Can we make it K through 6?
We can not make it K through 6.
The school’s too small,
Kids won't fit.
Can we fit them in the gym?
We can not fit them in the gym.
The roof’s too low,
They won’t fit in.
Can we fit them in a class?
We can not fit them in a class.
Why won’t the kids fit in the room?
We don’t have time, we open soon!
Can we fit them in the hall?
They will not fit at all.
The kids are big,
the hall is small.
We can’t make a K through 6?
We really can’t fit K through 6.
It will not work one single bit!
The kids won’t fit in gyms or halls,
The kids are big, the rooms are small!
Can the kids fit on the potty?
We cannot fit them on the potty!
Are the toilets all so tiny?
The toilets are way too tiny,
They’re much too small
for a big kid's hiney.
for a big kid's hiney.
Will they fit on the playground?
We can not fit them on the playground;
the lot’s too small to run around.
Our research says the split's not good.
Our research's better; it says we should.
How did you come to this decision?
Do these numbers have precision?
On a cold and snowy, night,
We made this choice, we’re sure it’s right!
Are you sure the school’s too small?
Yes we’re sure the schools too small.
The kids won’t fit inside at all.
The roof is low, the kids are tall.
This school would end up Marginal!
They can not use the halls or gym.
All these kids just won’t fit in.
To make the change for which you holler,
It would cost FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!
The school’s too small, too small you see.
We know what’s best, now let us be!
The school’s too small, or so you say.
But we find your “facts” are not okay.
We read the blueprints so we know,
Your old idea has got to go.
We measured rooms, we measured gyms.
We know these big kids will fit in.
It’s just the same as other schools.
Look at the facts, we're not fools!
You’ll never change your mind you say,
Read this, read this, and you may.
These facts are sound,
Your mind they’ll sway.
We see you’re mad, you have our pity,
But we can’t please all of Pasco city.
There is a lot we must consider,
We'll return after we dither.
Say! We CAN fit K through 6!
It’s not too small, the kids will fit!
We can fit them in the gym,
And we can fit them in the halls.
We can fit them in the rooms,
The school is great, not marginal!
The school is not too small at all!
We can fit them on the playground,
There’s so much room to run around.
And they can use a classroom potty,
It keeps kids safe from those who’re naughty.
There are no changes to be made,
And no more cost that must be paid.
This school works great for K through 6,
There’s nothing wrong, no needs to fix!
It will be K-6 in the fall!
Thank you, thank you, one and all!
*****
THE STORY BEHIND THE POEM
McClintock was to be a kinder center. At least that is what the public was told during the bond information meetings and what everyone thought until February when Pasco School District decided to make it a k-2 partner school with Franklin. There are various guesses as to why this decision was made: to mirror the partner schools on the other side of town, because central Pasco was losing their kinder center and it wouldn't be fair to have one on the other side of town, or because parents from Twain and Livingston didn't want to send their kids to the kinder center are among a few.
What ever the reason, the parents being impacted by this decision did not want to split their families up between two schools and asked if McClintock could be converted to a k-6 school. The result was a month of frustration for both sides. Parents asked for information from the district and became skeptical when the information given when it didn't seem right. An architect, general contractor and and engineer looked over the blueprints and confirmed that the district was giving faulty information.
Here are just a few of the examples:
- Parents were told the gym ceiling was too low. Upon closer inspection, parents learned that it is two feet taller than a nearby gym where adult men play basketball several times a week.
- Teachers were told that to change the school would be illegal as it would go against the bond. After reading the bond resolution, the parents found Section 8 provided for the purpose of the bond money to be changed if the needs of the community changed.
- The square feet given by the district were wrong on every account, from the classrooms to the hallways, parents were led to believe that McClintock would be unsuitable for bigger kids. Numbers were manipulated. At Franklin the entire faculty lounge was included in the district's measurements while at McClintock only a small portion was counted.
- The district said McClintock did not have a band room, and this was another reason the school could not become a full K-6. How is it that our school leaders don't know that none of the elementary schools in Pasco have a band room?
Parents were busy for a month researching facts, talking to other parents and teachers to see what grade configuration they'd prefer, keeping the needs of all three school's involved in mind, talking to plumbers and builders, writing posts and letters to educate the public and a thousand other things. They became frustrated after continually reading the district's list of pro's and con's that clearly pushed the district's desires and were oblivious to what mattered to the families the schools would serve.
In the end, the school board's presentation mirrored the facts given on the Facebook page Parents for Partnership with Pasco Schools. McClintock could be a k-6, it would not be marginal and it would not cost $5 million dollars. While this story had a happy ending it proved that the relationship between parents and the district/board is not a healthy one.
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