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4 Comments For This Post

1. Bill Monroe Says:
   January 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm

   It is a good thing for our elected officials to come together on the issue of school closing and hopefully parents will show support by attending these meetings that may possibly impact SAB decisions.

2. Doug Duckworth Says:
   January 29th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

   I’ve explored some of the abandoned schools like Arlington and Carr. Once they become abandoned too often their architectural details are removed by vandals. These schools are architecturally unique and served as a model of school design for the entire country. Moreover once the are abandoned they go off the agenda; as with Carr, they could remain abandoned for decades.

   The idea of closing schools, when we are asking people to move back to the City, is contradictory. Not only does this undermine the aspirations of children in the neighborhood, but it sends the message to others that the neighborhood isn’t a priority. Why would someone relocate to a neighborhood which isn’t a priority? Moreover, wouldn’t this compel existing residents to leave this neighborhood?

   Closing schools undermines the goals of economic development and neighborhood mobilization.

   Ittner visioned schools as a neighborhood anchor, not only a source of solidarity and pride, but a community area where meetings occur. Schools currently serve in this capacity. When schools are closed the net result is the destruction of social networks and neighborhood continuity. This devolution is especially detrimental to the African American community in St. Louis because they already have the short end of the stick. North St. Louis has had extreme population decline. School closing is really the opposite of what needs to occur.

   But the State of Missouri really isn’t interested in helping the Black North Side. Rather they would see it become white, full of vinyl siding and office parks. Have the blacks move to North County. The whites want their City back. Ironic as their exodus created many of our current problems!

3. Lisa Says:
   January 29th, 2008 at 9:46 pm

   I think Boyd spoke very intelligently about the issue.

   I’m curious if anyone is aware of the performance of this school? What are the MAP scores? Are the majority of the students reading at grade level, and how much are the teacher salaries? Does it have nice facilities for the students, air conditioning? Would an alternative be better or worse? Is the PTA involved? How many students attend the school? Of the neighborhood kids that are participating in the deseg program, are they performing better or worse than than the kids at the neighborhood school? Does the school have activities? Music? Scouts? Tell us more about the community.

4. Anonymous Says:
   January 31st, 2008 at 11:01 am

   The SAB is illegitimate and ill conceived. Their plan to bring in KIPP schools which would only hire Teach For America 20 somethings is another example of corporate undermining of public education. Don’t worry the TFA kiddies will muddle through, on their way to college loan forgiveness–and all on the backs of our children. Forget the fact that the TFA personnel are not qualified to teach, but they are largely caucasian and well-to-do, which ‘looks better’ to bigots like Slay. This is nothing more than the old TEAM FOUR plan for clearing out the North Side.
   As for improving public education in the city; how about BRINGING BACK SOME DISCIPLINE? HOW ABOUT EMPOWERING VETERAN TEACHERS? HOW ABOUT SOME EQUITY IN FUNDING? Once again, the vestiges of institutional racism and economic caste raise their ugly, political head.
   Children deserve schools with veteran, experienced teachers, not substitutes from the street and not TFA participants looking for the next political brownie point on their resume. They deserve buildings in good repair and libraries filled with exciting books, staffed by professional school librarians. They deserve after-school programs which are more inspiring than sports and tutoring by some privateers.

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