June 7, 2023
Greetings Parents and Caregivers:
The school board voted last night to give our teachers the second-highest pay in our region to retain and attract certified teachers for your students. This is a huge move for your students and their academic achievement! I have personally seen great teachers, eight over the last two years, leave our district for higher pay in surrounding districts. As part of this move to attract and retain teachers, we are restructuring our campuses as we have two campuses that are at 40% capacity.
The first change is that Baker Middle School students (Grades 6, 7, and 8) will move to the Park Ridge Magnet Campus, located at 5905 Groom Road. Sixth- through eighth-grade students who attend Park Ridge will still attend the Park Ridge Magnet Program at their current site. They will remain Park Ridge students and stay together as a cohort in their classes on a daily basis. In short, our sixth- through eighth-grade students will operate separately on one campus. Baker Middle and Park Ridge Academic Magnet will maintain their site codes to allow for such a time when the new Baker High School is rebuilt and to accommodate the expected increase of student enrollment beyond the 2023-2024 School Year.
Secondly, Kindergarten through fifth-grade Park Ridge Academic Magnet students will physically move to the C Hallway at the Baker Heights Elementary School Campus, located at 3750 Harding Street, and these K-5 Park Ridge Academic Magnet Program students will maintain their separate and distinct Park Ridge Academic Magnet status. This restructuring will also allow us to enroll more eligible students in the Park Ridge Magnet Program as their grades will be house together on the same campus. Park Ridge will receive its letter grade from the state as a separate school.
We recognize that these two changes will affect the most valuable possessions that you give us, and we are doing everything we can to honor your desires as parents. We do, however, believe that temporary campus re-structuring is in the best overall interest of your students academically. We need your support as we take measures to attract and retain the best and brightest educators in our region, who are, as research indicates, the greatest influencers on student learning.
Sincerely,
J.T. Stroder
Acting Superintendent
City of Baker School System