Heart of Hillsboro Neighborhood

HOHNA Newsletter, Spring 2001

May 17, 2001

"Keeping our neighborhood a nice place to live"

Spring, 2001
Peter Boscow School Boundaries Redrawn

Last year, Hillsboro School District boundaries were redrawn, changing populations at several Hillsboro elementary schools. The effects at Peter Boscow Elementary, the neighborhood school for Heart of Hillsboro Neighborhood, has seen some dramatic changes:

* Volunteer hours are down 60%. From 7/1 to 9/30, 1999 183.5 hours were volunteered to Peter Boscow. For the same period in 2000, only 73 hours. This gives teachers significantly less help in the classrooms.

* 18.5% increase in Free and Reduced-rate lunches, from 49% of students in 1999-00, to 67.5% of students in 2000-01. In practical terms, this means less income in the population for school fundraising.

* New neighborhood schools are fully fitted out with technology, while Peter Boscow and other older schools lag behind.

The fact or perception of a poor-quality neighborhood elementary school affects all of us as homeowners, if not as parents. Home buyers are looking for the best possible education for their children, and they will prefer to buy homes in good school districts.

HOHNA will be hosting a meeting to discuss these concerns with school officials from Hillsboro School District, School Board, and Peter Boscow. This will be a positive meeting, focusing proactively on "what can we do to help?"

Please come: Monday, May 14, at 7:00 PM, at the First Baptist Church, 2nd and Lincoln, in the classroom building.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------