More correspondence going around:
PUBLIC HEARING STATEMENT (JANUARY 23, 2012):
Due to the history of unsuccessful merging of schools, I am demanding that any merge from this point on undergo ample planning which includes both community and board member participation. Planning must be complete before any merge takes place. Planning must include transition strategies of actions to get parents, faculty and students aware and comfortable with one another from both populations. Also, to ensure, as much as possible, that the receiving population is inviting and receptive to the feeder population. The safety and security configuration must also be included in planning so that the probability of incident is diminished. And finally, the configuration of programs must be greatly considered so that both programs are merged, by definition, giving our students the greatest number of options currently available including JROTC magnet, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Law Magnet, Science and Math Magnet, Early Head Start Child Care, College Prep, and a successful Athletic division.
I am also demanding a formal letter via postal mail, from superintendent Lane, in regards to the Perry/Oliver merger. This letter must state in explicit detail why it was decided to merge into the smaller building, opposed to the larger, more accommodating, accessible and fiscally sensible building. I am demanding that this information, as well as planning participation information be delivered via postal mail no later than January 30th, 2012. If my simple demands are not met by the Board and Superintendent Lane within the requested amount of time, I will continue to take action to ensure prosperity.
CORRESPONDENCE FROM SUPERINTENDENT LANE:
Dear Ms. Williams:
Thank you for coming to speak at the Board Public Hearing on January 23, 2012. I have to be clear with you that I respond to community members because it is the right thing to do, and an important part of my work; threats and deadlines are not necessary.
You questioned why the school would be located in the Perry facility rather than the Oliver facility. You are right; Oliver is bigger, and has more accessible athletic facilities. Oliver also has great spaces for two of our CTE programs. Perry as a building has a better set up for the spring musical and had work done inside just this year, it was painted and had new lighting installed. We had the community walk through both schools. Needless to say, the Oliver community wanted Oliver, the Perry community wanted Perry. I too went on a walk-through of both schools. I could see both sides of the issue, but had to make a call one way or the other.
Our practice has been to move to the school that showed greater academic success whenever possible. Perry is that school. After the two communities become one, there may be a day when they decide they demand to utilize the other facility, this may be years away. More space may be needed (a wonderful problem to have) or there may be other rationale for utilizing Oliver. I also am of the belief that a successful merger is the more important issue than which facility the school would be housed in.
We want to work with the community to facilitate a successful joining of two school cultures and students and welcome your support of that effort. Again, thank you for coming and participating and please know I appreciate your support of the students of the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Sincerely,
Linda Lane
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
31 comments:
Here comes another Westinghouse waiting to happen.
I heard from a parent at Perry that there were scheduling conflicts at Perry at the beginning of the year and some kids waited up to 3 weeks to get a solid schedule. Some students even had holes in their schedules and sat in the lunchroom for a part of the day instead of being educated.
What steps if any is principal Nina Sacco at Perry taking to make sure for a smooth transition and that Oliver students do not have scheduling conflicts at the beginning of the year? The earlier post about the merger in the city paper and this one site Sacco and Lane hoping for a smooth transition but no details are being made about a plan for a smooth transition.
I have a feeling that come September this is going to be a circus.
I am expecting Lane probably won't be there in September to see what happens.
PPS is going to keep Oliver, right. Perhaps that should be put into a plan and documented.
What will happen at Oliver the the future?
What students? What schedule? Can the nicer facilities be used by others?
Is the purpose for closing to save money? How much is saved? Where are those savings exactly?
Furthermore, what about putting all 9th graders into Oliver and the 10, 11, 12th into Perry?
Or, there is another wrinkle, if there are 9th graders with advanced classes, it might make sense to have that class be in Perry as 9th graders.
Since they really arent "closing a building" but keeping it for some programs, cost cutting cant be the reason. So is this another "new school" new deal for scores? Or new school, new applicants- as Brashear was? I think the taxpayers deserve the WHY of this.
When schools were "right-sized" teachers somewhat followed their students to the new environment. This didnt happen with Westinghouse, Brashear, or King. And remember -as has been stated before- you cant get a smooth transition when no one knows how the furloughs are going to shake out. No one can say with any certainty WHO will be this staff-- no matter what people say now.
If the top people at 341 Bellefield Avenue spent one half as much time and energy on how to advance achievement and an equitable and excellent EDUCATION for all students as they spend on manipulation of people, finances, public perceptions, PSSA/AYP and state standards, we, the citizens, might have a successful school system that was in demand and opening new schools as opposed to failing our children and closing our schools.
Let's hope that we can replace the top people at 341 before there is nothing left of schools and students who are fleeing to success elsewhere. When the buildings are gone, it will be a long haul to start anew.
What in the hell does the spring musical have do with anything. Incredible.
Anon 9:03 am asked what steps Ms. Sacco at Perry is taking. I encourage that poster, and anyone else who has questions, to attend one of the community/parent meetings where answers are being provided. To date, there has been a community meeting that included two school board members, a State rep. and at least two dozen concerned business/North Side organization folks. There has also been a parent meeting that all Oliver and Perry parents, as well as, again, community members, were invited to attend. At both of these meetings, those in attendance were encouraged to voice concerns and offer suggestions. There has been a meeting of the two Transition Teams (one team from Oliver and one team from Perry) comprised of faculty, staff and administration. At that meeting, a six month plan for the transition was shared by both teams, some of which follows.
A transition team of Oliver students, this week, visited Perry to meet with a transition team of Perry students. Next week, Oliver students will begin visiting Perry in small groups, touring the building and engaging in discussion and dialogue with Perry students. Every Oliver and Perry student will go through this process before the end of this school year.
There will be a Steeler/faculty game where Oliver/Perry faculty will play Steeler players in a basketball game at the Perry gym. This will happen, I believe in March.
In the front hallway of Perry, there is a bulletin board with the names of every Oliver student and every Perry student, each in a star. A paper chain of orange and blue has been started where Oliver folks who attend any transition activities sign their names on a blue sheet; Perry folks sign their names on an orange sheet. Those sheets are stapled into circles and have created a chain that has started in the main office and will work its way down the hallway. Plans are also underway for a painted mural to which each student will add his/her handprint after making a pledge of unity. Mentoring groups at Perry are also in the process of creating "Welcome" posters that will paper the hallways.
NO one in either building is simply sitting back and letting this happen. Everyone has taken the lead in encouraging a smooth and positive transition, and each school has been EXTREMELY proactive in making sure this is the case. This will NOT be another PPS debacle--too many good people have their hands in this one. Everyone is listening, learning from past mistakes and taking seriously any concerns that are put on the table. Perry made AYP last year, and from what I understand, faculty, staff and administration in both buildings want to make sure that successes in that respect are repeated. Anything less is unacceptable to EVERYONE involved.
Unless Oliver takes a firm postion with Dr. Lane and lets her know that the community will not accept this because of her experment with Westinghouse we can forget it. I would not let her do it to another school until she cleans up the horrible state of affairs at Westinghouse.
Dr. lane has been trying to shut down oliver for years. Last year she want to shut it down and put the students in Langley, but the West end didnt want them over there.
Anon 10:52: forget WHAT? This transition can in no way be compared to the Westinghouse fiasco. What "stand" would you like Oliver to take? I don't understand your statement. Please clarify.
What is the name of the new school?
What are the mascots?
What are the colors?
Who are the fall sports team coaches?
(Remember The Titans)
Who is the band director?
Why are those people not hired yet? That is my assumption? Are contracts signed?
Uncertainty stinks.
It is not okay to hire the football coaches in August.
Who is the X-Country Coach(es)?
By the way: What, when, and where are those Spring 2012 Musicals for Perry and/or Oliver?
Are they working on a joint prom in 2012?
400 teachers furloughed mean wide scale rearranging of staff--last year there was no certainty with displaced teachers--imagine this year
You're talking about the ancillaries of course, and while they are important, I would have to believe that the first thing that needs to be addressed is just how this building is going to be staffed and more pointedly, what happens to Oliver staff? This district has a history of poor organization. I would expect to see most of your questions answered in the 11th hour. Not that it's right but rather, just standard procedure.
What is the name of the new school?
This is NOT a new school. This is an Oliver closing/Perry assimilating situation.
What are the mascots?
The Commodore.
What are the colors?
Blue and White.
Who are the fall sports team coaches?
Gallagher will remain the football coach. He has recommended paw prints on the team helmets for the fall.
Who is the band director?
Rick Lane
Why are those people not hired yet? That is my assumption? Are contracts signed?
The Perry faculty will remain largely in tact as Perry is NOT closing.
Uncertainty stinks.
Yes it does.
It is not okay to hire the football coaches in August.
No, it isn't.
Who is the X-Country Coach(es)?
Hmm. Good question. I will get back to you on this one.
By the way: What, when, and where are those Spring 2012 Musicals for Perry and/or Oliver?
Perry's will be Little Shop of Horrors and will be at Perry. Oliver students will have the opportunity to audition.
Are they working on a joint prom in 2012?
No. It was agreed that a final prom for the Oliver seniors on their own terms was important.
See how much you learn when you ask questions? Anything else??
To Anon 5:25. In response to your comment/question "how this building is going to be staffed and more pointedly, what happens to Oliver staff?"....
Perry's faculty will, to a large extent, remain in tact for a number of reasons. First, and foremost, PERRY IS NOT CLOSING. PERRY IS NOT MERGING. To clarify, Oliver is CLOSING. Those teachers will be DISPLACED and relocated based on seniority and the availability of positions.
In addition to "who's closing/who isn't" as an explanation of which teachers will remain, however, is the fact that PERRY MADE AYP. This means that Perry students performed BETTER than Oliver students on the PSSAs last year. Many of these students come from the SAME neighborhoods. To what, then, do we attribute the differences in achievement? How about leadership, the quality of teachers, and the general educational atmosphere?
Perry teachers operate as a professional community. They attend DAILY professional development with administrators, coaches and colleagues; they meet WEEKLY and independently with small mentoring groups of students; they meet, in grade level teams, with individual students; and they participate in WEEKLY grade level meetings with colleagues. I do not know of one other building in the district that has ALL of these components in place. To add new students to this mix will greatly benefit those students. To even consider changing the current faculty/administration/staff at Perry would be disastrous.
Come on folks! Support what's WORKING. Perry is on the right track. As a community, as a district, we need to say that we are willing to get behind the series of initiatives currently in place at Perry. We need to support the integration of Oliver students into Perry and tell the faculty, staff and administration that we will do whatever we can to make sure they have the resources they need to make this a rousing success. Encourage the District to allow the transition plans being put forth to actually GO forth. The only thing currently in the way of Perry being the best high school in the city is the administration on Bellefield. Encourage them to keep their noses out of this one and let the community and actual schools work together to do what needs to be done for a seamless transition. Tell Lane to back off and leave the Perry admins alone. Tell Otuwa to stop badgering the teachers. Tell Mark Brentley to continue to advocate for Perry, and tell the other nay-saying board members to BACK OFF. This transition cannot be about personalities and power-trips. If Lane and her band of flying monkeys (not name calling, just a metaphor for the extent of power being wielded) will just sit back and let those on the front lines do the work that is necessary, this can be a blueprint for future changes.
Thanks, 10:16, for the right attitude, the right approach, the right thinking, We hope that you will be able to proceed unhindered by Bellefield Avenue where we can all locate the current source of instability, indecision, ineptness, in competence and an inability to do what needs to be done, what must be done if we are to give PPS students a chance at success in the future.
A committed, collaborating, caring, conscientious, competent group of educators in a school can prevail in bringing EDUCATION, a quality education, to any building.
The pretenders in PPS must go; they are destroying the futures of the majority in our schools.
PPS never responded to the twist on the Oliver situation- what about the fact that the number of Perry students plus the number of Oliver students exceeds the capacity of the Oliver building? Do they just ignore that or what?
It would appear that the number of Oliver students has been exaggerated. At this time, with some creative scheduling, Perry will indeed handle the anticipated number of incoming students.
PPS reported to the State Board of Ed as of October 1, 2011 370 students at Oliver and 677 at Perry.
Look at actual numbers. On any given day, security on the door reports that less than 200 Oliver students are in attendance. If, however, all students on the rolls at Oliver DO show up, Perry will be packed, but not beyond the ability to make it work. A great space for JROTC has been set aside, renovations have provided brightly lit and accessible classrooms, and scheduling has been done in an effort to eliminate chaos by distributing students during any given period to various parts of the building. There is no doubt that Perry will be bursting at the seams, but if the current transition work continues (transporting students for Culinary Arts and Cosmo; distributing larger classes to separate areas of the building; clear behavioral expectations; etc.), the number of anticipated students will not present an insurmountable problem.
Well that's good to know. If reality based scheduling works for Perry it can be applied elsewhere as well. One more twist- the President's proposal to require all students to remain in school until age 18, which would further increase student numbers- has PPS evaluated the chances of this proposal becoming law and prepared a Plan B? When will there be a vote on this proposal, and would it be wiser to wait to learn the outcome?
Now there's a question I cannot answer. If that does indeed become law, PPS will need to reevaluate a number of moves/transitions. That Presidential proposal, however, has a plethora of issues that have yet, to my knowledge, to be explored. What happens to kids who turn 18 during the fall FOLLOWING their graduation? What happens to kids who are currently able to graduate, with full credits, early and enter college during what would have been their senior year?
I don't think we can just stand by and wait for government changes to take place--God only knows how long we will be debating the merits of many of the proposals before they become law.
Look, I am in no way advocating for the Board on any of this. I am not saying that the changes taking place in the fall were grand ideas or that I even agree with the proposed movement taking place across PPS. What I am saying is that Perry will make it work with the hand they've been dealt. The faculty, staff and administration will work through any issues of overcrowding, negative attitudes, parental hesitation, etc.
I think it's great that the questions are being asked in advance. I think it's awesome that there is community involvement at this stage. Those things are necessary and have brought to light things that the Perry admins, faculty and staff are addressing NOW, before the actual transition begins. Keep it coming. Keep throwing out the hard questions as it might just be that what the community has to say will not yet have been addressed. The more involvement, the better. The more perspectives and voices that are put forth, the better the chances are that ALL issues will have been resolved by the time Oliver students enter Perry. It's so exciting to know that things being brought up here, on this board, have been taken to the dual Transition Teams for consideration and conversation. WE ARE BEING HEARD IN THIS TRANSITION!
I've said it before--nothing less than complete and total preparation is acceptable to anyone on the Perry/Oliver team.
The olvier building is not closing so there is not reason to kick the kids out. If anything they can be phased out like schenley was able to do. But to be done like peabody is sinful. Also the reality is that both schools can stay open by simply added Mcnaughter to Oliver and allowing oliver to continue to have a oliver class.
Now here is the truth. First in coded language. Oliver has a larger minoirty population than perry so perry is more divere, ie whites to blacks. Now here is making in plain. Oliver is view more as a black school and perry has more white students. Therefore it came down to which school was more white and thats the one they kept open. Plain and simple!
The north side needs a new Board Representative. Skip Mcray aint worth a quarter. He is allowing Langley and oliver to be shut down with out a word. He could care less who his constituence are. He thinks that most people think Mark Brentley has all the north side high schools, but he does not. Brentley has Capa in his District.
Skip has to go! Shannon Williams you should run and if you went build a colition to get rid of Dr. lane. Right now she has 3 votes to get rid of her. They are working on the 4th and you can make the 5th. Although I think she will be long gone before the next elections, so her Girls or Fellow Cronneys need to get to steppin or they will get caught in the total clean house.
Dr. Lane will never recover from what she did to peabody, Westinghouse, now lanley and oliver. Never. Once she no longer has credibility with the Black Community she is useless to the board and Fondations. But by that time she will have done so much destruction and dismanteling of the Black community, they will allow her to ride out here a hero in the fondations eyes.
ANON 10:36...Carrick does those things as well. They also attend various community meetings, attend their feeder PSCCs, and host workshops for community members and parents. Even with all of that, they did not make AYP, so let's no pretend that all those things are the end all be all of what gets the scores high, or they would be WAAYYY ahead.
I just don't think it's right to make it seem like your teachers are better than Oliver's by simply comparing activities. It's not nice to bash teachers from another school.
FYI, I was NOT bashing teachers. Would you like to tell me what, exactly, DID make the difference in Perry making AYP and Carrick NOT making AYP? If it's not the learning environment, the leadership and the teachers, what is it? And just for the record, Carrick teachers do NOT attend daily AYP, NOR does every grade level have grade level meetings. Please get your facts straight before you post!!
Again ANON you would be wrong. Carrick has daily school wide PDs which work towards meeting AYP on various levels. Not only do they have grade level meetings every single day for the 9th graders, there are grade level meetings school wide, which take place in many different ways and times. Just because their activities don't look exactly like those at one school, doesn't mean that what they are doing is wrong. And I guess I missed the part where you must teach at Carrick to "know the facts." Well, at least I got you to get off Oliver's back.
Wow, never thought that trying to make a point that teachers shouldn't bash each other would get that kind of response, which is indeed a bash. But hey, good for you. You're better than everyone else.
Looking at the A+ numbers, there is not a lot of difference in the PSSA numbers at Carrick and Perry.
Overall
Carrick: 57.8% prof/adv reading 42.8% prof/adv math
Perry: 52.4% prof/adv reading
33.8% prof/adv math
Carrick:
Black: 40.4% prof/adv reading
White: 66% prof/adv reading
Black: 23.2% prof/adv math
White: 51.6% prof/adv math
Perry:
Black: 45.4% prof/adv reading
White: 65.8% prof/adv reading
Black: 29.1% prof/adv math
White: 42.2% prof/adv math
It looks like Perry is doing a little better by its African American students and a little worse with its white students.
Perry's SAT numbers have been going down each year though -- losing 50 points since 2008 in the reading and 30 points in math.
Carrick has gained about 10 points in each over the same time period.
I'd say it's not very easy to tell if all the effort that's been put in is really paying off.
I find it laughable that you insist on carrying on about what Carrick does and does not do. Carrick does NOT have daily professional development. Period. End of story. Perry DOES do 42 minutes of professional development for their teachers EVERY DAY. In ADDITION, they have grade level meetings WEEKLY and staff grade level intervention rooms DAILY. Carrick simply does NOT do these things on the consistent basis that Perry does. Look, I never said Carrick wasn't doing a good job, but you can't just wave your hand and brush off the fact that Perry did make AYP. It wasn't a fluke--it was due to the myriad interventions in place.
Do not forget Langley / brashear merging .o it's gonna be crazy .i hope the security has their boots tied tight because it's gonna be nasty.
Calm down people! Unless you want to pay for your kids education!
Post a Comment