GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Happy to see that my school was not on the list (we were one of the 55.)  However disappointed that the city once again is choosing to close rather than help schools.  As many have stated in other posts, some of these schools (JFK, Beach Channel) were once among the top public schools in NYC. Unfortunately the city chooses to ignore them and let them fail rather then put more effort and resources into them.

How cab they legally close zoned elem and middle schools w/ out CEc assent?

Mike Klonsky is the guest tonight. Michelke Rhee’s attention grabbing students first organization among topics to be discussed.

blogtalkradio.com/bronx-teacher/2010/12/08/the-mind-of-a-bronx-teacher

With the closing of all these school’s, what’s the sense in belonging to a union that is not going to fight for it’s members. I think it’s time for these union members to stop contributing their union dues to a union that’s just watching as many lose their jobs.

The Department of Education has failed not the schools that are being closed. This is a political agenda and the students and communities are the victims. Beach Channel High School by the year 2014 will cease to exist. Along with Far Rockaway High School these two schools serviced the academic needs of the Rockaway peninsula. By 2014 there will be no large Academic High School to service one of the poorest minority communities in the city. How many students will now be forced to travel long distances to attend high school? How many will drop out or worse turn to a life of crime? Will the new smaller learning communities wish to accept the community students if they are not on track? Will they be accepting only the students who will make their new schools look like a success? This is the legacy of the Klein administration. There has been renovations taking place at Beach Channel for the past 4 years. What were they preparing for? The community should be outraged and the NAACP and minority parents should be contacting their local political leaders to fight this travesty.

Re Leonie @ 4:07 pm.

Indeed, that was one of the two related reasons that CECD2 (of which I was then and am still a member), certain of its members individually (not including me personally), and Randi Weingarten as then-President of UFT… SUED (filed a Petition and Complaint) the Board of Ed (aka the PEP) and Chancellor Klein back in May 2009.

www (dot) cecd2 (dot) net. Click thru to “Lawsuit.”

“(ii) opened and closed schools and added and ended programs in District 2 without consulting CEC District 2.”

Withdrawn without prejudice in Sept 2009, on advice of counsel. Sigh.

The thinking was that there is a whole new Mayoral Control law, let’s see if Tweed shapes up. Hah. See scorpion and frog at the river, etc.

I am in a school on the state list — Dewey. We have not yet been chosen for any model… and so we wait. The closure of more large comprehensive high schools is a sham. Closing large schools as a strategy to fix education is unbelievably short sighted. It disrupts the continuity of communities and the students are not benefitting from these long commutes that “school choice” forces upon them. Many of my students have family responsibilities and need to be in their communities. Boombug with his billions doesn’t understand how difficult it is for struggling families and at-risk students. Having a bunch of young inexperienced teachers will not fix our educational system. We need to bring back real and meaningful parent involvement and get rid of PEP or the Panel for Educational Puppetry. I hope people will get active. Now is the time if we are to keep the public in public education.