Can someone in Redmond please explain in detail as to why the city has approved grants and any other funds to make downtown Redmond pretty with new renovations, new sidewalks, new signage, newly paved streets, and much more to draw more shoppers to downtown Redmond, all the while the Redmond school board decided to turn Redmond into a four-day school week?
I am a parent with three daughters – one in high school and the other two in grade school. I am fortunate enough for my wife or myself to be home on Fridays so we don’t have to figure out where and how to take care of our children at an extra expense. I know of a few other parents who are upset because they are struggling to finds ways to take care of their children on Fridays while at work. Keep in mind, Central Oregon’s unemployment numbers have grown quite a bit so the parents who do work are lucky to have jobs, yet many cannot afford to send the children off to a daycare or otherwise because they can barely make it now!I know this is not the right venue for these arguments, but it has to start somewhere, right!?!
What about the high school children? They are getting slammed with extra work during the week and the days are longer. My daughter plays sports. After a long day of school she goes on to practice and sometimes doesn’t get home until 8:30 at night. Then has to get her homework done right away. Now, don’t think I’m complaining about her time being occupied; I for one love the fact that she stays busy. But imagine being a parent with a child who is struggling in school, does not participate in any athletics or other forms of school activities after school. These parents are trying to keep their kids busy. Now, the high school kids are out of schools on Fridays and looking for something to do.
I remember being a kid and I was always getting into some form of trouble because I was bored. So, if we all know and remember how we were, imagine what the generation today is going through with more time away from school.
I know I am complaining and I have even had some parents tell me to just put my kids in a private school. C’mon now, I cannot afford a private school for three children. I am just getting by now and would be lucky enough to even make it past the first year if one of my daughters decides to go on to college.
Ranting, complaining, moaning, I know… but how come nobody has addressed this in Redmond all the while the city sure looks pretty with all the money being spent on renovations to appear more of a Sisters-type community.
This article appears in Dec 24-30, 2009.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
perhaps because those of us without kids paying huge amounts of taxes for schools and not complaining about it so your 3 offspring can benefit from a public education also like to have the city beautified to keep the quality of life/urban enviro enjoyable. it is also desireable to give people more reasons to solicit the stores there.
you dont get to measure everything else by a ‘not enough money being pumped into the schools until they are perfect’ yardstick. if your kids want an excellent education it can be had by getting the most out of the hours at school and then continuing studies at home….maybe even with you assisting? i dont want to be mean, but did you think about this before taking on a 20-30 years of having to support 3 kids? 2 would have been cheaper than 3, 1 cheaper than 2. im sure your kids are great but anything we bring under our financial umbrella have to be paid for. this is the conversation struggling parents with multiple kids never want to take up. also, i sure hope you dont complain about socialism, because public school is a very good example of ‘the greater good’. everyone pays for it like it or not. i personally dont mind, but dont cry in my beer.
The reason is simple. It would have been illegal – not to mention unethical – for Redmond to spend Urban Renewal money of anything other than urban renewal, regardless of the reason.
The reason is simple. It would have been illegal – not to mention unethical – for Redmond to spend Urban Renewal money of anything other than urban renewal, regardless of the reason. For more details visit http://shyneschool.com