June 11, 2002 - Baltimore City Public Schools

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Board Meeting Minutes Page 16 of 41 meeting that day. And we were giving teachers -- I mean parents incorrect information. Now we've gotten the last data about a week ago. Now, I'm saying if I see some children have gotten a 1 in math, a 1, and a 1 in reading, and you talk about intervention, what was happening from last year's scores to this year's scores to help their child, you see. What is really going on? Doesn't it say something about us if 46,000 children, 45,000, are going to summer school? What did we do wrong? Let's not put all this on the youth. What did we do wrong? By the way, stop calling them kids, please, because they're not baby goats. Maybe we'll see them a little differently if we stop kidding around with the data and be for real. But when are we going to own up that we're not doing our best. I had another administrator who takes the children's food and throws it away before they're done, you understand. This doesn't make sense, the meanness. And then I'd like to ask -- and I'm trying to come again, what is the purpose of a suspension? You understand. I'm getting very confused now. Disciplinary removal, I thought -- because some suspensions -- and I've been doing this over 30 years -- the parents didn't come back to get the child, and you gave them a DR, right, a Disciplinary Removal, of three days. If Charles Dugger got suspended or disciplinary removed, at 9:00 in the morning, if my dad could bring me back at 1:00, I was allowed back in the building. Not now. I'm at a school where children get three days, five days, seven days, at a shot, nine days, nine days. I went to beg for a young man the other day. He's not coming back to take your final exam, Mr. Dugger, unless -- he's going to be back out of the building. So what are we giving them, jail time? You understand. I thought we wanted parent involvement. You speak of intervention. You're supposed to add some new department or something, as someone said earlier. Then why don't we really intervene and show these children we really care about them. Stop being so hard, so mean, so punitive, you understand. In a majority of an African-American city, that's why I feel that the American Civil Liberties Union, the Federal Government, the AEC, somebody needs to investigate. What is happening in Baltimore City for us to be in such a deplorable state? Most teachers I speak of say the biggest problem is discipline. A lot of us are very, very concerned about discipline. Knowing we can make it better too, though, but you've got to back off of all the paperwork. You know, when we hear that somebody's coming in the building, they don't come in and say, "are they going to come to help?" They're coming to warn each teacher that somebody's going to find fault. That's all that's happening now, find fault. When you come and roll up your sleeves and say, you're doing a good job, let's even make it better, and let's really serve these children so we can teach them well, and they really will lead the way. All of them. Not just a select few that you relish, but for all of them. Let our children deserve that. It will be a better city without a doubt. Thank you. MS. WELCH: Thank you, Mr. Dugger, for your comments. Brian Glover, is he here? Cynthia Robbins? MS. ROBBINS: Good evening. Thanks to many of you, I've had a chance to speak and meet with some of you and talk with you while we were waiting for you all to come down. And so our No. 1 goal here is to improve students' achievement. There's so much other commentary that has been speaking to that. Your mission is in concert with students, families, and the broader community to prepare all students to be responsible citizens, and afford them the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to make informed decisions that leads to meaningful and productive lives. Our mission at Edison Schools is to help you and our more than 80 public partners around the country to provide worldclass public school education for all students. That is happening here in the Baltimore Edison Schools. You heard Councilwoman Stansler speak to it, you've heard from our parents and teachers, and students have written to you. They were here about a month and a half ago talking to you outside. They have said that they're overwhelmingly satisfied with the success that they're enjoying as part of Baltimore Edison Schools. From the winter up until now, we've been trying, the parents and staff, have been asking, what's going to happen with their students. You know that our three schools here are pre-K through 6th grade. And now, at the end of the school year for everyone, they're still trying to find out what are the plans for their children. And their children were in the lowest-performing schools just two years ago, in the state, and now they are -- they've all experienced growth in their CTBS scores of anywhere from 2 to 74 points, in every grade, in each of the three schools, in both English, Reading, and Math. We have file://S:\CMS_Content\meetings\2002\J11_02.html 9/23/2002
Board Meeting Minutes Page 17 of 41 presented to you a proposal to operate one or more middle schools that will be receiving these students. As recently as last Friday I sent you, and my office communicated with you, a modified proposal. Since we have learned now that it is your intention that, to rezone one of the schools, so that there are only two new schools that will be receiving our students. And we welcome that news, and we're excited about it. So we've modified the proposal. Despite all of our communications, I did not know that we were on the agenda today. We received no notification, and that seemed unconscionable. You have my cell phone, my office phone so you could get in touch, the fax number, all of my office contact information. It's only by chance that I know to be here. And that doesn't seem the way that we should really be doing business together, as potential partners, in the mission of providing world-class public school education to our students. I'm urging you to take the action that is responsive to the pleads of the parents, to students, the administrators and the teachers. If you're going to make a decision tonight, let it be a decision that embraces this unified appeal that's based on high student achievement. Whereas people hadn't achieved before, they're now unified in the System in the and the strategy that was working for them, where the children are striving. I hope that you will approve the proposal to establish a middle school, or figure out a time where we can sit down and answer whatever questions you have that stand as barriers to a decision being made. MR. O'NEILL: Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you again on behalf of the hundreds of parents, children, and staff of the three Baltimore Edison Schools. In the two weeks since we were last here, several significant developments have occurred that we would like to bring your attention to. First, we were informed that the rising 6th graders from Gilmore -- MS. ROBBINS: Excuse me, just so that you're clear. You all know me, I'm Cynthia Robbins, Vice- President of Development for Edison Schools. This is Richard O'Neill, Senior Vice-President of Development for Edison Schools. MR. O'NEILL: First, we were informed that the rising 6th graders at the Gilmore and Ferman Templeton will be zoned into the Booker T. Washington Middle School, and the rising 6th graders from Montebello will attend Hamilton Middle School. As per our letter to you last Friday, we would like to specifically propose that Edison operate, in partnership with BCPSS, both of those middle schools, amending our previous proposal. Second, Edison announced last week that we've raised another $40 million in capital, which should delay people's concerns about Edison's viability. As we have previously stated, every spring and summer, Edison raises money to fund the new schools that open every fall, and this year was no different in that regard than any other year. If there are remaining questions regarding Edison's financial picture, we would like to here them so they may be answered. This includes any questions related to our per-pupil fee, which is less than the City's average, and less than Victory School received for comparable services. Third, in the fall, our 6th graders passed the Maryland Functional Math Test at a rate of 44 percent, compared with the City's rate of 11 percent; and Reading at 70 percent, compared with the City's rate of 63. Data from the spring administration was just released, and it now brings the passing rate of our 6th graders in Math to 56 percent, and the passing grade of our 6th graders in Reading to 84 percent. What are the similar data for Baltimore City Schools? Fourth, and most important from our standpoint, is that the day after we last addressed you, it came to our attention that up to 46,000 Baltimore students will have to attend summer school because of inadequate academic performance. This figure, according to the Baltimore Sun, is nearly 50 percent of all the students in the City. Driving these numbers, in large part, are students' scores on CTBS, requiring them to be at the 23 percentile or higher. That's the CTBS data from the City. And how does this compare to Edison's CTBS data? According to the Council of Great City Schools, this is the highest percentage rate of any big city in the country. According to Ms. Russo, she is not surprised by these large numbers and expects them to continue for several years. According to the School District, you will spend $17 million this summer in an attempt to remediate the situation. It took core courage for this Board to stick to its conviction to end social promotion. Where was the Board's courage when it comes to responding to the myriad of endless requests of hundreds of parents and children? How much courage does it take to recognize success and let it continue? How much courage does it take to acknowledge that a program, not of your selection or preference, is producing gains that are double or triple our own? How much courage does it take for you to give opportunity to others, or prefer or deny opportunity file://S:\CMS_Content\meetings\2002\J11_02.html 9/23/2002
Page 1 and 2: Board Meeting Minutes Whereupon,--
Page 3 and 4: Board Meeting Minutes that on Frida
Page 5 and 6: Board Meeting Minutes communication
Page 7 and 8: Board Meeting Minutes continually g
Page 9 and 10: Board Meeting Minutes MR. STREUVER:
Page 11 and 12: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: I'
Page 13 and 14: Board Meeting Minutes reproduction
Page 15: Board Meeting Minutes that our base
Page 19 and 20: Board Meeting Minutes money. Commun
Page 21 and 22: Board Meeting Minutes requirement.
Page 23 and 24: Board Meeting Minutes educational p
Page 25 and 26: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Mr
Page 27 and 28: Board Meeting Minutes is the only m
Page 29 and 30: Board Meeting Minutes department. O
Page 31 and 32: Board Meeting Minutes MR. SMOLARZ:
Page 33 and 34: Board Meeting Minutes MS. AMOS: Goo
Page 35 and 36: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Op
Page 37 and 38: Board Meeting Minutes get a feel fo
Page 39 and 40: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Op
Page 41: Board Meeting Minutes UNIDENTIFIED

June 11, 2002 - Baltimore City Public Schools

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?