Bobb to Close 45 schools

[Rocko]

This link lists the dates some of the buildings to be closed were built:

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.ne...0322dpssub.pdf

[DetroitTeacher]

Cooley North Wing [[attached to Cooley HS) was not built in 1927. I think it was added on in the 80s at some point. It's a shame that Cooley will be closing because the building [[and the library and auditorium) is gorgeous! Our auditorium is the most grand in the city [[and maybe the state) and fashions after the Fox.

I am still hopeful that there will be a stay of execution for Cooley. The kids are disheartened and the staff is devastated about the closure. Many parents and kids say that if Cooley closes [[and other schools) that they will be attending anything but DPS. Many of our kids have been to two other schools previous to Cooley and those schools have also closed because of cuts. The kids have no sense of "home" when it comes to school. The entire Cooley area is going to be wiped clean of educational institutions. That's sad!

[firstandten]

Cooley North Wing [[attached to Cooley HS) was not built in 1927. I think it was added on in the 80s at some point. It's a shame that Cooley will be closing because the building [[and the library and auditorium) is gorgeous! Our auditorium is the most grand in the city [[and maybe the state) and fashions after the Fox.

I am still hopeful that there will be a stay of execution for Cooley. The kids are disheartened and the staff is devastated about the closure. Many parents and kids say that if Cooley closes [[and other schools) that they will be attending anything but DPS. Many of our kids have been to two other schools previous to Cooley and those schools have also closed because of cuts. The kids have no sense of "home" when it comes to school. The entire Cooley area is going to be wiped clean of educational institutions. That's sad!

I agree with you, but the reason we are in this situation is that over the years the Board did not have the political will to close schools like it should have. To close all of these schools is like a shock to the system but if the people in charge back then was doing what they should have been doing, this wouldn't be so bad.

[Scottathew]

DPS parent here. I did not attend a DPS school growing up, but I did work as a substitute teacher for DPS a few years ago.

In theory, I agree with closing and consolidating the schools where enrollment is down or where buildings are not feasible for repair. My child's school's enrollment is so healthy that they moved to a larger building a few years ago so I can't really relate to the community activists and parents that say how bad closings and consolidations are. That's not to say that they don't have valid concerns. I just don't have personal knowledge of the perceived drawbacks so I don't comment about them.

I'm satisfied overall with my child's education. If the school werent tied to DPS, it would probably be even better. I'd like it if they were in a more modern building, had phones and internet access in all of the classrooms allowing them to integrate technology more into their curriculum, but you get what you pay for. I can't afford to send the kid to private school so this is my best option. Given that, I'd appreciate it if Bob Bobb manages our resources well.

Nice to see someone reasonably think something through.

Too many people think that closing schools hurts kids. It doesn't, it helps to more efficiently spend our tax dollars which mean less money is wasted and more is spent on education.

The suburbs have had to close down schools, it's Detroit's turn [[actually, Detroit needed to do this years ago but the school board has no spine). People point out, "well the suburb districts didn't have to close down 44 schools", and that is of course because all of the districts are smaller, with [[I believe) Utica being the largest suburban district.

I worked for two school districts in the past, both had to close buildings. As others said, it's because of all the empty nesters enjoying their retirement in homes where they raised 5+ children that needed all those school buildings.

[English]

As others said, it's because of all the empty nesters enjoying their retirement in homes where they raised 5+ children that needed all those school buildings.

Detroit is an extreme case of what's happening all across the country to native-born American families. The Greatest Generation had those gloriously big families during the Leave It To Beaver era, the Baby Boomers averaged 2-3, and people in my generation just can't afford to have more than 1-2.

I have quite a bit of nostalgia for large families, and secretly admire "supermoms" who have 4 or more children. I think it's because I've delayed my own childbearing, but enjoy working with young people. I wonder if managing a family like the Duggars is anything like teaching a large class...

Back on topic: this is yet another reason why I advocate immigration as a solution for Detroit's depopulation. Immigrants tend to have larger families.

[DetroitTeacher]

If anyone is interested in attending the Town Hall meeting at Cooley [[to save Cooley and the surrounding schools) it will be held at Cooley on March 30th at 7pm. The Cooley staff will be making the presentation to save Cooley at 8pm [[although times are subject to change).

If anyone needs any dates and times for other buildings, please let me know. I have the list of Town Hall meetings for the schools.

[Rocko]

There was a good article in today's Free Press about the possible closing of Carstens Elementary on the east side, a real anomaly when it comes to the scores earned by various Detroit Public Schools.

It's a real shame this one is on the list to be closed....it seems they have figured out what needs to be done to get disadvantaged children to really excell...of only this were copied throughout the district/city.

A school is its people. I know that. But my own personal and academic interests lie in the building and its context. The one teacher who talked about establishing it as a urban agricultural school, the first in the nation, to me hit the nail right on the head. The streets surrounding Carstens are overgrown, empty, and spotted with vacant and abandoned homes. These blocks are ripe for urban agriculture to take off. If I were calling the shots, I think Bing and Bobb should work together for this school, being what it is and how well it is doing. The school building should be repaired to a state of good repair. Amongst Bing's 3000 demolitions for this year, the blocks surrounding Carstens should be put to the top of the priority list. The land should be given a priority for urban farming pilot projects. This should be a germination area for this type of work and study. Getting the children involved at a young age will impact their entire lives with the notion of urban farming's possibilities, and the value it can have not just in Detroit, but elsewhere.

Finally, since my interest is in school buildings, where would you rather have your child attend school? Which one to you looks more like a prison, and which one looks like it may likely inspire young minds, Carstens, or Robinson [[where the students will be transferred if indeed Carstens does close)?:

Carstens:


Robinson:


This will not be replicated again:

An architectural detail above the main entrance to Carstens Elementary School in Detroit shows an open book and flaming torch.

Here's the article: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...te=fullarticle

[Detwa]

That's a beautiful school, I love the long walkway leading up to the doors, it's like you're really on a path to something, approaching something wonderful and mysterious! Modern design is more like a prison, the tiny windows to keep the kids' minds focused on class and not wandering, I guess that's the intent, but I know as a worker bee, I'm much more happier and relaxed when I'm situated near a window and I can look out at the world. If I'm in a conference room without windows, I can't focus on what's being discussed for long and I start to feel anxious. They've got design all wrong here. I hate the way the new schools look - no long welcoming pathway to the front door either.

My elementary schools were built that way too, beautiful intricate designs and arches. They are severely underestimating the power of atmosphere and environment by thinking these new boxes are the answer. I totally agree with you, Rocko.

[laurin]

Carson is a beautiful school, but what about its condidtion? I think that cost of upkeep is a major factor in deciding which buildings to close-- boiler issues, roof, and etc. DPS is not exactly known for it's building upkeep. They tend to put off needed repairsin order to save money on the chance that the school will be closed .

The other school might just be in better condition, although, I'll admit that when I first saw it in person the last thing that I thought was that it was indeed an elementary school. It looks like prison compound and a bit depressing. The school reminds me of Pontiac Central High School [[closed this school) year. There were no windows in the classroom and was more than a bit depressing.

That's also the issue with Osborn. With the building being in such bad shape, the small schools program of the three small high schools is being transferred to Brenda Scott [[to combine with the middle school) and the upper school is going to Pershing.

[Danny]

I live in the 48217 area and briefly taught in River Rouge. A good portion of the school-age kids in 48217 area were absorbed by River Rouge H.S. when they went to open enrollment since Rouge is in walking distance from Fort St to Bassett. we even got kids from Delray. Southwestern and Rouge lost a good portion of those kids to Academy of Business and Technology, Melvindale, Ecorse and Lincoln Park, Southgate. As the respective Districts went deeper into the shitter.

Lincoln Park Public Schools are not in the school of choice agenda due to balance of student population limit to 400 for elementaries, 700 for its middle school and 2500 for its high school. You kid must have a friend or a relative who lives in the Lincoln Park in order to enrol in that closed district. The LPPS adminstrators will open they school of choice program if the lifted the class size population.

[DetroitTeacher]

There is a Save Cooley rally/march today at 4pm in front of Cooley High. It's put on by the alumni. The Town Hall meeting tomorrow is not open to the public but the Academic Plan meeting is...that starts at 5pm at Cooley, in the auditorium.

[Danny]

If anyone is interested in attending the Town Hall meeting at Cooley [[to save Cooley and the surrounding schools) it will be held at Cooley on March 30th at 7pm. The Cooley staff will be making the presentation to save Cooley at 8pm [[although times are subject to change).

If anyone needs any dates and times for other buildings, please let me know. I have the list of Town Hall meetings for the schools.

Well southwestern High School needs to be saved. Some of my members from Church works there and it could loses its job if it happens.

You're right about one thing ,Detroitteacher. Cooley needs to be saved. My former teacher and my cousin graduated from that beautiful school. Cooley is in the full Detroit ghettohood. It's not a blighted area. Bobb should focus on the schools destined to have lower enrollment and be shut down the blighted urban praries. That would equate with Bing's Downsizing Detroit's plan.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET.

Bobb maybe the H.N.I.C. of DPS, but without a fight for the DFT's and its students.

In memoriam: Neda Soltani

[mccarch]

"Some of my members from Church works there and it could loses its job if it happens."

Is this what is taught in the Detroit Public Schools? Can someone translate this into English?

[klingon2004]

Don't let Mr. Bobb fool you. He tells one thing to the public and behind the scenes he does other things. Don't pass the second bond issue

[Rocko]

From today's Free Press:

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...te=fullarticle

Posted: April 28, 2010

Schools get upgrades, but still could get the ax

BY CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER


The 55 Detroit public schools buildings proposed to be closed beginning in June will be leased, sold or demolished, but taxpayers still will be on the hook to pay off millions in renovations to the buildings. Property taxes will go to repay more than $65 million through 2033 for the improvements, district data show.






Detroit Public Schools officials say closures are necessary and that the cash-poor district will save more than $35 million a year when the last of the schools close in 2012.
Most buildings received upgrades from a $1.5-billion bond measure approved in 1994. Four buildings were upgraded as recently as last summer.
The schools' conditions run from poor to good, but officials say they need millions in additional repairs. The district is caught between investments and a hard place -- bond money was spent on repairs, but enrollment does not support keeping so many buildings open.
District spokesman Steve Wasko said the recent repairs were essential "to ensure students and staff are in safe conditions and suitable environments."
Bond money funds repairs but can't be used for operations

The Ferguson Academy for Young Women in Detroit has an award-winning urban farm complete with gardens and animals.
Last year, it got wireless Internet capabilities.
And the school has had $1.2 million in major structural upgrades since 1999, according to Detroit Public Schools records.
And the shelf life on each upgrade is about to expire.
Ferguson -- for students who are pregnant or have small children -- is one of 41 city schools set to close in June; others are to follow by 2012.
Many parents and staff who have pleaded for the past month at public meetings to keep their schools open have voiced confusion and anger about the closures, noting that their schools, too, were recently updated.
The confusion, said one national expert, is understandable and stems from the fact that the bond money that pays for school repairs operates separately from the funds in a district's operational budget.
"That's why you have this really unfortunate situation where you've put money into a school out of one pocket and you're closing it because you can't afford to keep it open with money from the other pocket," said Mike Griffith, senior policy analyst who focuses on school funding at the Education Commission of the States in Denver.
Griffith said DPS can prevent this problem in the future.
"The first thing they have to do is get a grip on where the student population is heading," he said.
Most upgrades are recent

More than $65 million in taxpayer bond funds have gone into renovations at the 55 Detroit buildings proposed for closure in June and through 2012, district data show.
Most upgrades were ordered in the past five or 10 years. Indeed, four schools slated to close this summer -- Bethune, Hughes, Sherrill and MacDowell -- received $1.3 million in upgrades just last summer.
The bill to Detroit property owners -- stemming from a $1.5-billion bond issue in 1994 -- runs through 2033, regardless of what happens to buildings in the shrinking district, according to state Treasury officials.
Marvin Franklin, principal at Bunche Elementary, said his school has a new floor in a kindergarten room, a repaired roof and an arboretum full of plants.
"If it's just down to the facilities, it makes no sense to close Bunche," said Franklin.
The school's enrollment is about half its capacity.
And that's the issue, district officials said: Declining enrollment and budget constraints must guide decisions.
DPS has lost half its student population in the past decade, with enrollment down to about 85,000.
Closing the schools will lead to more savings in the long run, officials said.
The district -- now facing a deficit of more than $300 million -- could save $29 million a year after closing the 41 schools listed to close in June. The savings rise to more than $35 million a year if all 55 buildings close by 2012, data show.
"In many ways, the situation is not all that different from the owner of an older-model vehicle who continues to face the question of how many additional major repairs to make on his car," DPS spokesman Steve Wasko said.
Wasko also noted that some schools on the list will likely remain open as a result of input from the community and the City of Detroit.
"We want to support those neighborhoods which are struggling where the school is the only building left standing," he said.
The new $1-billion DPS facilities plan proposed by DPS emergency financial manager Robert Bobb calls for closing 55 schools by 2012, demolishing some of the 100 schools already closed since 2005 and building about two dozen new facilities.
Last November, Detroit voters approved a $500-million bond to build new schools and improve others.
Demographer Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit, said while schools must be kept in working condition for students, major investments should not be made in facilities that the district should be able to predict will close.
"Residents need a clear vision of what plans are going forward," he said.
Griffith agreed, saying DPS could find itself wasting future bond money unless the decisions are based on good data.
Charter school contention

District data show roughly $6.5 million has been invested at Southwestern High. State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, a 1994 graduate, said that's only part of the story.
The school has a state-of-the-art clinic including dentistry and visual services; renovated auditorium and pool, and new windows and athletic fields. Former NBA player Jalen Rose, a Southwestern alum, donated $100,000 for gym upgrades, she said.
In a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Tlaib wrote that closing Southwestern in 2011 would leave the only swath of the city with a rising birth rate with just one high school, Western International.
Bobb has said that he is open to the idea of selling closed buildings to charter schools. It's an idea that incenses some DPS parents, activists and board members who say those sales would be "feeding the enemy."
Chris White, an organizer with the Coalition to Restore Hope to DPS, which has been critical of Bobb, pointed to the sale of Winship Elementary on the west side as an example.
DPS closed Winship in 2007 and sold it this year for $440,000 to a charter school company. A new charter school will open in the building in the fall.
The district will save money by no longer having to maintain and protect the property. The building received about $1.1 million in upgrades over the past decade, data show.
"If you sell a building to a charter school for less than the funds that went into it, then we're subsidizing your competitors," White said.
Rep. Bert Johnson, D-Detroit, cosponsor of a education reform law, said he is working on a bill to protect buildings improved with bond money.
"Why is there a process where the emergency financial manager can sell schools paid for with public dollars, and why would those schools be arbitrarily sold to charters coming in?" he said. "That is the equivalent of taking paper money and watching it burn in a fireplace. For what? So taxpayers can be on the hook?"
Contact CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY: 313-223-4537 or cpratt@freepress.com


There are a few additional documents at the link [["Buildings may close despite fixes" and "DPS facilities master plan PDF")

[Rocko]

Today is HISTORIC SCHOOLS DAY!!

http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/prese...nation/?p=9689

Ten Good Reasons to Show Historic Schools Some Love

by National Trust for Historic Preservation on April 27th, 2010

Today is Historic Schools Day, which is part of School Building Week, an annual program organized by the Council of Educational Facility Planners. To celebrate, I thought I’d start a conversation about the many reasons why we love our older and historic schools.
Here’s my top ten [[in no particular order).
Reason #1 – They’re old. Yes, that’s right – we love them because they have served and continue to educate our students. From the worn grooves on their staircases to their old-fashioned lockers, these buildings simply exude history.
Reason #2 – We like how they look. We love admiring their architecture, which has been enjoyed by generations before us.
Reason #3 – We like where they’re located. We think being able to walk and bike to school is pretty cool, not to mention the fact that it’s great for the environment.
Reason #4 – We like their “compact build� [[small footprint, multiple stories, etc.), which allow them to be nestled in our neighborhoods.
Reason #5 – We appreciate the workmanship and long-lasting materials that went into them. We like walking on their gleaming terrazzo floors and appreciate the longevity of their slate roofs.
Reason #6 – We think the schools’ civic design and prominent placement shows how much education was – and is – valued by community members.
Reason #7 – We like wondering about the generations who came before us. Did the folks in those old class photos have as much trouble in high school as I did? Did we take math in the same classroom? Did I use their locker?
Reason #8 – We enjoy seeing our neighbors there – whether it’s to vote, to enjoy a potluck supper, or to walk around the track after hours.
Reason # 9 – We appreciate the care that has gone into maintaining the building…even more so now that we’re older ourselves.
Reason #10 – We like that they are true centers of community.
I know these aren’t all of the reasons. Take a moment to celebrate Historic Schools Day by telling us what you appreciate about the older and historic schools in your town. Need some inspiration? We hear dusting off those old yearbooks really helps to get the wheels turning.

Renee Kuhlman is the director of special projects for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Center for State and Local Policy. The National Trust undertook the “Helping Johnny Walk to School: Sustaining Communities Through Smart Policy� project through a cooperative agreement with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Want to learn more? Click here to download the recently-released “Helping Johnny Walk to School: Policy Recommendations for Community-Centered Schools.�

[Danny]

I live in the 48217 area and briefly taught in River Rouge. A good portion of the school-age kids in 48217 area were absorbed by River Rouge H.S. when they went to open enrollment since Rouge is in walking distance from Fort St. to Bassett. we even got kids from Delray. Southwestern and Rouge lost a good portion of those kids to Academy of Business and Technology, Melvindale, Ecorse and Lincoln Park, Southgate. As the respective Districts went deeper into the shitter.

Be well aware that Lincoln Park Public Schools, Ecorse, Melvindale/Allen Park Public Schools and Southgate Public Schools are not doing school of choice waiting list program. The school boards have to deal with its own budget deficits and fill a school building with a capacity level of students within their areas. Those are very small school districts and they can't fill too much of students who come from broken neighborhoods with uneducated schools or good neighborhoods with fair schools. In Lincoln Park Public Schools, Ecorse, Melvindale/Allen Park Public Schools and Southgate Public Schools, a student MUST live in that area or have a family or friend member who lived in that area.

Academy Business and Technology located at the Former St. Mary Magdalen School Building in Melvindale is a public charter school that will accept students with grade point skills. Don't need to be living in Melvindale area in order to go into that school. Just hop on the SMART bus, get a ride, or walk there.

[Danny]

"Some of my members from Church works there and it could loses its job if it happens."

Is this what is taught in the Detroit Public Schools? Can someone translate this into English?

I don't need to name names in the Internet. If I want to give names of 'some of my church members' You have to see me in the Streets of Detroit when I do my street preaching. There's too many tattle telling in cyberspace.

[Rocko]

Nothing superbly architecturally significant here, but it's good for the neighborhood kids in these parts of the city:

Safe from closure


Here are three of the schools Detroit Public Schools has removed from its 2010 school closure list:

Communication & Media Arts High
Enrollment/capacity: 473/869
Age of building: 51 years
Graduation rate: 96.6%
Major fixes needed: $4.1 million

Dossin Elementary [[pre-k-6)
Enrollment/capacity: 334/429
Age of building: 60 years
MEAP passing rate: 65% reading/57% math
Major fixes needed: $1.7 million

Glazer Elementary [[pre-k-5)
Enrollment/capacity: 276/490
Age of building: 42 years
MEAP passing rate: 57% reading/70% math
Major fixes needed: $2.4 million
Source: Detroit Public Schools


3 DPS schools off the chopping block

District shortening closure list

BY CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

At least 1,100 students can rest assured that their schools will remain open as Detroit Public Schools prepares to announce this week a shorter list of schools that will close for good this summer.

A high graduation rate, a recruitment campaign and community investments were key in the decision to keep open three schools -- Communication & Media Arts High, Glazer Elementary and Dossin Elementary, DPS emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said Monday.

The three schools were on a school closure list proposed in March because of declining enrollment and poor facilities.

The list had included 41 school buildings and one administrative facility. The proposal represented the largest school closure plan in the nation -- adding to the 100 DPS buildings that already have closed since 2005.

Bobb said the list is shrinking based on feedback from nine public meetings and 36 smaller discussions with parents and staff.

"We are not making these decisions lightly," he said.

The district has threatened three times since 2005 to close the deteriorating CMA High, a small school with an estimated 473 students that has quietly earned the highest graduation rate in the city at 96.6% compared with the state average of 75.2% and 59.6% at DPS.

CMA will remain in its building in northwest Detroit if it wins a makeover from a new NBC show that will debut in the fall called "School Pride."

This month, conditions in the school were recorded and sent to the show's producers -- leaking windows, raggedy lockers and a faulty boiler. The facility needs at least $4.1 million in fixes.

Parents want to stay and say they fear a possible merger with another school.
"The small environment is why I brought my child to this school," said Victor Sanders, whose daughter is a sophomore at CMA. "We're willing to roll up our sleeves to do whatever we have to."

Parents and staff at Dossin Elementary saved their school by recruiting about 100 names of potential new students, while major investments from Focus: HOPE helped to save Glazer Elementary, Bobb said.

Focus: HOPE boards up vacant buildings near Glazer, cuts the grass and provides tutors, said Jacqueline James, president of the Glazer parent group.

William Jones Jr., CEO at Focus: HOPE, said staff helped the school earn a $50,000 technology award this year.

"We want the neighborhood to thrive, and the school is part of that," he said. "It's not about just having a school open, but a great school."

Contact CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY: 313-223-4537 or cpratt@freepress.com


http://www.freep.com/article/2010051...0314/1001/news

[takascar]

I suppose Clark is still slated to close??

[DetroitZack]

3 schools were taken off the closure list...Dossin Elementary, Communication and Media Arts High School, and Glazer Elementary. But CMA High's building could still be closed, if they move to another location.

http://detnews.com/article/20100519/SCHOOLS/5190348