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Request. Appeal. Rinse and repeat.

Our battle with the school board.

When Chris bought this house in one of Lincoln’s new planned neighborhood, they had just finished the new elementary school, construction was starting on the middle school directly behind the house, and there was to be a new high school completed in a few years next to the library that is within walking distance of our house. Well, the city is stupid and mismanaged their finances so the high school got shelved.

The other thing you need to know is that our house is just a couple blocks from the city border with Rocklin.  And Rocklin built a new school on their side of the border – Whitney High School. Exactly 1/2 a mile from our door.  A very nice high school that we can see from Kyle’s window.

We want Kyle to attend Whitney High School. The obvious reason is location. Lincoln’s only high school is 5 miles away on the opposite side of town. A part of town we never even go to. Another and ultimately more important reason is that the Rocklin high school is a better school: college-prep vs vocational.

So we have known for some time that we wanted Kyle to attend Whitney. And last fall – last FALL! – I started the process to get him transferred. I went to Whitney HS to find out what I needed to do and was directed to the Western Placer Unified School District (which covers Lincoln’s schools) to get the proper forms etc. Off I merrily go to the WPUSD office to get my interdistrict transfer request form. And I’m told I can’t turn it in until after the first of the year. Okay. This past January I show up at the WPUSD with completed form in hand and am informed that I can’t turn it in until after Feb 1st. Okay.  Feb 1st I show up at the WPUSD office and turn in my form. I am then informed that I must take a tour of the Lincoln High School and get another form signed by a school official that I had taken the tour. sigh. Okay. I took the tour 2 days later and then turned in that form too. I was told the superintendent then had 30 days to respond to our request.

SIX weeks later I receive a letter from WPUSD stating that the original form used for Interdistrict transfers had been amended and we would need to resubmit the new form which they so kindly enclosed a copy of.

::sigh::

Turned in the new form. And the superintendent denied our request. So we sent a letter and requested an appeal before the WPUSD School Board. We were put on the docket for the next school board meeting. And we showed up and in closed session explained our reasoning behind our request. Then in open session the board voted and unanimously denied us without explanation or a chance to reply or ask any questions. Our next step – appeal to the County Board of Education.

oh boy.

In the meantime, Chris starts making some phone calls. He talks the the WPUSD superintendent and the contact at the county.  What he finds out is that basically the board doesn’t give a crap about location. It is not one of their criteria for transfer approval. What else have we got? Well, it turns out that volleyball is Kyle’s sport. While he enjoys basketball, he has a natural talent for volleyball and you can see a different degree of confidence in him when he’s playing volleyball. He is so good at it that his coach recommended he try out for the local club team. Which he did and next week we are off to his 4 day tournament in Anaheim. But that’s another story for another day. Back to our appeal and what does volleyball have to do with anything. Well, Lincoln High School does not have a volleyball team. I don’t know why when there are 2 junior highs with volleyball team feeding into the school. But there it is. Of course Whitney has volleyball. And a damn pool in case Kyle needs a fall sport and wants to try his flipper-feet at water polo!

So, before we go before the county and have them rescind us back to WPUSD with new reasons for request, we re-apply to WPUSD with the new request and get denied. Again. Since Chris is now calling the superintendent almost daily, we get put on the docket for the next school board meeting which is 2 days before the county appeal meeting. That was yesterday. And we did our dog and pony show before the board again. And got denied. By the board. Again. Surprise surprise.

And tonight is the big night. Our appeal before the county. A full and proper hearing in which a WPUSD board member must attend and state their reason’s for denial. And at this meeting there will actually be some back and forth and debate that we will be privy to. How refreshing. I am trying oh so very hard to remain positive about tonight’s outcome, but I’m tired. Tired from all the stress and hoop jumping and living in this limbo about our future. Tired of Lincoln.

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