Council Corner: One Clarifying Comment

It was a great night last Monday to sit in the Council Chambers alongside the Board of Trustees of the San Mateo-Foster City School District. We are all on the same page (for the most part) and with their new leadership and our continuing leadership we can find a solution to the issue of overcrowding in the schools in Foster City.

For the last four years I have heard from some very angry parents who feel we should have given up a park, land, etc. so they could build a new school so all of our Foster City children could remain in Foster City. Smaller class sizes, state of the art class rooms, etc. However one of the first questions I asked Dr. Simms that night was “Will the additional school built in Foster City just house Foster City children?” The answer was no.

Now I am not an “exclusive” person in any part of my life and do not want to sound like I’m banning all children from San Mateo, HOWEVER, I want parents in Foster City to be abundantly clear that a new school will not solve their concerns. This school will be open to both communities and should be since the Bond that needs to pass is voted on by residents in Foster City and San Mateo. Why would they vote to spend money on building a school that we wouldn’t even allow their children to attend!!!

Although every household in the District is assigned to a school, parents in the San Mateo-Foster City School District have many choices for their children. Parents can choose to send their child to their assigned school, apply to transfer to another school within the District, or apply to one of our Magnet programs/schools. Please visit this link for more information: http://www.smfc.k12.ca.us/lookup.

I am happy we are forming a study group of so many diverse folks from both communities and truly hope that a solution can be found. I have admitted I am carrying some baggage from the last four years of “talks” and frustrations to fix these concerns. Still sticks in my craw that it wasn’t even considered when several people suggested two stories on Foster City School when the architectural designs were still on the drawing board. Same thoughts were thrown in about Bowditch…….now people are writing columns suggesting the same solutions we gave them four years ago. Those suggestions were not known back then because they were not popular ideas.

There are many great minds coming together to study these issues and I’m confident that in those that will comprise the group will leave no stone unturned. I have read a partial list of who will comprise the SCORE study group and I am impressed with their credentials, their commitment and I know the individuals are open minded and will make a fair assessment.

We are called the San Mateo-Foster City School District and I hope the end result will infuse these children with each other so when our children attend high school in San Mateo they will have already formed some friendships and tolerance. Both governing bodies need to be flexible when exploring the needs of our children.

If you have comments you would like to share, contact me at
pfrisella@fostercity.org.

About this column: Council Corner features weekly opinion letters from rotating members of the City Council.

For more news about Foster City and surrounding areas, follow us on Twitter (@FosterCityPatch) and "like" us on Facebook. Sign up for our daily newsletter here. Want to blog for us? Click here.