Supporters of Stanton release counter-proposal
by Erika Owens on Feb 15 2012 Posted in Latest news
The Supporters of Stanton has released a counter-proposal to the School District's plan to close the E.M Stanton Elementary School. The 37-page document includes two proposals for a possible future for the school, photos, floor plans, and other supporting materials.
One proposal suggests housing an autism-support program at the school and the other proposal suggests expanding the school's catchment area in order to increase enrollment. The document includes a marketing plan and draft flyers for increasing visibility of the school as an education option in the neighborhood.
The Supporters of Stanton plan to present this final version of the counter-proposal at the School Reform Commission meeting tomorrow, February 16.
A final decision on which schools will be closed is expected this school year, but the exact timeline is not clear.
Comments (24)
Submitted by Sheppard Teacher (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 19:20.
I really wish Stanton the best; I hop their plan succeeds. They are fighting the good fight.
It's hard not to point out that even the district knows that Sheppard is not under capacity and that our building is in perfect shape. We need only to be allowed to continue doing what we're doing - at no additional cost to the district.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 20:41.
It's ALL about money for the Pols and likely a charter wants the property. It never has anything to do with kids, especially these kids.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 21:01.
I support better education funding but not to support old and underutilized buildings. I support it to support teachers and smaller class sizes.
The District needs to get rid of facilities. Stanton may or may not be the best choice. But we will always have limited money and I hope they spend it wisely on things that help educate children.
Submitted by Teach (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 22:01.
The district needs to get rid of empty, unproductive facilities, not excellent schools like Stanton and Sheppard. What makes you think Stanton is underutilized? Because the school district says so? Guess what? They've taken Reagan's "fuzzy math" to new heights.
And those "old buildings are more structurally sound than the new cardboard stuff they slap up these days.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 21:27.
Stanton is gone. Gamble wants it. Just like the Audenreid Fiasco, if he wants it, it's his--case closed.
Submitted by Teach (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 22:02.
Don't feed the trolls, folks.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 22:20.
Watch and Learn.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 21:10.
I totally agree and follow the money 24/7.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 22:26.
I am wondering how this Autistic support idea would work, since the autistic support program at Arthur was just expanded to K-8, from it's original K-6. Arthur services between 15 and 20 students in this program.
I also wonder how many parents will send their children to Arthur if Stanton is closed. Although it does not have the track record of Stanton, it has made AYP the last 3 years and has an up-and-coming community group currently raising money for such things as a 400-500 thousand dollar park to replace the asphalt "playground."
Submitted by SOS PJ on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 00:29.
Arthur has made great improvement and the Friends of Arthur are awesome. Still, we are fighting to keep Stanton open because there is and will be enough demand for both schools. We are fighting because of all the hard work that has taken place to make Stanton great. Check out our Cultural Arts Program on YouTube by searching "E.M. Stanton Cultural Arts". There are 2 parts.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 00:39.
The question was not, "Why are they fighting for their school to be open?" but rather, "Will most parents send their student(s) to Arthur if the school closes?" I know Stanton is a great school, but if it closes, which a lot of parents have to be considering as a possible outcome, what do they plan on doing?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 00:46.
Concerning the first point of the proposal, servicing autistic children, what are the numbers for students in the area (not requiring hour+ bus rides each morning) that would fill this population? This is a legitimate question because I am wondering how likely it is to be accepted by the district.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 22:28.
Doesn't the fact that 1/3 of their students come from out of the catchment zone show that there are currently not enough people to warrant the continued use of the building? I realize that it is an amazing thing to have students come from other neighborhoods b/c the school is so great, but the district will probably say, "1/3 of your students don't even live in this neighborhood. Why should we keep you open?"
Submitted by Matthew C. (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 22:48.
Yes, Arthur and Stanton are close together and BOTH are in the Universal Catchment area which means Kenny Gamble, I totally agree. How can anybody not see this for what it is. Does anybody really think the District didn't know Gamble was misusing services at Audenried? Do you know what pattern means? He ruined Peirce and Vare and gets Audenried AGAIN and still some can't connect the dots !!
Submitted by SOS PJ on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 00:20.
Funny, 50% of the students at Greenfield and Meredith come from outside of the catchment, yet, we would never consider closing them. Why? Because they are great school, just like Stanton. Furthermore, Stanton has comparable test scores to Greenfield and that is a fact. Also, check the population statistics page 4, the catchment is growing.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 00:43.
I guess sarcasm is lost on this discussion board. I am well aware of the situation and am active with SOSNA even though I do not live in the neighborhood. Personally, as a teacher at Arthur, I do not want to see the school close at all, since it will mean larger class sizes and then none of the progress made in either school will be easy to keep up.
Also, what is the utilization rate of Meredith and Greenfield? Unfortunately, comparing test scores and % of students who come from out of the catchment doesn't matter if the district thinks the building is underutilized. I read the counter proposal and know that the district's idea of maximum number of students does not jive with what Stanton is actually doing, due to wonderful programs that take place and require classroom space.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 13:47.
Yes 1/3 of our students come from out of our catchment area but at McCall over 50% of their students are out of the catchment area. Is this a reason to close a High performing school with AYP over 8 years? Under the NCLB act you can have students out of your catchment area. Know your facts before you make a comment.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 22:55.
I am more than aware of the facts. Please see my response about the sarcasm. This is really getting out of hand. McCall is another school with a high utilization rate. Why people have not filled Stanton I do not know, but comparing it to schools like Meredith or McCall does not make sense when it is not housing as many students as it could or when its students have had to spend a couple days at neighboring schools due to maintenance issues. Please refrain from telling me to "know my facts," since you are skewing information in your favor. I have stated, on this post nonetheless, that I want stanton to remain open. All I am doing is asking questions. A response to the SRC of "know your facts" will certainly not keep this school open.
Submitted by SOS PJ on Fri, 02/17/2012 - 21:10.
Hey Anonymous, you seem to know your facts well. Thanks for the tough questions. We work hard not to skew but tell our story. I hope you understand our edge, we are fighting to prevent a huge change in the lives of our children. I think any parent would have the same edge. Why haven't parents flocked to Stanton? Simply because they did not know. Can you say that you were fully aware of how great of a school Stanton is? The comparison to Meredith and McCall was simply in response to the out of catchment question. How can that stat be used against us when it is similiar to others? I threw Greenfield in because of its great reputation, our test scores and SPI prove that we deserve to be mentioned in the same breath. Last, there should be no talk of Arthur or Stanton when the cover of the October edition of Philadelphia Magazine talks about a baby boom in Center City.
Submitted by SOS 60 on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 16:32.
Interesting that everyone has reacted to the autistic option and not the increased enrollment option. Just interesting.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/18/2012 - 08:02.
I hope the SRC understands the depth of the situation with Stanton. They have two options: Close Stanton, prove that they are in Gamble's pocket and that they don't care about the students or families in Philadelphia OR keep Stanton open and keep the hope alive that the current SRC that's been forced on us has any integrity.
It's really that simple. Of all the schools on that list, this is really the only one anybody is trying to keep open. That's all any of us need to know. You don't see parents from Sheridan rallying at these SRC meetings, coming up with counter-proposals.
Stanton has the misfortune of being in the neighborhood Kenny Gamble wants to take over. There's a Universal programs office across the street. Kenny Gamble got a brand new high school built just for him that he is now using free of charge, at a loss to the district. This shows where the loyalties really lie. Why hasn't he been charged for extortion?
It's a sad day when a school has to fight against being taken over by a retired musician. It sounds like a bad after-school special.
Submitted by Ron Whitehorne on Sat, 02/18/2012 - 08:56.
"Of all the schools on that list, this is really the only one anybody is trying to keep open" Wrong. Sheppard elementary is another successful school where parents and staff have rallied and developed counter proposals. They were out in force at the recent SRC meeting along with Stanton. There was also a group from Harrison.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/18/2012 - 16:35.
There is 0 reporting on this. Why?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/18/2012 - 11:02.
Shouldn't we all we working on keeping all public schools open? I am so tired of hearing that the district is "bleeding" money, when they don't mind financing this "renaissance" crap.
The teachers, who are good in their respective schools, will have to "reapply" for their jobs once these schools turn into "Charters". This is an outrage, and totally unfair.
How many more layoffs must there be until people start to wake up!
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