This edition of the Notebook NEWSFLASH is also available online at: www.thenotebook.org/newsflash/2006/march
Notebook NEWSFLASH:
March 2006
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Waiting in bitter cold temperatures on a street corner in the Haddington section of West Philadelphia, a crowd of elementary school students from Commodore John Barry School prepares to board a school bus to North Philadelphia.
Ever since a December 2003 boiler "implosion" at Barry's neighborhood site at 59th and Race Streets forced the closing of the school, Barry students have been making the ten-mile roundtrip by bus each day to the former Walton School, the school's interim home at 28th and Huntingdon Streets.
This was supposed to be the last winter Barry students would be bused to a school outside their neighborhood. The Barry School reconstruction project has been written into the District's sweeping capital program for school construction and renovation since May 2003, months before the school was closed. But District officials maintain that deciding where to build the new Barry took longer than expected, and so projected opening of the $30.2 million new building has slid back from September 2006 to September 2008 at the earliest.
That means two additional years of busing the school's 600 students to and from Walton - a 105-year-old District building originally intended to serve just 300 kids - at an annual price tag of $500,000.
Barry parent Taneaka Alston said she is not pleased about waiting until September 2008 for a new school building.
"Somebody is always getting hurt on the bus," said Alston. "It would be better if they could just go right there to Barry rather than catching the bus to North Philly."
Alston's daughter Naja - a Barry second grader - said she doesn't feel safe riding the bus to Walton, noting that last week one student on her bus came home with "a fat lip."
"They be hollering, screaming, and fighting," Naja said.
Alston said she has told the Barry principal about her concerns more than once, but nothing has changed.
"She said she can't do nothing about it," Alston said.
Latrese Pickett walks her younger sister Joyce - a Barry second grader - to meet the bus each morning near their home. Pickett said her family is requesting a transfer to another school rather than wait two more years for the new building.
"The buses don't come on time and the kids are late to school," said Pickett. "I'm upset with the whole situation."
The new Barry will be constructed on the same 59th & Race site as the recently demolished school and is projected to be a multi-use facility open to the community and serving 650 students in 38 classrooms.
Capital Programs Director Pat Henwood said he regretted the delay. In an initial interview, he told the Notebook the Barry project was slated for opening in September 2009, but in follow-up conversations he called the new Barry building "a fast-track project" whose design phase would be completed in an unusually quick eight- to nine-month period once architects are secured in early March.
Asked if he was hopeful the District would meet the new September 2008 deadline for Barry, Henwood said: "We need to move this along very quickly if we're going to make the September 2008 date…. We'll give it our best effort."
District officials first informed Barry School principal Darlene Beasley that the planned completion date is still more than two years away during a February interview for this article.
Asked if she was disappointed in the pushback, Beasley responded: "Of course we want to get back home, but we have to go with the flow."
School Reform Commission member Sandra Dungee Glenn - a Barry graduate - emphasized the need for capital projects to progress in a timely fashion.
"We should be very aggressively trying to keep our
capital projects on track," said Dungee Glenn, who
added that delays beyond 2008 "would not serve the
interests of the students well."
Citywide frustration with building delays
The new construction delay at Barry reflects a pattern among building projects under the capital plan that has led to complaints from parents.
Noting "a lot of dissent" from Barry parents, citywide Home and School Council President Patricia Raymond said the relatively slow pace of the capital plan frustrates parents across the District.
"Everywhere we go, we get parents who are upset about the capital plan," said Raymond.
District officials point out that since the $1.8 billion capital plan was launched in 2003, more than 120 projects have been brought to completion - a figure that conveys the massive scale of the construction program. Yet many of these have been small projects like bathroom modernizations and boiler or roof replacements. The total spending on completed projects since 2003 amounts to $151 million, less than one-tenth of the funds allocated for the five-year capital program, according to a District report. Another $324 million in projects are under construction, and projects totaling $1 billion are categorized as in design.
Parents and community members at the antiquated Willard School in Kensington - another K-8 school scheduled to receive a new building that has experienced years of construction delays - say parent organizing efforts are putting necessary pressure on the District to move that project forward. A parent action at a nearby church in December organized by the Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project (EPOP) drew a packed house and extensive media coverage.
A group of Willard parents met with School District CEO Paul Vallas on February 23 asking the District to commit to build the new Willard at the Franklin Recreation Center site, which is near the existing school. Vallas pledged to resolve the site issue within two weeks after an environmental assessment of the potential site was completed.
Carmen Rivera, a Willard parent leader with EPOP said she and other parents are also meeting with officials from the city - which owns the land where parents want the new Willard built - to move the project along.
Rivera said that despite challenges in the fight to get Willard built, she is optimistic about the new school.
"Parents have power. We can take action," she said.
Consequences at Barry
District officials acknowledge that the relocation of Barry and subsequent wait for reconstruction has been a setback for both the educational program at the school and its engagement with parents and the community surrounding the original school site.
District Chief Academic Officer Gregory Thornton called the Barry relocation "a mixed bag," citing uneven academic performance among the upper and lower grades, and an increase in suspensions paired with a decrease in serious incidents. Daily student attendance has increased by 3 percent over last year's 85 percent, according to District data.
The challenges associated with the relocation of Barry are amplified by the fact that Barry is one of 11"underperforming schools" in the District's newly formed "CEO Region." These schools were targeted last spring by the School District for tailored intervention plans to boost student achievement.
Since the relocation of Barry, teacher turnover has been high. Forty percent of the school's 35 teachers were new to Barry this academic year. Just a handful of the veteran teachers who were at the original school site remain on the current teaching staff, with some current staff members threatening to transfer at the end of this year.
Teachers were given the option to transfer both when the school relocation was announced in 2004 and when Barry became part of the CEO Region in 2005, Beasley explained.
Starting next school year, Thornton - who is a graduate of Barry School - said he hopes to improve academic performance and school climate by reducing the number of students attending Walton. To do this, some of the grades would be housed at a smaller location near the original Barry site.
Thornton added that his office is looking at offering extended day programs at community sites in Haddington rather than keeping students after school in North Philadelphia. Since students are bused outside of their neighborhood, attendance at the Walton site's afterschool "Power Hour" homework club has suffered. Extracurricular activities are not currently offered for students.
"It's never a good situation when you have to bus people out of their neighborhood," said Bill Montgomery, acting director of grade and space planning for the District. He maintained that Walton was "the most readily available" option for relocating Barry back in January 2004.
School secretary Alfreda Moore - who has been at Barry for 19 years - laments the effect of the relocation on the school's relationship with its community.
"It's upsetting because you don't have that village. How can they expect us to be accountable when we don't have the same tools?" said Moore, who is also Barry's Philadelphia Federation of Teachers building representative.
"We need to be in that [new] building. It's supposed to be a neighborhood school," Moore said.
Thornton added: "It really hurts parent involvement, which is a major concern."
Facilities improvements to ease overcrowding and fix recurring telephone and electric wiring problems at Walton are in process, but have not yet been completed.
The Walton building - constructed in 1901 - was closed due to a fire in the late 1990s. After $2 million in renovations covered by insurance, the school was later reopened. It was closed again in 2002 due to insufficient enrollment.
Community wants informationSome community members charge that the District has not done enough to inform parents and community members about the unfolding of the Barry reconstruction plan.
Dr. Albert Campbell - pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist church located two blocks from Barry - said he was disappointed in the delay in rebuilding Barry.
"It always seems that if we are going to be informed, we have to take the initiative to come to the School District," said Campbell, whose church has had a close relationship with Barry for years. "They ought to be concerned enough to let us know."
Henwood said once architects are selected and the design phase is underway, school planning team and community meetings with the architects and building project manager would likely take place in late March or early April.
"We've gotten off to a slow start, but we are running at full steam. We are pushing projects as quickly as we can push them to serve the students of Philadelphia," Henwood stated.
Ultimately, said Moore, the fight to get a new Barry built in a timely manner is about the students.
"The children are the ones who are being affected," said Moore.
Beandrea Davis is a writer based in West Philadelphia.
Reach her at beandrea@alumni.upenn.edu
Contact the Notebook at 215-951-0330 x107
or notebook@thenotebook.org.
At its February 15 meeting, the School Reform Commission:
-Approved by a 3-2 margin a change in the pupil assignment policy offering a preference for student transfers that take place within a region of the District over transfer students from outside the region. The policy will be implemented first in Center City, where advocates for the regional preference maintained that offering an advantage in entering a number of Center City schools would help keep young professionals with children from leaving Philadelphia for the suburbs. Commissioner Sandra Dungee Glenn, who along with Martin Bednarek voted against the change, noted that the District needs to address significant inequities in the quality of schools from region to region and added, "Until we reach that goal, we should try to keep the doors as open as possible across the District."
-Approved two new charter schools that will open in September 2007, joining three other new schools that were previously granted charters for 2007. Planet Abacus Charter School, launched by charter operator June Brown, who already heads Laboratory and Ad Prima Charters, will open as a K-5 school serving 400 students and expand over the next four years to become a 700-student K-8 school. The area of the city where it is to be located is yet to be determined. The Antonia Pantoja Community Charter School, the second charter to be operated by ASPIRA, Inc. of Philadelphia, is slated to open as a K-8 school serving 700 students at 4101 American Street in the Hunting Park community. Waiving a provision of the state's charter school law, the SRC voted that both schools would draw students from an attendance zone.
-Approved the conversion of Shoemaker Middle School in West Philadelphia this fall to a charter school governed by the trustees of Mastery Charter School in Center City. Shoemaker will expand from its current enrollment of about 200 students to a school serving up to 714 students in grades 7-12, with current students offered enrollment in the charter school. Mastery Charter is already overseeing a similar charter conversion of another District school - the former Thomas Middle School in South Philadelphia - and was also authorized by the SRC to negotiate the conversion of Pickett Middle School in Germantown to a small charter high school.
-Approved four five-year charter renewals - to Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School, Harambee Institute of Technology Charter School, West Philadelphia Achievement Charter School, and YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School.
-Approved a renewal and expansion of World Communications Charter School, located on South Broad Street. It will grow from being a grade 6-8 school by adding grades 9-12 over the next four years, growing in the process from 450 to 700 students and adding a second site.
-Approved the purchase with capital funds of $3.1 million in furniture, equipment, and supplies for the "High School of the Future" in West Philadelphia, which is scheduled to open for ninth graders in September. Commissioners said they would also consider a protest from the East Parkside Residents Association, which maintains the immediate neighborhood was promised a set-aside of seats at the school.
-Approved a $4 million contract with ScholarChip Card Company to implement a new student identification system using "smart card" technology to automate student attendance and access student information.
Three high schools slated to open next fall have hired their principals; they are Shirley Grover for the High School of the Future, developed in partnership with Microsoft Corporation; Chris Lehmann for the Science Leadership Academy, a partnership with the Franklin Institute; and Thomas Davidson for the National Constitution Center Partnership School . . . . Denise Wing is the new Administrator for Non-School Hours Programs in the Office of School Management . . . . Heather Frattone has moved from the Office of Transition and Alternative Education to the Chief of Staff's office, where she is executive director. . . . Richard Barth joined the KIPP Foundation, a network of college-preparatory public schools, as chief executive officer, after serving as the president of district partnerships for Edison Schools and managing Edison Schools' partnership in Philadelphia.
March 1: 2006 Southeastern Pennsylvania Science Olympiad Tournament. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Cabrini College, 610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA. Students in grades 6-12 from area middle and high schools compete for top science honors and a $1000 scholarship to Cabrini College. Free admission. For more information, call 610-902-4100.
March 3-4: Programs for Teaching. Friday, 3 p.m. - Saturday, 3 p.m.. Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, 17th and Race Streets. Annual educational conference sponsored by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Health and Welfare Fund, with over 50 workshops. Registration: $3; Saturday lunch: $5. For information, call 215-561-2722.
March 4: Mural Arts Tour and Lunch. 9 a.m. White Dog Café, 3420 Sansom Street. Breakfast followed by two-hour trolley tour of some of the over 2,300 wall murals throughout Philadelphia. Return to White Dog for lunch and talk with Jane Golden, Artistic Director of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.Reservations and fee required. Call 215-386-9224.
March 8: School Reform Commission Planning Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 400 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 pm the day before the meeting.
March 11: "Franklin & American Identity" Teacher Workshop. 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. National Constitution Center, 5th and Arch Streets. Michael Zuckerman, Professor of History at University of Pennsylvania, leads workshop on Franklin's legacy to the American people. Registration: $20, includes admission to the exhibit "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World," curriculum resources, and materials. To download registration form, visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
March 12-14: Pennsylvania Education Policy and Leadership Conference in Harrisburg. Fourth annual conference will feature two pre-conference workshops on March 12 from 1- 3:45 p.m.: "Building Effective Community-Based Education Foundations" and "Interventions that Work to Improve Student Achievement". Conference begins Sunday at 4 p.m. with session on 2006-07 budget proposal made by Governor Rendell. For additional information, see www.eplc.org/conference.html.
March 13-15: National Training Institute: "Teaching Youth about the Law". Sheraton-Society Hill, 1 Dock Street (at Front Street). Youth for Justice sponsors three-day conference for educators, community members, and other professionals who teach law and justice to young people. Small group trainings and curriculum included with registration fee. For information, visit www.youthforjustice.org/nti/home.html.
March 14: Reading: "The Emergency Teacher." 7 p.m. Robin's Bookstore, 108 S. 13th Street. Former Philadelphia teacher Christina Asquith reads from her new book about experiences as an untrained, first-year teacher working in a North Philadelphia school. Free.
March 15: School Reform Commission Action Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 400 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 pm the day before the meeting.
March 16: Act 48 Workshops for Teachers on Free! and Chinatown Live(s). 4 - 6 p.m., Church of the Advocate, 18th and Diamond Streets. Learn to use improvisation techniques to teach Lorene Cary's book Free!: Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad - slave escape stories for middle-school youth. Learn to use memoir-writing with Asian Arts Initiative's recent book, Chinatown Live(s): Oral Histories from Philadelphia's Chinatown. Workshops followed by dinner, featuring performance by Art Sanctuary's North Stars. For information, contact Nicole Meyenberg: 215-204-7347 or nicolem@temple.edu.
March 17: "Connecting Community, Arts and Literacy: Sustaining a Network of Partnerships." 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Church of the Advocate, 18th & Diamond Streets. Hosted by Community Arts and Literacy Network (CALN). Conference sessions will include storytelling and art-making, panel discussions, performances and breakout sessions. RSVP recommended: attendance limited. Suggested fee: $10. For information, contact Nicole Meyenberg at 215-204-7347 or nicolem@temple.edu.
March 22-25: 17th Annual National Service Learning Conference: "We the People." Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street. The largest gathering of youth and practitioners involved in youth service learning includes 2,900 participants from the United States and 41 other countries. Schedule includes workshops, showcases, and keynote speeches. March 22 is Administrators' Day, an opportunity for district and school leaders to network and exchange strategies. Sponsored by the National Youth Leadership Council. Registration fee required. For more information, visit www.nylc.org.
March 24: Capitalizing on Diversity: The Next Steps. 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Drexel University, Creese Student Center, Behrakis Hall, 32nd & Chestnut Street. Interactive conference on maximizing organizational diversity sponsored by Fellowship Farm and Drexel University. Cost: $45.00. To register, go to http://www.acteva.com/go/PhiladelphiaDiversity
March 25: PennTESOL-East Spring Conference. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Penn State Abington College, 1600 Woodland Avenue, Abington. Spring conference for ESL teachers in the area. Workshops, papers, and demonstrations will introduce new techniques and current research in teaching and program administration. Dr. Annela Teemant from the Center for Research in Education, Diversity, and Excellence will speak on "ESL Concepts for Mainstream Teachers." For more information, contact Jane Gee at 215-885-2360 x266 or jgee@manor.edu.
April 5 - 6: Small Schools Institute. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Guest speakers will include Michael Klonsky of the Small Schools Workshop and educators from other small schools in this region. Registration: $320/person for 2 days, $175 for one day. Sponsored by the Center for Effective School Practices at Rutgers, http://cesp.rutgers.edu. Contact Ryan Peterson, rypeters@rci.rutgers.edu for more information.
Mondays and Wednesdays starting March 1: Street and Puppet Theater Workshop. 6 - 8:30 p.m. Taller Puertorriqueno, 2557 N. 5th St. Free workshop, using masks, puppets, stilts, juggling to prepare performance of Popol Vuh, based on the Mayan creation stories. For more information, contact Naylamp Street and Puppet Theater, at naylamptheater@yahoo.com.
Tuesdays: Poetry for Peace class with Gweny Love. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Penn Alexander Community School, 43rd Street between Spruce and Locust Streets. All ages are welcome to participate. Free and open to the community, not just school students. Students under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. For more information, email weilcl@sas.upenn.edu or call 215-823-5288.
Thursdays: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Penn Alexander Community School, 43rd Street between Spruce and Locust Streets. Free ESOL classes for adults in collaboration with the Center for Literacy. For more information, email weilcl@sas.upenn.edu or call 215-823-5288.
Every Thursday: Talk radio program with Sandra Dungee Glenn, School Reform Commission member. 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. WURD 900 AM. Call-in number: 215-426-1310.
March 29-31: K-8 Report Cards Distributed.
Early Dismissal for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
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