- oh well
and finally- outside of a few employees of the great city of Kingston- no team in the American Cancer Society- Annual Relay for Life-
c'mon Mike- still time to get a team together- Only 100 guarantees your name in the program + 10 new 2009 TShirts- ya can't beat that- and the knowlege that you might be savings someones life
take care,
Shelly Z

Anonymous said...

Thank-you Board of Education,,

keep those kids in school where they belong,, not on the streets,, kingston has enough of the dregs of society without our children hanging out with those loser-druggie- welfare parasites influencing them more than they do now,,

KEEP THE KIDS IN SCHOOL,, that is their purpose @ that age,, not supporting those "businesses",, gimme a break, make a living from real commerce not feeding off of obese kids eating easy to get junk food & crap,

Anonymous said...

Its the students on fault that they will be kept on campus. If they didn't throw their trash in the street,drive like maniacs, and do drugs in their cars, no one would complain. Sorry for the good students but they would have been blowing the whistle on the bad ones. I am looking forward to the new school year for the first time in many years. THANKS SCHOOL BOARD for making that tough decision.