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Why was there only "1" option???; What if the BOE said "NO"?
Topic Started: Jan 2 2006, 07:27 PM (1,940 Views)
fyi
Principal
I think that Title-1, NCLB, and the Union have a lot to with why this plan was chosen. Also, the $$$ that they will make on leasing those closed school buildings or selling them.
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
fyi
Jan 4 2006, 09:44 PM
I think that Title-1, NCLB, and the Union have a lot to with why this plan was chosen. Also, the $$$ that they will make on leasing those closed school buildings or selling them.

Leasing the buildings has already proven to be non-profitable and more of an administrative headache than it is worth ( gee, maybe they should outsource thier leasing and might prove to be more productive when someone else is doing the marketing? ). My concern is the possibility of tearing these schools down and the marketing of the land for further commercial or cluster/condo housing to the well known friends of the BOE and Administration.
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grantmom
Principal
Grant1
Jan 5 2006, 08:07 AM
fyi
Jan 4 2006, 09:44 PM
I think that Title-1, NCLB, and the Union have a lot to with why this plan was chosen.  Also, the $$$ that they will make on leasing those closed school buildings or selling them.

Leasing the buildings has already proven to be non-profitable and more of an administrative headache than it is worth ( gee, maybe they should outsource thier leasing and might prove to be more productive when someone else is doing the marketing? ). My concern is the possibility of tearing these schools down and the marketing of the land for further commercial or cluster/condo housing to the well known friends of the BOE and Administration.

Hum....then were would they put the kids from the families who would move into them....oh but I'm sure they haven't thought that far ahead....since it won't be their problem. Could be another Deaborn diaster waiting to happen.
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
grantmom
Jan 5 2006, 08:50 AM
Grant1
Jan 5 2006, 08:07 AM
fyi
Jan 4 2006, 09:44 PM
I think that Title-1, NCLB, and the Union have a lot to with why this plan was chosen.  Also, the $$$ that they will make on leasing those closed school buildings or selling them.

Leasing the buildings has already proven to be non-profitable and more of an administrative headache than it is worth ( gee, maybe they should outsource thier leasing and might prove to be more productive when someone else is doing the marketing? ). My concern is the possibility of tearing these schools down and the marketing of the land for further commercial or cluster/condo housing to the well known friends of the BOE and Administration.

Hum....then were would they put the kids from the families who would move into them....oh but I'm sure they haven't thought that far ahead....since it won't be their problem. Could be another Deaborn diaster waiting to happen.

They are not counting on families moving into the new cluster or condo housing. If you remember back to the Ardmore project, and the old Mai Kai site, all of that housing was specifically targeted for "empty nesters" ( wish I had the articles and planning commission documentation handy on that, but I remember it ). Livonia is an excellent city for the retirees and empty nesters to live in since it is has the 2nd lowest tax base in Wayne County, is not growing exponentially like many Oakland, Washtenaw, Livingston, and Macomb County communities ( which means steadily increasing taxes to support growth ), and is still ranked as one of the safest and most stable communities in Michigan. It is a great place to stay if you have lived here much of your life ( hey!, I'm still here after growing up, buying a house, getting married, having kids, raising a family, etc... ) and a great place to move to if you value the attributes it has.
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grantmom
Principal
Maybe it's time to start to thinking of a new motto for the city.
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Tyler_Parent
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Principal
That might be a fun new forum? (New city mottos)
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fyi
Principal
School options get tense response
Anger, confusion arise at public forums about consolidation proposals
By Rona Marech
Sun reporter
Originally published January 8, 2006
Proposals to close as many as four of the city's high schools drew especially sharp rebukes yesterday at a pair of emotional public forums where participants expressed concern about everything from sacrificing institutional legacies to blending students from different schools in one building.

In two-hour-plus meetings complete with PowerPoint presentations, public and small-group discussions, officials detailed proposals to close campuses, create smaller schools within schools and convert some vacated middle schools into high schools. The proposals stem from state demands to operate more efficiently as student enrollment declines and facilities age.



The future of Northwestern was the subject of a particularly heated discussion at the afternoon meeting at Polytechnic Institute, which drew about 150 people. The proposals call for relocating Northwestern students to the Pimlico Middle School building or turning Northwestern into a so-called multiplex that would house several smaller schools in one building - ideas few at the meeting seemed to like.

"If you hear a quiver in my voice, it's not because I'm nervous. It's because I'm outraged, said Aisha Dorsey, a senior at Northwestern. "Why are we closing schools instead of rebuilding them?"

And why, she asked, are schools being slated for closure as the facilities undergo capital improvements?

Pimlico doesn't have adequate facilities for high school students and it would be costly to upgrade it, several people said to applause.

"Libraries, classrooms, specialized classrooms, labs, engineering, woodworking, audiovisual, athletic facilities, fields, pools - I don't see how you could possibly have space for that if you moved from a high school to a middle school," Kathy Brohawn, a parent of two Polytechnic Institute students, said later. "It's just not big enough to accommodate these big guys."

Many frustrated and confused parents, students, teachers and administrators said they wouldn't complete surveys, distributed at the meetings and available online for the next 10 days, because they didn't approve of any of the options.

Others wrote in their own proposals or said they had to study the labyrinthine plans at home before casting votes.

"They're not giving us the option to keep the space and lower class size. I think it's a farce," Polytechnic English teacher Bill Bleich, one of about 60 people who attended the morning forum held at Digital Harbor High School, said in an interview. "Classes should be capped at 20, and no schools should be closed until that happens."


Concerns
Gerry Waterfield, director of the city's school-based health centers program, said she was concerned that if Northwestern closes, the primary-care services there would be lost.

She also is worried, she said, about the social consequences of mixing middle school and high school students in Pimlico under one of the proposed options.


Finding room
Several teachers were scratching their heads about how the district would find room for two other high schools - New Era Academy and Dr. Samuel L. Banks High School - in Lake Clifton-Eastern High School.

"It's already full as it is, unless you do major renovations," Harik Cofer, an algebra teacher, said in a small-group discussion. "We've moved away from 2,500 students. Now it sounds like you're putting us back in that scenario."

City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton drew cheers when she said that plans to relocate Renaissance Academy (in Southwestern High School) to Edmondson-Westside High School were ill-conceived. "There are dynamics that are a formula for disaster," she said.

Other participants complained about inadequate community involvement in the process and the shortsightedness of vacating schools that have undergone recent renovations. They also said changes could lead to more violence and longer commutes for students.


'Change is hard'
School officials generally took the community outcry in stride.

"We're pleased with the turnout," said Eric Letsinger, the system's chief operating officer. "There are a lot of tough decisions ahead, and we're thankful that the community is willing to work with us. ... We all know the status quo is unacceptable. That said, change is hard."

School board member James Campbell said he was pleased with the public's input.

"It gave me a much broader perspective on what's going on," he said. "I hope people realize it's a step in the process."

On Feb. 14, a high school committee will forward an updated plan that incorporates public comments to a citywide steering committee. The school board will receive the plan March 28.

rona.marech@baltsun.com




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