Ferguson Academy on Historic Reg. To Be Closed....

**Zacha341** · May-03-10, 05:39 AM

I found this on the DFT web site:
http://mi.aft.org/dft231/

Catherine Ferguson Academy is slated to close. Yet the district spent $1.2 million in the last 10 years to refurbish it. The school is on the historic register and it has a farm built by students over the last two decades. Watch the videos of CFA teachers and students speaking at a town hall meeting about closing schools.

Click on http://www.youtube.com/user/mmforman.../0/2lPL6FOvMug

http://www.youtube.com/user/mmforman.../0/QSDHvWnlsVo

**HazenPingree** · May-03-10, 11:05 AM

Catherine Ferguson is one of the few successful schools in the DPS system. Intended for use by young mothers and pregnant women, the school uses the operational on-site farm to provide a calming environment and to teach self sufficiency and responsibility. Though I have faith in Bobb, this seems a mistake.

**Gianni** · May-03-10, 11:15 AM

Although I use the term cautiously, this place is truly a "jewel." It needs to be saved. I believe the plan technically calls for the school to be moved and consolidated to another campus, not closed, but then what happens to the farm? Hopefully Bobb will reconsider on this one.

**sehender1** · May-03-10, 11:21 AM

Actually, this is a good example of the misunderstandings that are pretty prevalent right now in DPS..
There's a difference between closing a building and shuttering the program that's housed in it.

In the case of Ferguson, what's happening is that the program is being moved out of its current facility, which was built for far many more students than Ferguson has, and into a facility it will share with another alternative program.

So yes, the building, which in financial terms is operated inefficiently, will be closed. The district has a staggering overcapacity problem, and can't survive if that's not abated.

But the program, which is a real gem in the system, will continue.

There are issues, of course, with the idea of moving Ferguson. Will it be able to retain its special focus on its population, and preserve all the positive aspects of its program, in a shared building? What will happen to the farm that the students tend to at the current site? Can it be duplicated at the new location?

All reasonable questions that Bobb and the administration need to answer.

But to say that they're "closing" Catherine Ferguson is inaccurate...

**Detroitnerd** · May-03-10, 11:22 AM

I heard over the weekend that the administrators and teachers are not happy with the closing, but that they're worried that if they complain about this decisions they may be fired. Too bad for all the cherry trees they planted, farms they built and animals they tended. Too bad for the students who got a good second chance. I'm sure they'll go to another school that will, be more ... profitable.

**Gannon** · May-03-10, 11:25 AM

Yeah, big time mistake.

Shows that he is out-of-touch with the direction the whole city is taking...but he IS from out-of-town.

Let's invite him to learn the legacy, and give him the chance to change his mind and do the right thing.

DON'T hate on the man, leave that to the bad people he's trying to oust...let's not lump ourselves in with them by that association. Overall, Robert Bobb has been really good for this town.

Cheers

**renf** · May-03-10, 03:43 PM

Which registry of historic sites includes the Catherine Ferguson Academy
and under what name?
Thank you very much.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-03-10, 04:04 PM

Lets save the school by promoting teenage motherhood, that way more students will utilize the building! [[KIDDING!)

It is sort of meloncholy that a school that should not have to be there is closing. This indicates that the number of teen mothers enrolled in the school system is declining, which at face value is a good thing. The next question that needs to be asked is why? Are students becoming more responsible? [[I doubt it), are people abandoning the district?, can the school be opened to other populations without destroying its good intentions? This area has already lost Chadsey and may soon lose Southwestern. The last thing it neeeds is to lose another school.

renf, the name of the schoolbuilding predates Catherine Feruguson. It is an older structure, but its fairly standard in architectural features. My best guess is that the school building was built in the 1920's or 1930's. It looks like it was sized to be a middle school.

**Neilr** · May-03-10, 04:58 PM

The Catherine Ferguson Academy is the former Cheney School. To me, it's one of our area's most beautiful school buildings. DPS has a long history of building architecturally significant schools regardless of the social-economic conditions of the students. This is one of those buildings.

These [[poor quality) pictures are from Google Maps. Notice the tiles along the roof line. There's nothing else like this school in metro Detroit.

When the windows were replaced several years ago, someone made a [[successful) effort to design them in a manner which fits the architecture. Unfortunately, the replacement doors are ugly security doors.

If ever you drive by Catherine Ferguson Academy for a look, make sure yo go around the back of the building to see the windows on the rear west side.

**Historyguy** · June-14-10, 09:49 PM

The building's original name is the Henry Chaney School--not Cheney.

**Zacha341** · June-14-10, 10:10 PM

Wow! This takes me back to MY roots... I went to this school in the well-uh,er'--let's just say I went there along time ago. The are around it is sorta blighted in a way. Perhaps that was a factor... 48208 zip code. Nice building...

Originally Posted by Neilr

The Catherine Ferguson Academy is the former Cheney School. To me, it's one of our area's most beautiful school buildings. DPS has a long history of building architecturally significant schools regardless of the social-economic conditions of the students. This is one of those buildings.

These [[poor quality) pictures are from Google Maps. Notice the tiles along the roof line. There's nothing else like this school in metro Detroit.

When the windows were replaced several years ago, someone made a [[successful) effort to design them in a manner which fits the architecture. Unfortunately, the replacement doors are ugly security doors.

If ever you drive by Catherine Ferguson Academy for a look, make sure yo go around the back of the building to see the windows on the rear west side.

**casscorridor** · June-15-10, 01:15 AM

Bob Bobb said himself he won't stop closing schools until someone stops him. Don't think he won't shutter every single school in the district, because he will. Maybe he'll keep Cass Tech, School of the Arts but he'll close the rest. They'll all be replaced by charter schools, without any public accountability.

Gone are the days of neighborhood schools. Pretty soon there won't be any schools left in the central city. The central city is going to be one massive high school district, with smaller ones on the edge of the city, the complete opposite of what needs to happen. They say they want to keep schools in growing areas, but the outer edges are rapidly declining in many areas, while the central city has remained stable and actually has grown in some areas such as Midtown and Southwest.

Bob thinks that shuttering the historic buildings is a good thing. He only looks at quantitative information, not qualitative. He sees number of years, not quality. He'd rather keep a 1970s piece of crap structure than a 1920s marvel. When he looks what is happening inside the school, he only looks at test scores, not actually experiences of students and teachers.

Bob Bobb is a fraud. He is hurting the district, not helping. Why can't you people see that? Just because he wants change doesn't mean hes good. We are all so desperate for a change we are willing to take a crook like this. His salary paid in part by foundations who want the end to public education so they can put our children's education on the market to be traded just like stocks and bonds.

How can we take such a gamble with our children's future? Why do we treat those who hurt us as our savior?

**gnome** · June-15-10, 07:38 AM

It was annouced last week that the Ferguson program is going to stay in its current building.

**Rocko** · June-15-10, 08:24 AM

Fergueson School, in the old Chaney Building, was included in the very recent DPS multiple resource nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. This art deco building was built in 1931 and designed by VanLeyen, Schilling, and Keough. It is among the small handful of buildings given a state level of significance, rather than local level, which is what the majority of DPS buildings were given. Glad to know the program will be staying in the current building!

**Hermod** · June-15-10, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Lets save the school by promoting teenage motherhood, that way more students will utilize the building! [[KIDDING!)

It is sort of meloncholy that a school that should not have to be there is closing. This indicates that the number of teen mothers enrolled in the school system is declining, which at face value is a good thing. The next question that needs to be asked is why? Are students becoming more responsible? [[I doubt it), are people abandoning the district?, can the school be opened to other populations without destroying its good intentions? This area has already lost Chadsey and may soon lose Southwestern. The last thing it neeeds is to lose another school.

renf, the name of the schoolbuilding predates Catherine Feruguson. It is an older structure, but its fairly standard in architectural features. My best guess is that the school building was built in the 1920's or 1930's. It looks like it was sized to be a middle school.

If you said "middle school" to someone back in the 20s or 30s, you would get a blank stare. The word then was "intermediate school" which changed to "junior high" which morphed in modern times to "middle school".

**Detroitnerd** · June-15-10, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by sehender1

Actually, this is a good example of the misunderstandings that are pretty prevalent right now in DPS..
There's a difference between closing a building and shuttering the program that's housed in it.
But to say that they're "closing" Catherine Ferguson is inaccurate...

Haha. Yeah, all they have to do is move all the cherry trees, gardens, grazing lands, greenhouses, cows and goats and beehives somewhere else. When the administration there either doesn't want to or wants to but doesn't want to lose their jobs. Oh, and frustrating the one person who really helped make it all happen to the point where he's giving up. Oh, yeah, just a simple misunderstanding, and I'm sure they'll hire trucks to pull up the trees, one by one, and replant them. Sheesh. Spin it any way you like, but this was a shitty decision.

**gnome** · June-15-10, 10:42 AM

as I said before, the Ferguson school was taken off the closure list. That means it will stay where it is now. As in it is not moving, not closing, not being folded into another school building. It will maintain its current mission.

**bailey** · June-15-10, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

as I said before, the Ferguson school was taken off the closure list. That means it will stay where it is now. As in it is not moving, not closing, not being folded into another school building. It will maintain its current mission.

How can that be as clearly Bobb has nothing but evil intentions for DPS. everything was fine and running smoothly before his arrival. It's solely due to his meddling that DPS finds itself in this position.

**Detroitnerd** · June-15-10, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

How can that be as clearly Bobb has nothing but evil intentions for DPS. everything was fine and running smoothly before his arrival. It's solely due to his meddling that DPS finds itself in this position.

Ah, I see. So just because you oppose the undemocratic privateer who wants to mostly privatize the schools with a minimum of community input, that means you must think everything before was jim dandy. This is pure sophistry.

**Whitehouse** · June-16-10, 12:20 PM

I don't get it. It is mentioned here that this school has an overcapacity. Seeing this is one of the best kept up schoolbuildings, in which a large sum was invested, why don't they move pupils to this building? It must be an immence joy to get an education among animals and plants. I was never far away from farms and wildlife in my early years.

**bailey** · June-16-10, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Ah, I see. So just because you oppose the undemocratic privateer who wants to mostly privatize the schools with a minimum of community input, that means you must think everything before was jim dandy. This is pure sophistry.

"undemocratic privateer" =Emergency Financial Manager as defined in, appointed pursuant to, and acting with the authority described within MCL 141.11201 et seq.

yeah, no sophism there.

The community had its input for many years. its input is the reason Bobb had to be appointed.

**Detroitnerd** · June-16-10, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

"undemocratic privateer" =Emergency Financial Manager as defined in, appointed pursuant to, and acting with the authority described within MCL 141.11201 et seq.

yeah, no sophism there.

The community had its input for many years. its input is the reason Bobb had to be appointed.

Reductive reasoning may make you feel swell, but, really, talking about good vs. evil seldom produces the nuanced discussion that gets at the truth. And that's called sophistry.

Detroit has been starved of capital, educated residents, business and tax revenue for so long, of course nobody ever expected anybody to fix it. Not the people, not the state when it stepped in, and now: Not Bobb. Instead he just wants to turn it into a moneymaking operation for his pals. Just as bad, just as dysfunctional, but much more profitable.

Those are the facts. Don't like the facts? Argue the law. Oh, you already did.

**bailey** · June-16-10, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Reductive reasoning may make you feel swell, but, really, talking about good vs. evil seldom produces the nuanced discussion that gets at the truth. And that's called sophistry.

Detroit has been starved of capital, educated residents, business and tax revenue for so long, of course nobody ever expected anybody to fix it. Not the people, not the state when it stepped in, and now: Not Bobb. Instead he just wants to turn it into a moneymaking operation for his pals. Just as bad, just as dysfunctional, but much more profitable.

Those are the facts. Don't like the facts? Argue the law. Oh, you already did.

and when you don't have the facts or the law on your side you pound the table.....oh god the irony it buuuuurns. Any other straw men you want to rail against? L Brooks have a hand in this too?

**Cooper** · June-16-10, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

as I said before, the Ferguson school was taken off the closure list. That means it will stay where it is now. As in it is not moving, not closing, not being folded into another school building. It will maintain its current mission.

Catherine Ferguson is no longer moving, but under Bobb's new plan it would cease to be a 4-year, comprehensive high school. There's a Facebook group protesting the change:

"The good news is CFA is staying open! Bad news is, the district wants us to become "transitional" and "support studentsâ€™ return to home school." Students would return to regular high schools after having their babies. This is how CFA started out but expanded to a full high school when students returned saying they did not have the support they needed at the other schools.

CFA is unique in many ways, one being that it was the first program for pregnant and parenting students to be a fully acredited high school. Sixty-five more young women just graduate from CFA and ALL of them are accepted in a post-secondary program. No otherpublic school [[we know of) in the state can say this about their graduates. Don't let us be set back 25 years."

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=110485375664495