School Stuff

I'm heading in to work late tomorrow morning in an attempt to get Maddie's kindergarden situation straightened out. I'm trying not to stress about it, but the fact is she still doesn't have a school assignment and most people I know with kids her age have been to some sort of "meet the teacher" event, orientation program, etc. And school here starts August 19th...just one short month from today. Add to the fact that I'm just generally not ready to be the mom of a school-aged child, and you can see how I might be a little uptight about all of it.

For anyone who doesn't know the situation: the schools in Northest Arkansas are extremely crowded. They area adding a new elementary school every year or two in the two primary districts (Rogers and Bentonville), but the area has just grown so much over the past 5-10 years - and continues to do so at record rates, in terms of children entering the schools - that in spite of the new schools, they are continuously at or above capacity. The state of Arkansas has legislation about the number of physical bodies allowed in a classroom; once that max is reached (it's somewhere in the low 20s), they cannot put another child in the class, no matter how many teachers, assistants, etc. are available to help with the class. The home that we purchased is in a neighborhood that has some of the highest demand in the Bentonville school district, though it is geographically located in the town of Rogers. As a result, moving here in July meant that the two elementary schools that Madelyn would be districted for are 100% full with long waiting lists. While we've known for some time that we would be moving, the school districts here require two different proofs of permanent residence in order to allow registration due to the high demand. So there was no way to register her earlier.

Of course the district has to provide schooling for all children, so there obviously was an alternative for Maddie. But, she would have been bussed to the neighboring town of Bella Vista, which would have required a bus transfer, a very long ride, and getting on the bus at some very early hour like 6:30 AM. In my mind, just not an option. She's 5, people! And since this state has full day kindergarden, she would have gone from basically being a kid who spends most of her days playing to a kid spending all of her days at school or on the bus. Just seemed sad to me, honestly. And that's without taking into account that she would be in a different school than most of the neighbor kids.

To avoid the Bentonville situation, we went ahead and applied for a transfer to the Rogers school district. The request was granted, but we don't find out what specific school she will be going to until August 1st. And I'm hearing that the school we are closest to, which also had one of the best reputations in the state, is looking like it's already at capacity for kindergarden. Location is key, since we will now be responsible for providing all of her transportation to and from school since we're not technically a resident in the district. SO... tomorrow is the first day that students who are new to the district can register. And you can bet I'm going to be there with bells on at 9 AM, hoping (ok, maybe begging?) for a slot at Bellview, right near our house. I will feel so much better when we have her registered officially and when we have a school we can show her definitively!