Woodward School — in the view of some parents that are not happy that Manteca Unified adjusted the elementary campus’ attendance boundaries to include their  neighborhood east of South Main Street — is not good enough.

The inference is a student going to Woodward School will be receiving a subpar education based on test scores.

They point to math scores as proof positive the school board when they adjusted school boundaries due to growth south of the 120 Bypass  severely shortchanged their kids by exiling them to the academic boonies.

To be clear, Woodward School is a solid school. It has produced more than its fair share of 4.0 plus grade point average students that have earned valedictorian honors at Manteca High.

There are a long list of former Woodward students that are doing quite well as adults, thank you, including a number that obtained four-year degrees.

 Is Woodward School the top Manteca Unified elementary campus based solely on test scores? No.

But let’s for a minute concede “quality of education” arguments made by what one hopes is a minority of those parents irked that the district is not providing transportation to Nile Garden School this upcoming school year for their children because they, as parents, made a decision to keep them there.

A decision, by the way, that was made with the district repeatedly pointing out if they opt to have their child attend Nile Garden instead of Woodard School where their neighborhood was shifted to that parents — and not the district — would be responsible for their transportation to and from school.

Now they want the district to trash a longstanding policy about parents that opt to send their child to a non-assigned campus providing there is room at the other school. The policy requires parents provide transportation, period.

How does that play in Peoria — aka the rest of the Manteca Unified School District?

Assuming the parents view’ of the world is correct, why should parents elsewhere see funds diverted from classroom instruction benefitting their student to pay for a parent that wants their child to go to a different school based on the assumption it will result in a better education for their child?

There is only a set amount of money available in any given year to educate the district’s 24,667 students.

Buying another $180,000 bus plus paying a driver — assuming you can find one — roughly $24 an hour when wages and benefits are factored in the equation — is not cheap.

Yes, the district did bus their students last year as they were outside of districtwide 1.25-mile walk-to-school radius for Nile Garden.

But then Nile Garden was their assigned school. It no longer is.

It doesn’t matter that there is no “safe route” for their child to reach Nile Garden School this year because it is no longer their “home” school. Woodward School is.

Yes, there is no safe way to walk to Nile Garden School from east of Main Street. One would have to transverse narrow country roads where there are no sidewalks.

But  the district is not forcing any child to walk more than 1.25 miles to get an education.

The neighborhood has been reassigned to Woodward School. There are sidewalks all of the way to the campus.

If the parents in question are truly concerned about not being able to provide a ride for their child or the fact walking to Nile Garden is unsafe, then they should simply ask the district to allow their child to attend the school they were assigned to for the year which is Woodward.

The only reason there is no safe route to school for their child this year is because they, as parents, opted to make it “unsafe” so that their child does not have to attend Woodward School. Hence, the condition of  providing for their child’s to and from school transportation to keep their child at Nile Garden School.

Trying to browbeat the school board with the safety card is disingenuous at best.

Demanding they change the rules they agreed to now that they don’t want to drive their kids to school whiffs of seeking “favoritism.”

Perhaps instead of using social media in a bid to whip up a frenzy to carve out an exception to the rules for 211 students out of 24,667 students, maybe they might want to use NextDoor et al to organize carpools for when school resumes in August.

As far as disparaging another school, it might interest those singing the praises of Nile Garden that back in the mid-1990s parents of students north of the  120 Bypass that didn’t want it to be their child’s home school slammed Nile Garden as an educational wasteland.

They were wrong about Nile Garden then and they are wrong about Woodward School now.

The district’s goal is children should be assigned to the school that is closest to them so it can be as true a neighborhood school as possible.

This boils down to parents — and students — loving their schools

Rest assured, Manteca Unified loves the fact families love their school.

The district clearly has heard people when it comes to loving their schools.

That’s why in every boundary adjustment triggered by growth, the district has provided the option that students no longer assigned to the school in question can stay put if there is space available and parents provide transportation.

It’s great that parents are so passionate about their child’s education and their schools.

It is not so great when they  resort to slamming other schools and demanding changes to the rules that apply to everyone regardless of the test scores at their child’s school

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com