One of the items the board agreed on was not to renew its contract with the city of West Bend for the current location of Pathways Charter School in the Mutual Mall, 1043 S. Main Street.Three options for a new location were discussed including going back to middle school, moving to the high school oar finding another location in town. The current location was not an option. No new location decision was made Monday evening.
My name is Chelsea Doman Davis. I live at … in Jackson. I have four school-aged children. My oldest son is Henry, an eighth grader at Pathways for the second year. I stand before you this evening with a strong hope of persuading you to grant a longterm contract for Pathways Charter School.
Seven years ago, Henry was struggling in school, though not with learning. He typically works above grade-level standards; however the very structure of school was difficult for him; the usual methods of teaching in the usual classroom did not facilitate learning for him in an easy way. We struggled at two different schools in two different states before we decided homeschool was the best solution. And for four years, it was amazing.
Then last year we moved to Wisconsin so my husband could join a dental practice in Slinger and we decided to give traditional school another try due to the high standards of education in this state. We considered living everywhere within a 45-minute radius of Slinger. We heard and continue to hear how amazing the Slinger School District is.
But after Henry’s previous struggles in the classroom and our years of homeschooling, we needed options outside of current tradition. We needed to find a different classroom experience that would help Henry learn in his way and with an environment conducive to developing skills requite for successful adults. When I found Pathways in my research, I knew we had to live in the WBSD, despite all evidence pointing to Slinger.
I am happy to report that at Pathways, Henry is not just surviving but is thriving. He has grown immensely. For example, when my son started attending Pathways, he sat in the corner of the lunchroom every day with his coat on and his hood up. But now, and for the first time ever, he has friends at school. Friends who accept him as he is. They encourage each other to do their best and they help each other. Those are true friends. Can you put a price tag on that?
I know test scores were recently published and they weren’t as high as they could be. But do test scores really reflect the potential of an individual? Education is not only about numbers. It’s about the entirety of a person. Let’s remember that like Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates, these are the kids who think outside the box, who need to know the whys and wherefores and will dig deep to find them. They need more convincing than the average teenager that filling out bubbles is worth their effort. I am certain had they realized the charter was up for renewal and the future of their school was literally in their hands, they would have given their best efforts.
When considering all of the numbers, please don’t lose sight of the population a school closure would hurt and the ripple effect it would cause. In the words of one of my son’s classmates, “Too many kids need this school.”
Thank you.
