Thursday night parents from Elmhurst will get another shot at talking to Wendy's brick wall at the Grile Center. With limited seating capacity in the board room, Wendy has at least limited the number of people who can get in and vent their frustration. You can't fault parents if they don't like the options facing their kids if Elmhurst closes. Wayne, with a 35% passing rate on the ISTEP is an academic disaster. South Side and North Side with passing rates around 45% are "LEAD" schools with virtually no chance of improving. Why should they be happy about sending their kids to South Side when school board president Mark GiaQuinta and their District 1 school board representative Steve Corona decided it wasn't good enough for their kids?
But the parents should consider that if Elmhurst stays open it will still be run and staffed from Clinton Street by an inept administration overseen by an incompetent board. FWCS has clearly shown a lack of imagination and flexibility. They're unable to adapt to the realities of their demographics and in all probability will continue to short change Elmhurst as the system's stepchild high school.
In the long run parents would be better off to organize with the goal of establishing a charter high school in the Southwest part of the district. Whether that school should occupy the existing Elmhurst building is an open question. It's an old building but still quite suitable. The reports about its deterioration were greatly exaggerated to justify closing it three years ago . Although not air conditioned, the building is still viable. Saving the building would save FWCS the demolition costs ($500,000 if I remember right from the bond issue) and provide a return from either a sale or a rental to the charter organization.
It may take some time to get the enrollment up to capacity but considering the alternatives south of Coliseum boulevard there is little doubt it could be done. With guidance from the city's existing charter school organization, a determined group of parents could make it happen. They've offered to work with the administration to find a way to keep it open, but if that doesn't work, cut the cord.
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8 comments:
You enjoy stirring the pot, don't you? Wendy will never allow Elmhurst to become a charter school...she will demolish it first. Interesting idea, though.
I feel for the kids having to take the bus to Wayne...nothing like a 2hr bus ride for the kids in my neighborhood....
Now do you honestly think that Ball State wants to start a Charter HS? They are too afraid of FWCS. The kids at Imagine MASTer Academy will not forget that Ball State let them down when they start filling out those college applications. Wendy would welcome a charter as long as she has control over it...
One way or another we'll eventually get a charter high school south of Coliseum. The high schools in this part of town will never improve and will continue to lose the better students they need to survive. It may not be in the current Elmhurst building, but wherever it is it will attract whatever decent students are left in FWCS. And if Elmhurst is still around it will also go down with the other three.
Does anyone know how a Mayor can issue a charter like Indianapolis does?
I thought the Indianapolis School Superintendent (not the mayor)could approve charter schools, but there is no way he would do that. I can't imagine a mayor wanting to get involved in urban education either, especially a Democrat.
Here ya go Code Blue...this was passed in 2001 in Indy. You can read more at www.Indy.Gov
In May, 2001, Indiana became the 37th state to pass charter schools legislation. The new law gives the mayor of Indianapolis, among other entities, the authority to charter schools.
Charter schools are public schools that are freed from most of the regulations governing traditional schools. They control their own curriculum, staffing, organization and budget. In exchange for this freedom, they must meet the highest academic standards.
The "charter" is a performance contract entered into with a sponsor, such as a mayor or a school board, that explains what the school will attempt to accomplish, how student performance will be measured, and what level of achievement it will attain. A school that fails to comply with the terms of its charter may have its charter revoked.
I wonder when Karen Francisco will be writing an editorial expounding the greatness of Ms. Robinson? Just
like the one in which Wendy might be getting a job in Barack Obama's Dept. of Education.
A Wendy Elmhurst comment, about the 70% of Indiana educators who voted for Mitch Daniels, shows Wendy is trying to lay the blame of the present situation on the teachers. As I remember, Daniels came out with support for the teachers dealing with disciplinary problems. Since Wendy doesn't believe FWCS has a disciplinary problem, I wonder why she allowed security cameras to be installed in one of her Title 1 schools. I wonder if she saw the tape of a student telling the principle to get F'ed? Or the tape of the Kindergardner hitting a staff member in the face with his bookbag?
But then again, if people don't know this, it never happened.
K.P.
Let Frisco talk her BFF Wendy up...maybe someone else will hire her and Ft Wayne will be free of her....maybe they can both go away together??
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