What is the comparative cost/savings ratio for combining New Tech and CHS vs. leaving New Tech as is?
What is the total cost of maintaining the New Tech building when empty?
What are the plans for the New Tech building once it is empty?
What is the total cost for preparing the CHS building (construction, reorganization, furniture,
etc.) to be able to take in the New Tech students in a ‘school-within-a-school’ approach?
What is the projected impact on district revenue from combining New Tech and CHS?
Has the Board considered having an outside firm do a cost/benefit analysis of combining New Tech
and CHS vs. leaving them as is?
If the Board has no definite plans for the empty New Tech building, have they considered
investigating options for that before combining the schools?
Is the $2M we are trying to save in the budget expected to come just from New Tech, or is the Board
including the closing of two elementary schools in that figure?
Would the Board be willing to consider alternative ideas for generating that $2M cut in costs
that would also save the elementary schools at risk of closure?
Has the Board considered charging for shuttles and buses, expanding open enrollment beyond the
district (particularly for New Tech), requiring an application fee for New Tech, or a
registration fee for out-of-district learners coming to New Tech?
Has the Board considered cutting certain extra-curricular activities at New Tech to reduce
shuttle dependence, cutting UIL participation at the middle school level, or making similar
types of cuts to expensive sports programs?
Has the Board considered investing in an advertising campaign within the district to encourage students
to consider attending New Tech?
How could such a campaign emphasize the differences between CHS and New Tech to increase
enrollment without competition?
Has the Board considered having a ‘booster club’ for New Tech that focuses on raising money for PBL
learning?
What is the cost/benefit ratio of each of the options discussed as potential alternatives to combining
schools?
What are the costs for making a school a magnet school, and what are the benefits?
Would a magnet school appear to be too ‘exclusive’ and therefore less likely to draw in new
students?
Can a school be both a magnet school and a New Tech school?
Are there other school formats we could consider?
How is our current open enrollment system run, and is it currently at capacity?
How do programs like Access Frisco and Choose McKinney work, how successful are they at bringing
in students, and how much do they cost to implement vs. the revenue they produce?
How does the New Tech program at R.L. Turner (a ‘school-within-a-school’ program) work, how
successful is it regarding enrollment draw, how expensive is it to run, and how much revenue
does it produce?
Has the Board investigated options like making New Tech a magnet school, increasing open
enrollment boundaries, or making New Tech and other unique district programs available for open
enrollment while leaving the rest of the district as is?
Have they considered visiting open enrollment programs in Frisco and McKinney to get more
information, or visiting R.L. Turner to see how a ‘school-within-a-school’ works?
If not, why not, and what would it take to change their minds?
What is the hoped-for advantage of combining these two schools?
Is it true that the Board hopes more CHS students will take New Tech electives?
Would New Tech students be able to or required to take certain courses at CHS?
How does this affect the New Tech model (PBL, unique grading system, unique school culture,
unique student government setup, etc.)?
Is the Board aware that these changes could dilute the New Tech program and lead to New Tech
dissolving into CHS?
How does the national New Tech organization view this?
Are there other New Tech schools with a similar setup that are successful?
Could the Board explain what the long-term goal is for New Tech?
Have they investigated what other New Tech schools are doing to stay successful?
CoppellForNewTech.org