Residents unhappy with MAPS plan

By Dave Jordan, NEWS 9

Hundreds of students will soon converge on a school in northwest Oklahoma City. It's part of an approved MAPS project.

But the project is not what neighbors say they voted on and there are complaints about what effect that would have on their community.

Neighbors say those complaints fell on deaf ears after the resignation of former Superintendent Porter.

Now they haven't been able to get any answers or information from the school board about a MAPS project which is drastically different from the one they voted on.

Residents of Camelot Estates voted on schools improvements under the premise that both Eisenhower Elementary and Stonegate would remain open. But residents have learned Stonegate will close down and those students will be sent to Eisenhower.

Some of those students are reportedly being bused over from northeast Oklahoma City.

Neighborhood Association President Kim Walsh is concerned about the traffic tie -ups and what this could mean for the four surrounding subdivisions.

"As you see the streets are not really wide and there is really no parking around," Walsh said.

Walsh was in contact with the school board during Porter's tenure and said there were plans to discuss these concerns with administrators.

Since Porter resigned, Walsh said Albert Basey, who is the only school board member without a listed phone number on the school Web site, never responded to her numerous requests for a meeting.

"The acting Superintendent has visited with one of the concerned neighbors and we're aware of their concerns," Kathleen Kennedy with Oklahoma City Public Schools said. "At this point, that's what we can do right now."

Kennedy said most of what the neighbors have heard in the past few weeks is speculation and misinformation.

"They need to hold a community meeting within this area and let us know exactly what's going on so we can get it right," Walsh said.

The school board acknowledged late Friday afternoon that the acting superintendent met with someone from another subdivision and no additional meetings on this issue are scheduled at this time.

These plans go into effect in 2009.