The session will be held at the school, but the Growler can't confirm the time yet ... because the announcement still hasn't gone out, even though the session is only four days away. That speaks volumes, doesn't it?
The timing of the final meeting is not coincidental. On the following day (Tuesday, November 23), the City Council will give the School Board guidance on how much it can budget for FY 2011. News reports suggest that the big infusion of additional cash which the increasingly out-of-touch board members seem to expect as divine right probably won't happen.
So where does this leave the Jefferson-Houston project?
Setting aside the issue of a possible ACPS headquarters move, we have been presented with sketches for a three-story building set back from Cameron and N. West Streets toward the rear of the property. The private megadevelopment originally called for by ACPS seems to have melted away and we're told the price tag for the new building will be $30 to $35 milion.
The neighborhood recently learned that ACPS proposes the new school be built to accommodate 650 students. Given the current low enrollment, is this cockeyed optimism or is the proposal really a hat-trick to make enrollment appear to grow when it is only growing by extending the school grades to 6, 7 and 8 and capturing low-income students for three more years?
The Growler recently heard a suggestion that the whole Jefferson-Houston proposal is nothing more than a sneaky way to get ACPS a new third middle school that City officials wouldn't otherwise authorize. This to the Growler seems an eminently plausible explanation of the drive to make a new school happen regardless of the fallout for the neighborhood.
But is the City Council willing to gamble $30 to $35 million on this school? Should neighbors support the new school project if it is whittled down to something reasonable in size with no loss of open space?
The Growler needs not just be persuaded, but convinced that the new school is necessary. And that isn't going to happen overnight. The Growler believes Alexandria's elected Council would be acting prudently to postpone appropriating additional capital funds to construct a new school. They need to demand certain milestones be reached before granting more of our tax dollars. In fact, readers, think of it as our own local "Race to the Top."Here's what to ask for:
1. As the Growler has demonstrated on this blog in recent months, students at Jefferson-Houston achieved a decade ago with the same physical layout the building has now, and JH principal Kim Graves confirmed this when she told a community meeting this fall that quality education didn't depend on the building but could be delivered even in a garage.
Dr. Sherman and his board need to prove that the curriculum switch to IB-PYP, which they touted as the solution for Jefferson-Houston, will actually attract neighborhood parents into the school by turning around test scores and academic performance. It will take at least three to five years to implement IB-PYP and determine if it is successful. The ultimate proof will be a signficant rise in white enrollment across all grades accompanied by a substantial decline in the percentage of children enrolled at Jefferson-Houston who receive free or subsidized lunches, which is currently one of the highest in the City.
2. There must be solid evidence that transforming Jefferson-Houston into a K-8 school is part of a strategy of academic improvement rather than just another snarky way to enforce resegregation. Let Dr. Sherman and the School Board show us their redistricting or "boundary adjustment" plan (if they have one) so we can see how they plan to bestow on Alexandrians across the City the blessings of mingling six year olds with pre-teens, which Dr. Sherman spoke of so warmly in a meeting with West Old Town Citizens Association in the fall of 2008.
3. Over the past three weeks, the Alexandria Gazette has published a series of articles by Old Dominion Watchdog reporter Paige Winfield-Cunningham about Dr. Sherman's controversial management style, his lavish spending on consultants brought in from past gigs in other districts, and the turmoil that he has created among ACPS teachers and administrators.
Dr. Sherman and the School Board need to prove to us that this uproar is a necessary corollary to school system turnaround and not just personality-driven chaos. They must demonstrate that the lush consultant budget is not cronyism or an attempt to apply mindless cookie-cutter solutions to a different and more challenging school district like Alexandria, but is essential to making our school system one to admire rather than avoid.
The proof will be found in rising test scores across all schools and greater buy-in by local parents and their children for public middle and high school education in Alexandria, which they have historically tended to shun once elementary school is over.
The Growler's challenge: let all Alexandria schools achieve SOL by 2012 and all schools achieve AYP by 2014. Former superintendent Rebecca Perry made the breakthrough several years ago by sharply increasing the number of Alexandria schools achieve AYP. Finish the jobs she started and demonstrate to us that you have the right stuff.
Only then, when ACPS has proven its good stewardship by giving citizens something tangible to show for their taxes, should Council give the School Board another $35 million to build a new Jefferson-Houston.
40 comments:
I have found those articles in the Gazette quite disturbing. I was particularly disturbed to hear that the taxpayers are funding the bill for Dr. Sherman and his friends' luxury meals at places like Chart House. Is this a standard practice in City government? Do we do the same for the mayor, city council or other school Board members?
"because the announcement still hasn't gone out, even though the session is only four days away. That speaks volumes, doesn't it?"
I find the delay in the announcement, along with the actual timing of the meeting, the week of Thanksgiving, disturbing. The delay in my mind will cause more people to plan to be out of town, plan to have guests or just not leave time in their already busy schedule to make the meeting; all which will make things easier for Dr. Sherman and his board.
Perhaps attributing this amount of subterfuge to ACPS amounts to paranoia, but all of this whole push for a new school has seemed somewhat Machiavellian.
I just found a purported "November 16" letter on the ACPS website indicating that the meeting will be at 7:00, and that a request for school funding will be included in the CIP submission.
http://www.acps.k12.va.us/board/jh-project/letter-20101116.pdf
Which begs the question why we are bothering with a last meeting at all?
Readers, note the following quote from Chairman Yvonne Folkerts in the letter:
"The community senses correctly that we as a neighborhood and as a city have an urgent need to establish a new Jefferson-Houston as the model for the 'school of the future' to meet our children's learning needs in both the short and long term. That urgency has not changed."
"The community senses correctly that we as a neighborhood and as a city have an urgent need to establish a new Jefferson-Houston as the model for the 'school of the future' to meet our children's learning needs in both the short and long term. That urgency has not changed."
By 'community,' 'we,' and 'our' she means Rosemont and Beverly Hills.
Having public meetings on extremely consequential and transformative matters right before Thanksgiving has always been a dirty way to get the public out of the way. Add in the issues with getting out proper notice, and you know the powers that be are playing games.
The one good thing out of all this is that we've seen the type of administrator Sherman is, from the manipulative machinations surrounding this joke of a process to the uncovering of his previous track record and his current high-on-the-hog ways, heavy on the expense account and giving sweet deals to consultant comrades and extremely light on seeking what's best for the community. This shows why we can't let these operators rush these decisions past us, as they're just trying to keep the truth from catching up to them before their plans are in stone.
The process has sucked no disagreement but so did the Braddock Planning process. In addition to the Growler's three questions I want Folkerts "model" wholly explained including any related social service programs, as well as the new location for the Head Start program assuming the corner Head Start building is demolished. These yokels have a lot to prove and I trust nothing going in.
Probably because I put myself on the mailing list at one of their meetings, ACPS just sent me the "November 16" letter and the agenda for the meeting. Here's what the agenda says:
Agenda
Community Meeting # 4
Part One:
Kimberley Graves
Principal / Jefferson-Houston School
Welcome
Introductions
Tonight’s Meeting Overview
Lee Quill AIA
Principal / Cunningham | Quill Architects
Community Requested Information Studies
Open Space and Building Locations
Massing Study Street Visuals, Height and Street Sections
Site Specific Issues: Bus Drop- off & Pick-up, Parking
Assistance in Making Informed Decisions - Information Recap
Next Steps in the Process
Part Two:
Community Dialogue / Questions and Answers
It doesn't sound like they've made their case with the City Council so far: http://dockets.alexandriava.gov/fy11/112310rm/di21.pdf
JH is definitely a middle school initiative. From alexandrianews.org
Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman has hired a director of middle schools, which is a new position.
T.C. Graduate Greg Hutchings will become the director of middle schools. He will begin work on Jan. 3.
“Dr. Hutchings is a remarkable find for us,” Sherman said. “Currently a principal in the Metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee Public Schools, he was the Tennessee Middle School Principal of the Year in 2009. He is recognized as a transformational leader, and he has experience leading an International Baccalaureate school in an urban setting.”
“Our middle schools are off to a good start this year,” said Sherman, “but we know as a school division that the path from good to great is a difficult one which needs energy, intellect, vision, attention to details, and a love of our ACPS students. There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Hutchings will help us get to the next level.”
Hutchings received a Doctor of Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership from The College of William & Mary and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from George Mason University. A native of Alexandria and a T.C. Williams graduate, he received a scholarship from the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, which later named him a T.C. Portrait of Success.
“I am looking forward to returning to Alexandria. Though my mother is no longer in the city, she is nearby and I still have relatives in Alexandria. I appreciate the opportunity to lead Alexandria’s five middle schools during this transformational period,” Hutchings said. “It will be exciting to explore the IB Programme and lead the effort to establish it in ACPS middle schools.”
Hutchings has been a middle school administrator since 2004, currently at West End IB World School in Nashville Metropolitan School District. Prior to that, he was a teacher in the Prince William County Public Schools. In addition to being named Middle School Principal of the Year in 2009, he was awarded the Environmental Educator of the Year Award in Prince William County in 2004. He is on the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Special Education in Nashville and is a fellow in the Urban Leadership Institute at Harvard University, and at Vanderbilt University, University of Richmond and Appalachia Educational Laboratories.
As director of middle schools, Hutchings will oversee the operations, instruction and curriculum at the five middle schools.
Deliver us from another staff member born and raised in Alexandria. It seems Sherman has hired a new director of middle schools to manage what was once just a malfunctioning JH elementary school. Morris needs to take a spiraling nose-dive Carter Folkerts and Peabody with her. JH's future is as a resegregated middle school and not much more. My child will be staying far, far away.
Here's an interesting link to Gregory Hutchings' profile as a past Scholarship Fund of Alexandria recipient.
http://tinyurl.com/2g7hyb7
And here's a copy of his farewell letter to West End school in Nashville:
http://tinyurl.com/2btxwxj
If Dr. Hutchings is being lured away from Nashville well after the start of the school year, what does this mean?
Here's another interesting article about Greg Hutchings:
http://tinyurl.com/2ecbcse
It's no accident breaking news is being given to alexanrianews.org. We remind readers that Rodger Digilio like Eberwein was a primary architect of the 1999 redistricting plan. Only a fool would deny the power balance the further resegregating of Alexandria schools.
I am not sure I believe all the hype:
Nashville's West End Middle School serves grades 5-8 in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools district. Based on its state test results, it has received a GreatSchools Rating of 2 out of 10.
http://www.greatschools.org/tennessee/nashville/1151-West-End-Middle-School/
This doesn't sound like a school that would compete with private schools if I were making the choice.
Hello, Growler Blogger -
I think - if you dig a little deeper - you'd find many parents who love Jefferson-Houston. Count me among them!
I opted "into" Jefferson-Houston.
My son started the 6th grade at JH this year - and I took my third-grade daughter out of Lyles-Crouch and transferred her to JH.
I have been pleasantly surprised - with both grade levels. The teachers are fabulous - and the kids are well-behaved. In fact, our experience at JH has been better than it was at LCTA - where my son spent six years and my daughter spent three, and where I served as the PTA President in 2006-07 (and served on the PTA board two years prior to that).
Kudos to Kim Graves and her teaching staff! We love Jefferson-Houston!
~ Tina Games-Evans
Hello again!
I forgot to mention - that I served two years on the executive board for the Alexandria PTA Council (PTAC) --- 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. Being a PTAC board member, I'm very familiar with every school in our district.
And like anyone else who is only looking at test scores and who has never been on the "inside" of Jefferson-Houston, I had my reservations about the school.
But let me say this - my husband and I made a CHOICE to put both of our kids at Jefferson-Houston this year. And we couldn't be happier with our decision.
My daughter, who is currently a third-grader at JH, said to me last week, "Mom, I liked Lyles-Crouch. But I LOVE Jefferson-Houston."
She is a bright, energetic, motivated, inquisitive and happy-go-lucky kid - and she is THRIVING at Jefferson-Houston.
I'd love an opportunity to meet you face-to-face and tell you our story. It's not one that's being heard.
And I think, in all fairness, it's time that everyone heard our story - as well as those very similar to ours.
If this is all about test scores, are you planning to confront Mount Vernon and Cora Kelly, too? And what about George Washington and Hammond? And while we're at it, what about TC? Should we shut them all down - based solely on test scores?
I believe that Jefferson-Houston is a hidden jewel. And in a year or two, it will emerge as the diamond in the rough.
I hope to meet you soon!
~ Tina Games-Evans
Did anyone else happen to catch the editorial page of the Wash Post on Sunday? There was a column by none other than Marion Barry, arguing that by providing never ending, no strings attached public assitance, we are perpetuating a permanent underclass.
In the meantime, the City of Alexandria is busy rebuilding its bricks and mortar no strings attached no limit public housing. Kind of sad when Marion Barry displays more critical thinking than our City Council.
In my view, all this handwringing over J-H is a waste of time until we solve the public housing problem in Alexandria.
The Growler sincerely thanks Ms. Games-Evans for sharing the positive experiences she and her family have experienced recently at Jefferson-Houston School. If this is the beginning of a trend, then it is certainly encouraging.
For the benefit of readers who may not be familiar with Ms. Games-Evans, she is a well-known figure in Del Ray and in the past has organized political fundraisers for Councilman Rob Krupicka. Mr. Krupicka serves on the Virginia Board of Education and recently organized Eureka PAC to encourage better access to quality education in the Commonwealth as a key element in economic development.
That said, tomorrow the City Council will set budget guidance for the school system.
The factors that lead one family to opt in and others to opt out of Jefferson-Houston are highly personal. Some may select the school because of the small class size and greater individualized attention from teachers. Other families (including many in our neighborhood) see test scores as the principal benchmark for determining whether or not to participate or go elsewhere.
Knowing many parents in this neighborhood who have opted out because of academic performance, the Growler continues to believe that there must be some objective, measurable and repeatable outcomes that signal permanent improvement at Jefferson-Houston before the Council commits to sinking $30 to $35 million in a new building.
Why don't you report the personal excesses of Sherman?
"I believe that Jefferson-Houston is a hidden jewel. And in a year or two, it will emerge as the diamond in the rough."
Sounds like you remained at Lyles Crouch only as long as Lucretia Jackson did. Part of the
'99 wave. We who have dealt with JH over time accept no anecdotal stories as testimony. My family wants empirically verifiable results produced consistently over time. I hope Council dumps on the School Board. They are nebishes all!
"the Growler continues to believe that there must be some objective, measurable and repeatable outcomes that signal permanent improvement at Jefferson-Houston before the Council commits to sinking $30 to $35 million in a new building."
Yes ma'am!
"Why don't you report the personal excesses of Sherman?"
Would you care to explain? Are you talking about other than consulting fees?
Thank you, Growler Blogger, for your positive comments about me. They are much appreciated.
To the "Anonymous" poster who asked if I was part of the Lucretia Jackson wave at Lyles-Crouch, the answer is "no."
We began, as a family, at LCTA in 2004-05 when my son was a kindergartener. That was the first year for the current principal, Dr. Patricia Zissios. So if anything, I'm part of the Dr. Zissios wave.
Dr. Zissios is quite fond of Kim Graves. The two have had many meetings discussing various ideas for Jefferson-Houston. So I know how committed Ms. Graves is to the success of the school. All she needs now are families who are willing to give the school a chance - and a community that is behind her.
Having been part of the "family involvement" movement that turned Lyles-Crouch into one of the most sought after elementary schools in this city, I know that success happens when a band of families join together and give their school a 100% committment. And when this band of parents can reach out to their community and pull them along, all the better.
This is what former JH PTA President, Bill Campbell and current PTA President, Beth Coast have been trying to do. I know both of them personally - and they are good people who really love the school.
So it really boils down to two things - increase family involvement and get the community more engaged in the bigger vision.
So I ask all of you - is this possible? Is it possible for all of you to join with us in making Kim Graves' vision a reality?
She is an amazing visionary - and an educational leader who truly loves her students. She is the one who sold my husband and me on the school. And having now finished our first quarter at JH, I can say - she didn't let us down.
Consider me her biggest cheerleader!
~ Tina Games-Evans
"Having been part of the "family involvement" movement that turned Lyles-Crouch into one of the most sought after elementary schools in this city, I know that success happens when a band of families join together and give their school a 100% committment."
Commitment is spelled with one t not two. Maybe that's why I cannot take your rallying cry seriously. As for Mr. Campbell he should be arguing against concentrated public housing and more importantly for redistricting. Nice guy but he doesn't. Sorry but I don't buy your rhetoric as Lisa Krupicka tried to get parents involved and failed including fellow pols like the Englin family. Mr. Quill is maybe the biggest hypocrit of all. A genuinely talent architect but someone who abandoned JH in a turnaround time of need then gave his all to Lyles Crouch. He's back now only to earn a buck. If Principal Graves is so saintly then why are you afraid to let her put the new curriculum in place and wait a few years for the measurable results. All of you act like you are the first persons to care about the school. You're not! If Krupicka argues the school's case tonight then he can take his PAC and stick it where the sun don't shine. Performance, performance, performance. Council had the chance to offsite more Bland families and didn't do it. The Bland project so far is not a winner. Ain't betting on your school program either.
"the Growler continues to believe that there must be some objective, measurable and repeatable outcomes that signal permanent improvement at Jefferson-Houston before the Council commits to sinking $30 to $35 million in a new building."
Yes ma'am!
In other words, you hope it fails.
"In other words, you hope it fails."
Don't know how you were educated but I was always taught failure means nothing more than not educated enough. So never be afraid to try again. But many principals? Some remember Lois Berlin's successful tenure. When Jefferson Houston demonstrates capability over time then you can have a new building. Until then we're keeping our tax dollars in our pocket. Not spending good money after bad. Like the '99 redistricting and arts focus. IB is another ploy and if Sherman is as brilliant as his consultants suggest then he should not be afraid of measured success.
To the Anonymous poster who won't reveal himself (or herself), I'd love to know who you are.
Since you called me out on my "typo" - let me call you out on yours.
You said "talent architect" when you meant "talented architect."
You also said "....the sun don't shine." --- That would translate to "the sun do not shine." ~ I think you mean "doesn't shine."
So should I take you seriously when you butcher the English language like this?
Let's face it - you don't want Jefferson-Houston to be successful. So I don't think it matters what I say.
~ Tina Games-Evans
"Let's face it - you don't want Jefferson-Houston to be successful. So I don't think it matters what I say."
What you don't understand is that Jefferson Houston has been successful! Life did not begin on Hanbury and Morris' watch. Folkerts and Sherman's watch. Lyles Crouch became successful because the '99 redistricting reassigned most of its public housing children to JH. Many of us have long time PTA credentials. So long as the newbies butcher logic I will butcher grade school grammar in reply. Nothing else seems to make an impression.
"Let's face it - you don't want Jefferson-Houston to be successful. So I don't think it matters what I say.
~ Tina Games-Evans"
You make it ever so difficult to remain gracious. Jefferson Houston is a malfunctioning neighborhood school and if you live where I think you do then your school experience is the exception not the rule. Do you not live on Mt. Ida? Did you not forsake Mount Vernon Elementary for Lyles Crouch? Are you not now ignoring George Washington Middle School in favor of Jefferson Houston 6-7? If your child is happy more power to you! Every child deserves a good school experience. But to criticize my family for opting out when you chose to ignore Mount Vernon's needs? I oppose a new Jefferson Houston building and like others we resent the implied taxes. We'll wait until the education plan IB proves its mettle.
To "Anonymous" - please reveal yourself so we have names. You know WAY too much about me and I know NOTHING about you. Don't you think it would be fair if I knew who you were?
And please go back and read my posts. I never criticized your family for opting out. Everyone has the right to do what they think is right for their child.
But PLEASE don't criticize a school if you choose not to send your kids there. I have never criticized Mount Vernon - NEVER! We chose LCTA in 2004 because it was a smaller school - and for my son who has sensory sensitivity, a big school just didn't work for him. It had nothing to do with Mt. Vernon's academic performance. It came down to the fact that it is a much bigger school environment than LCTA is. And the same is true for JH over GW.
The beauty of ACPS is that there are choices for every child. It may not be our home school, it may be another ACPS school.
I chose to stay in the ACPS system. You chose to go private.
I'll respect your choices if you respect mine.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
~ Tina Games-Evans
To Readers and Ms. Games-Evans:
The Growler thinks there is an important distinction in the debate about JH that some participants are simply not picking up on.
Jefferson-Houston as it currently exists is the product of a cruel decision made 10 years by Claire Eberwein and the Alexandria School Board to take the successful school that Jefferson-Houston once was and send it into a downward spiral by deliberately concentrating the most disadvantaged Alexandria children with the greatest barriers to learning in a single school. The 1999 redistricting removed them from other schools such as Lyles-Crouch and George Mason so that those institutions could prosper.
In this, school board members were aided and abetted by a public housing authority board that continues to advocate for the physical segregation that underpins Jefferson-Houston's problems and by a City Council which finds it politically expedient to look the other way, even when it has the power to take action to rectify matters by (for example) helping better redistribute assisted housing.
Taunting the residents of this neighborhood that they want to JH to fail is childish, as are the cries that anyone who dares criticizes Jefferson-Houston (as an artefact of discrimination) is a child hater. Everyone would like JH to succeed but residents rightly question why their children are expected to boostrap a struggling school whose ongoing plight is sustained by the school board, ARHA and Council's moral and ethical failure.
Mrs. Evans,
I think your view is one to be proud of and should be a point of view highlighted more by ACPS. I certainly see no reason to try and convince you otherwise or “silence” you. If your child is doing well there and enjoys the environment, more power to you and them and we should hear about it. But I think you are making a mistake in assuming what I would term a “Delray-centric” view in how many people in Parker Gray view JH.
When the Growler says test scores is a factor, I don't think that's the only thing that drives people in Parker Gray to not choose JH. The socio-economic situation within Parker Gray plays just as large a role. I have spoken to several neighbors who see the daily dysfunction within our neighborhood and want nothing to do with JH because of it. When they see the behavior of parents and children around them, that influences many people (from their decision to even have children to their decision on where to send their kids to school.)
This is not behavior that is tied to everyone in housing projects, or everyone who is poor in Parker Gray. But it’s there, and no matter how much ACPS, ARHA and others try to sweep it under the rug, its there.
I have no doubt that the teachers at JH and Principal Graves give their best every day. But they can only do so much for many kids who live in socioeconomic environments perpetrated by the City's public housing policy. Many of us feel like sending our kids would simply be endorsing the status quo sustained by ARHA, City Council, and ACPS. Its not a matter of not wanting JH to be successful ; since many of us live here and have our home values tied to the success of this neighborhood, nothing would make us happier to see it thrive. What we see, though, is a City unwilling to confront its problems, and hiding behind new buildings, new methods of teaching, and literally, trying to “guilt” parents versus a confronting of the socioeconomic issues.
When you speak of 100% family commitment, I just don’t see where you think that can come from. We can’t even get 100% commitment to clean trash off the streets, stop random drug dealing, stop loitering into all hours of the night for no sane reason, etc…. This is what many of the children at JH grow up in. While JH teachers and Mrs. Graves can help these children for 6-8 hours, the environments perpetrated by our City that these children live in and play in are reprehensible.
What I would also point out is that your opinion is not the norm in Delray. I have friends from Delray and Rosemont who come to my house and can't imagine under any possible scenario sending their kids to JH or letting them anywhere near Parker Gray.
Whether it’s right or wrong of people in Parker Gray to feel this way is a separate issue. I have already seen how the City, ACPS, and ARHA treat people who don’t believe in their methods and don’t like their direction. Thats why many people remain anonymous in their comments; as soon as you speak up around here against ACPS or ARHA, you seem to become a target. Its as if no debate is tolerated.
I hope this doesn't sound argumentative, and I wish you a happy holiday.
"But to criticize my family for opting out when you chose to ignore Mount Vernon's needs?"
Tina Games-Evans:
We did not opt to go private. Now hug your child and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Jefferson-Houston as it currently exists is the product of a cruel decision made 10 years by Claire Eberwein and the Alexandria School Board to take the successful school that Jefferson-Houston once was and send it into a downward spiral by deliberately concentrating the most disadvantaged Alexandria children with the greatest barriers to learning in a single school. The 1999 redistricting removed them from other schools such as Lyles-Crouch and George Mason so that those institutions could prosper."
This is the crux of the matter. People from other neighborhoods try to act like it's not such a big deal, which is put to the lie every time re-intergration on both the school level and the public housing level has been suggested and resoundingly rejected by certain officials ever since.
We can't keep them from trying to talk around the issue, but we're going to keep bringing the discussion back to the relevant facts as often is is necessary.
"This is not behavior that is tied to everyone in housing projects, or everyone who is poor in Parker Gray. But it’s there, and no matter how much ACPS, ARHA and others try to sweep it under the rug, its there."
And even though it would be mitigated with dispersal, there's a reason the 1999 re-seg happened and why any change to it has been fought tooth and nail as the social-economically challenged remained boxed into one place they're not permitted to "opt-out" of.
"But I think you are making a mistake in assuming what I would term a “Delray-centric” view in how many people in Parker Gray view JH.
"
Bingo, thats the essence of the problem. Mrs. Evans opinion and choices would probably start to change quite quickly if she had chosen to live in the Parker Gray neighborhood.
Its a lot different raising your kid on a tree-lined street in public-housing free Delray versus a trash-strewn street in 1970's public housing era Parker Gray.
I commend her for making a choice many Delray parents conspicuously fight tooth and nail but asking for 100% commitment when the City and ARHA give .00000000001% commitment to improving anything related to their policies and ACPS gives about .00000001 seconds though to their 1999 redistricting is "a bridge too far".
"Let's face it - you don't want Jefferson-Houston to be successful. So I don't think it matters what I say.
"
Mrs. Evans,
We don't want Jefferson Houston to be successful.
We want the kids who live in Parker Gray and attend Jefferson Houston to be successful.
In the environment the City, ARHA, and ACPS force on those kids now for reasons of political expediency and rank cowardice, its basically impossible for those kids to succeed for very long.
School proponents need to remember, its not about the school, its about the kids.
Just like all these Resolution 830 apologists need to understand its not about how many units you defend or about your precious brick and mortar housing projects, its about the lives and futures of the residents.
"its not about how many units you defend or about your precious brick and mortar housing projects, its about the lives and futures of the residents."
But what you gentrifies don't understand is that Parker-Gray is an historically black community. We must protect this heritage. Do you know how many generations have lived, grown up and stayed in Adkins and Bland? If this means we (and by we I mean you because I have long since moved away from Parker Gray) have to put up with crime, litter and a school that will continue to fail to meet AYP so be it. We (again I mean you) should be willing to sacrifice any hope for improvement or change at the holy altar of Resolution 830. However to show our commitment to Resolution 830 we must throw money at the problem rather than come up with real solutions.
I do think the heart of the problem lies not in J-H or even re-districting per se, but with Resolution 830 and all the problems that go along with it and the utter failure it is. Solve that problem and a whole bunch of others will solve themselves.
"When you speak of 100% family commitment, I just don’t see where you think that can come from. We can’t even get 100% commitment to clean trash off the streets, stop random drug dealing, stop loitering into all hours of the night for no sane reason, etc…. This is what many of the children at JH grow up in. While JH teachers and Mrs. Graves can help these children for 6-8 hours, the environments perpetrated by our City that these children live in and play in are reprehensible. "
Please, who ever wrote this is so on point and this should be read out loud to the entire council at the next public hearing.
The elephant in the room that seems to go unnoticed or not spoken of is the socioeconomic problems which come with public housing.
Single parents on welfare who have multiple children and are living for free in "protected" public housing for generations after generations are not going to join up and fight for a stronger school program when it's their child / children that are not making the grade.
This may sound harsh and you may not like the way I worded this, but the truth of the matter is you can't get parents involved in their children's education when their long term goal in life is to remain in public housing....
As said, change Resolution 830. Solve that problem and a whole bunch of others will solve themselves.
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