School-closings meetings start Tuesday
by Dale Mezzacappa on Sep 24 2012 Posted in Latest news
Declaring a need to close dozens of schools by next year due to underutilized buildings, the School Reform Commission begins its process for informing and engaging the community this week with another series of meetings.
Seven community forums will take place between Tuesday and mid-October so District officials can “illustrate the types of rightsizing strategies” and get community feedback for its Facilities Master Plan, according to District spokesman Fernando Gallard. A session for students will be held on Oct. 10.
At these meetings, information about specific schools will not be provided.
Instead, participants will be polled and invited to present “alternate strategies,” Gallard said.
Schools designated for closure will be identified by late November, Gallard said. Then a round of state-mandated public hearings will be conducted. Final decisions are expected by March 2013.
The schedule:
Tuesday, Sept. 25 | 10 a.m.-noon | School District Education Center (440 N. Broad St.)
Tuesday, Sept. 25 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Center in the Park (5818 Germantown Ave.)
Saturday, Sept. 29 | 10 a.m.-noon | West Philadelphia High School (4901 Chestnut St.)
Tuesday, Oct. 2 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Kensington CAPA High School (1901 N. Front St.)
Thursday, Oct. 4 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Bright Hope Baptist Church (1601 N. 12th St.)
Wednesday, Oct. 10 STUDENT FORUM | 4-6 p.m. | School District Education Center (440 N. Broad St.)
Saturday, Oct. 13 | 10 a.m.-noon | CAPA High School (901 S. Broad St.)
Comments (26)
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 14:52.
Why is there not one meeting in the NE? Surely that part of the community should have input into a facilities master plan when they need space in that area as well as may absorb students from schools that may close.
Submitted by Pseudonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 17:46.
I doubt any schools in NE are closing. They're all packed and relatively new (compared to 1900s). Also, no developers want to buy them to turn them into condos.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 15:11.
The timeline is a mess. Students will attend the high school fair this coming weekend. We won't know which schools will be shut until March? This will require a lot of shuffling which is unfair to students and families. Shouldn't the SDP have to wait until 2014 since they are so behind in the process?
Submitted by Jack (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 15:22.
Ok so the new superintendent is doing a study of his own on the PSD and will announce his findings on January 2.
The SRC is doing its thing and will announce its findings in November.
There was the meeting this past weeking of concerned groups to put together an alternate plan to massive school closings. Does anyone think the finished product will even be considered.
How many plans and strategies and meetings are covering the same topic with no coordination?
What a mess.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 16:10.
The SRC is not exactly doing its own thing. It will be using the recommendations of the Boston Consulting Group--another corporate entity--as its blueprint. It will continue to use the Gates Compact, which it signed in November 2011 with NO community input.
The alternate plan of concerned groups, therefore, will be the only plan which will reflect the voices of the true stakeholders in this system. Will the finished product be considered? That is up to you. Add your voice to those who demand to be heard about the future of our public schools.
Lisa Haver
Submitted by Joe (not verified) on Tue, 09/25/2012 - 20:10.
Well stated, Lisa. The SRC and their stakeholders have zero interest in what the Phila. Community wants so we must band together and make them listen. Otherwise, they'll do exactly what they've been doing------ignore us completely as though we don't even exist. It's put up or shut up time for the people.
Submitted by Poogie (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 18:48.
Explain the point of all this please. They are going to have meetings about school closings without naming the schools to be closed or other specifics. It seems this just an attempt by the SRC to wear people out with endless and pointless meetings before doing what it planned to do last year without telling anyone else the plan.
Submitted by Phantom Poster (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 20:50.
Poogie- I'm sorry to say you're pretty much on point, although it is possible for the SRC to reverse course on occasion. These "public" meetings allow them to meet their legal and ethical mandates to disclose and inform; even better it allows the SRC to create the illusion that it gives a damn about community input. Remember when Philly had local control and the schools worked? I do...
Submitted by K.R. Luebbert on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 22:44.
Interestingly enough, Dr. Hite stood up in the Sanctuary of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church tonight at the Town Hall Meeting and said THERE IS NO PREDETERMINED LIST OF SCHOOLS TO BE CLOSED. I am not sure if the SRC and BCG has snowed him, but he seems to truly believe this is true. We will see.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/25/2012 - 20:02.
K.R. Luebbert-------------Hite would not be here if he really believed what he said tonight. You can take that to the bank--literally !!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/25/2012 - 02:44.
I remember when Philly had local control. Saying the schools worked then... Well, they worked more of the friends and family of philly pols and the rest of the grifter crowd.
Every parent who chooses to send their kid to a charter school is a vote against the lie that the schools "worked" back in the 1990's. I would not have considered sending my kids to Philly public schools in the 1990's. Now, I might.
I also remember the parking authority when it was controlled by the city machine. I never paid a single parking ticket. parked on sidewalks. It was nice. All you did was change your license plate. The PPA collected less than 20% of the tickets and their bloated payroll actually cost the city money. Now they produce something like $40mm a year in revenue.
Name one government entity run by the Philly machine (PHA, PRA, Sheriffs office, OPA) that is not run like a 3rd world bureaucracy for the benefit of the politicians and their supporters.
Submitted by Phantom Poster (not verified) on Tue, 09/25/2012 - 16:43.
I have to disagree with you, "anonymous" - Philly schools were among the best urban public schools for a long time; my experience as a student in the 60's then as a teacher in the 70's on contradicts your blanket condemnation. Unfortunately, the district has been run by replacement refs for so long, we've forgotten what COULD be...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 04:07.
The 70s were a long time ago...
Submitted by Rich Migliore (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 05:20.
Yes, it was a long time ago and it was a long time ago when the district community had a culture of caring about our students, their communities and each other. We used to argue about what programs and instructional strategies worked best for students. We looked at them as children and as individuals with individual needs, talents, hopes and dreams.
We didn't call children seats and measure their worth by standardized test scores. We used standardized tests as screening measures to look deeper into the needs of the children and measure their growth. We taught the whole child and viewed schools as communities and even families.
Now all we argue about is who is going to gain power and control of our schools and who is going to profit off our children. We choose to look at schools as businesses instead of communities.
And now we have turned our schools into test preparation factories and we put undue pressure on children to score high on standardized tests so the adults can look good and take over schools. Our school district has turned into a district that follows no rules, has lost its sense of values, and has lost its sense of ethics.
Those of us who have been around for years stay involved because we are so disturbed at what we have seen our district turned into by outsiders with political agendas, self serving ideologies, and profit motives.
Dr. Hite will be a huge success if he just restores our sense of community as a school district.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 06:28.
I agree, and hope that time can be returned.
But I also am frustrated to see the debates turn into arguments about underlying motives. Are there some pro-charter, etc., people who have agenda, ideologies, and motives? Yes. But most people working for changes (including charter schools) are doing it because they think it's the best way to offer a better education for children. I know a fairly large number of charter school teachers. Most voluntarily left their prior jobs in District-run schools because they become convinced that the SDP is simply not functional enough to offer a good education to most kids right now. Would they like to also have full union protections, etc.? Probably. But if they have to choose between full job security in a dysfunctional system and slight risk of losing a job (and, most studies have shown that termination rates in at-will employment settings are roughly the same as unionized. Most leaders, even bad ones, don't fire too many people) is well worth the chance to work in a functional school every day. It may be a generational thing, too. The current generation of 20-something and younger 30-somethings don't necessarily intend to stay in one job (or even one career) for 20 or 30 years. So long-term job protections and a seniority-based compensation and advancement scale don't interest them. Working in a functional environment with others who have the same priorities is more appealing.
And charters don't have a monopoly on hidden interests. Teachers Unions are a political monster, and union members (and leadership due to the power it provides) have a pretty strong political agenda, self-serving interests, and income motive in promoting the traditional system. Most of the time when teachers unions strike/raise a fuss, it's mostly about flexing political muscle and working for concessions that help the adults in a building (work hours, vacation days, pensions, etc.) than the students. Teachers unions give plenty of lip-service to many educational factors, but the only things that actually get them to strike are typically job security, pay, and work hours. When I was in the PFT, I got three or four times more cards telling me to wear red in solidarity than I did about any professional development or ways I could improve myself as an educator.
My point is that whether charter organizations or the traditional model (especially the unionized aspect) is more nefarious depends a lot more on personal/subjective political judgments than on the degree to which either side has an "agenda." Unfortunately, neither side seems to really puts kids first. Some transparent charters do a pretty good job, and many individual teachers in all types of schools do a great job. But the political interests behind the overall charter movement and teachers unions are both quite guilty of using education/children to further motives that have very little to do with the interests of the children in schools, especially poor urban schools.
Submitted by Moving Philly (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 06:58.
Not all teachers union locals are as ineffective and out of touch as the PFT. PFT leadership (those working in Center City - not necessarily school based volunteer leadership) are as disconnected from the classroom/schools as most of the leadership at 440. They have not been in the classroom for decades - Jerry Jordan hasn't taught since the early 1980s (and he only taught for 6 years - sounds like a lot of principals). While this is a huge problem in Philadelphia, it doesn't negate the need for unionized teachers. Some of us want to make teaching our career and don't want to be threatened with job loss because administrators don't like anyone that asks questions. There are many examples of Phila. charters that dump teachers are soon as they mention the word "union."
While I certainly don't know why some teachers prefer charters, I assume one reason is the imposition of pedagogical and curricular models under Vallas and Ackerman that strip teachers of most of their autonomy. Imposition of core curriculum, curricular materials, 7 step lessons, behaviorist pedagogy, etc. assumes teachers are incompetent and need a "formula." This is also the approach of Mastery and KIPP charter operators.
There are independent charters that have more respect for teachers' ability to create curriculum and incorporate pedagogical methods which meet the needs of their students. I assume some magnet teachers also have this independence. Nevertheless, there are teachers at neighborhood schools which find ways to do what is best for their students besides the regulations and regimentation under Ackerman/Nixon. If the principal trusts his/her staff, this is possible.
Submitted by Phillip Aiken (not verified) on Tue, 09/25/2012 - 19:42.
Here we go again! They are doing what they want to do and these meetings are setup at a time that they know people can not make them! THE GAMES GO ON! No respect for parents or OUR RIGHT TO HAVE TRUE INPUT ! Where are the people who we put in office to look out for our best interest! Phillip Aiken
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 06:31.
It looks to me like the meetings are mostly in the evenings and on Saturdays. Perhaps that doesn't work for some people, but it seems to me like they are scheduled when working people are mostly likely to be available. 5:30 p.m might be a bit early, but If they started much later, they'd go late into the evening.
The SDP has a history of having meetings at bad times, but these seem to be pretty reasonable to me.
Submitted by Phillip Aiken (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 14:06.
The more important issue you need to address is , why is we are not being given the list of schools that are on the list to be closed! If we have the imporant information then we can be well informed parents! I feel that if I can say something then you should not hide who you are. Are you one of the people making these decision and do not have the courage to say so! People need to take a stand for our children ! I will never hide behind this anonymous way of getting out of being a man or a women and stand for something. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 14:22.
Perhaps a good guide to review would be the "draft" document that listed the original school closure suggestions. I recall that document being published around May or June 2011. Not sure how to post a link here, but doing a search on this site for "35-page confidential draft" or "school-closings-report-full" will remind everyone what the original suggested closings were.
Submitted by Phillip Aiken (not verified) on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 19:08.
You should know that we can not go by the first list! If you have been dealing with the SDP for as long as I as a parent they will always change things and us parents are the last to know! Please , remember how we have gotten this far! It was not by "Parents are our partners" We were invited to have input in the selection of our superintendant and then when we got to Leeds School, we were told that here is a list of choices to pick from. Do you think they use any of our suggestions in the selection process? If you do, then you need to go back and read what the majority of us said. We can't change what was done now, however we must not forget what was done! I can guarantee you that we will find out at the last minute that there are schools on this list that were not on the first list. And we will never know the reason why until it's too late for us to do something about it!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 19:18.
Does the Facilities Master Plan include closing Charter Schools?
Submitted by Ron Whitehorne on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 19:45.
No. Charter Schools are only closed if their charters are not renewed. Legislation pending in Harrisburg would remove these decisions from local school districts and vest them with the state DOE. Also the courts have ruled the local districts cannot impose caps on charter school enrollment, something the Philadelphia District is challenging. The fact is that we would not be talking about significant numbers of school closures if it were not for the accleration of charter school enrollment, a development promoted by the SRC and their political patrons.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 20:28.
Also not only promoted by funded by the Obama Administration, lauded by the Romney team, and bought by major foundations such as Broad, Gates, Walton, etc.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 20:09.
A number old public school facilities were converted to charters schools and the SDP is still paying for the facility costs for these charter buildings.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/25/2012 - 02:56.
This is because city council and the Philly politicians want to use the School District as a jobs program. Specifically by keeping the SEIU employed regardless of need, merit, cost or any other practical consideration.
11 people on council voted to hold extra more school district funding hostage to giving the SEIU what they want. As a result, the SEIU got minimal layoffs and a give-back that still allows them to charge the school district $30mm a year more than you could get from the private sector. The extra costs paid to the SEIU will get worse as schools are closed.
The average SEIU member has a 20% sick-out rate. Collectively they cost over $6.5 mm a year in workmens comp. Only in Philly government is this sort of performance celebrated.
No charter would willingly hire this crew at some multiple of cost and some fraction of productivity. So the SDP bundles in maintenance.
Put the blame where it is deserved. The Democrat machine here looks at the school district as a jobs program for their political supporters. Education is just a vehicle for their corruption.
Post new comment