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up until "right-sizing" I felt that many of the schools were an "un sung treasure" Sadly right-sizing resegregated, killed magnet programs, and jammed too many struggling students into crowded conditions, without staff support. Technology was killed in a city that was years ahead of the suburbs. City residents were sold a crock- all in the name of "no raised taxes" I havent seen "restorative discipline" in action yet-- but without a large increase in staff in most buildings -just keeping kids in classrooms isnt going to improve the schools. I hear what the parent groups are saying-- it is damn inconvenient to have a student excluded from school. But what is their answer to the often violence behavuior of students with mental health issues? Read the comments-- that is what people fear about city schools-- and what they praise about private and charter schools-- not academics but a "calm learning environment" that is why I pulled my child out-- not every student can handle a chaotic situation
10:48= what do you mean "all in the name of "no raised taxes" We've had tax increases that have seriously strained my ability to continue to live in the city. Cost per student is significant and we now have the new "embrace the neighborhood" model. We will now wrap around the whole child and family and community. These expenses take away from the 3 R's. If you watch the board meetings on tv you will see that money is spent in a hundred different directions just to see what sticks. Urban schooling is incredible complicated, politically correct and an open checkbook. Nothing is too expensive to try and PPS is still an epic fail. I will not sacrifice my children for this rat hole.
Well 1:15, Dr. Thompson had a difficult charge. He was given the task of balancing the budget. In his tenure with PPS, he did so without raising taxes. He proposed closing a few schools. That action did not go well for him. He had a school board who fought him on every move. Too much micro-managing. Each school board stuck up for his/her own district. Many times, he could not get his agenda through. He did close one building without public hearings. School solicitor Stefanko warned him. In the end, Thompson was terminated and so was the solicitor. Don't get me wrong. I did not personally like Dr. Thompson. It was very hard to respect a man with his flamboyance and arrogance. I must also note that on his termination, he was cited for doing nothing about the racial achievement gap. His closing comments were, he was only given the task of balancing the budget.
Sending your children to PPS is when there is no other option left, no more money left, no morals left, no car left, no job left, no hope left, no truth left, no caring left, no help left, and no brain left.
The PPS district, save CAPA and parts of ALLDERICE are the only two schools left, because let's face it, elementary schools are babysitting, building blocks. If you cannot send your child to CAPA or ALLDERDICE, then try Catholic schools(if you can afford it), or Charter schools, but remember, charter schools are nothing, but public schools who cannot throw students out. Charter schools are full of inexperienced teachers who wouldn't, couldn't, and shouldn't teach in the decrepit public school system of Pittsburgh. However, they, like Catholic schools, are safe. What a disgusting district PPS is: excuses after excuses; throwing good money after bad; incompetent superintendent. The only entity keeping the district afloat is the repulsive ilk that elicits money from the government to keep it open. Hey, what happened to University of Pitt's agreement and association with UPREP? What happened there? How is that incompetent, unethical principal still working. I heard he was getting a job at Wendy's in Virginia or something.
I never understood the whole school closing issue. At the time when we were losing student population like crazy why fight to use valuable resources to keep half empty buildings? We need the money for learning not real estate. Plus, it is not fair to tax payers when the district thinks the money is free.
It is necessary to look beyond the immediate savings, however. It doesn't take many students switching to a charter when their neighborhood school is closed before charter tuition eats up the savings. Or, a charter takes over the building (see Burgwin in Hazelwood) and the pays charter tuition for a whole building full of former PPS students.
School closings have worked in the past-- when hard work went into planning and people felt their students would be more advantaged for the change. There was planning, there were meetings with community groups and people saw the advatage of their new school. When Homewood School became Montessori- the Homewood students found a new home at Minadseo-- this became their home school. Parents from both communities met, and both sides saw that a larger school meant "more" fopr students-- more full time special subjecte teachers, counselors etc. Just as a comparison, when Burgwin closed , there was one quick evening to see the school. No mention of more staffing for more struggling students. In the suburbs, part of orientation is a bus ride, where the transportation how-tos are taught. Remember- little kids are going from being belted in by parents, to basically lose on what seems like public transportation. Are we surprised that parents felt like something was being done TO their kids and didnt jump in to help? A "something better" attitude would have helped alot to make right-sixing work-- Way back in the 70s , elementary teachers met with middle school teachers so that students werre welcomed. It would not have cost a fortune to make this work-- just a genuine desire that all students feel safe and ready. We do more to welcome 9th graders-- which is good-- but we did nothing to welcome a 2nd grader riding a bus to a new neighborhood where everything is very different. So when we see literally 100 kids leaving a school in a year, this is why.
Yes I would and I did I sent 3 of my children through pps and they are all successful it's all about the individual and if they want to succeed in life it's not about the school it's about the person they are you can learn in any environment and I am proud of my children and the school they graduated from
The majority of Pittsburgh Public Schools were once proud "environments" of learning. They could compete with any and all suburban districts. PPS had far more SAT scholarship award winners than all of the districts in Western PA put together.
Now they have more FOCUS (lowest 10% in PA) schools and more PRIORITY (lowest 5% in PA) than all of the districts in Western PA put together.
How did this happen when the kids in PPS are SMARTER than ever? Why are they NOT LEARNING in PPS?
Who will be held accountable? If schools are blaming students and parents for this state of affairs is what schools do, we don't need them, do we? Why do we pay taxes for schools "environments" that cannot educate?
These questions have been asked and answered--4:20-- repeatedly in this forum. The reasons for PPS's failure to educate our children are many and have been documented over the past decade.
If as you say the kids in PPS are SMARTER than ever--they will learn what they need to learn from where they need to learn it. Maybe we don't need the schools as they are--but we continue to pay taxes because we can't afford not to.
Unless the public is 'educated' about the reality of our schools our children will continue to be on the receiving end of that reality.
In the interim--between now and change-- teach a child when you are in their presence and become their 'environment'.
Yes sir/Ma'm! Doing it at every opportunity. Just can't reach enough soon enough or often enough. Lots of folks are doing the same, but its a drop in the bucket. There are nearly 25 thousand kids in PPS! Each and every one of them deserves to be educated! Not just a few here and there! Preaching to the choir can/t make it happen for so many who become more and more vulnerable with each passing moment!
No, my son endured Minadeo and it was a horrible environment. Before middle school we place him in a private school. He actually got accepted into CAPA for high school, but we moved out of state prior to his freshman year.
The district we are in is night & day compared to PPS.
17 comments:
Can someone please give me the address of the reporter that was on here?
Rebecca Nutall's current email at the City Paper is rnuttall@pghcitypaper.com.
Using the critical thinking skills assessed on the PSSA...probably not.
up until "right-sizing" I felt that many of the schools were an "un sung treasure" Sadly right-sizing resegregated, killed magnet programs, and jammed too many struggling students into crowded conditions, without staff support. Technology was killed in a city that was years ahead of the suburbs. City residents were sold a crock- all in the name of "no raised taxes"
I havent seen "restorative discipline" in action yet-- but without a large increase in staff in most buildings -just keeping kids in classrooms isnt going to improve the schools. I hear what the parent groups are saying-- it is damn inconvenient to have a student excluded from school. But what is their answer to the often violence behavuior of students with mental health issues? Read the comments-- that is what people fear about city schools-- and what they praise about private and charter schools-- not academics but a "calm learning environment"
that is why I pulled my child out-- not every student can handle a chaotic situation
10:48= what do you mean "all in the name of "no raised taxes" We've had tax increases that have seriously strained my ability to continue to live in the city. Cost per student is significant and we now have the new "embrace the neighborhood" model. We will now wrap around the whole child and family and community. These expenses take away from the 3 R's. If you watch the board meetings on tv you will see that money is spent in a hundred different directions just to see what sticks.
Urban schooling is incredible complicated, politically correct and an open checkbook.
Nothing is too expensive to try and PPS is still an epic fail. I will not sacrifice my children for this rat hole.
Well 1:15, Dr. Thompson had a difficult charge. He was given the task of balancing the budget. In his tenure with PPS, he did so without raising taxes. He proposed closing a few schools. That action did not go well for him. He had a school board who fought him on every move. Too much micro-managing. Each school board stuck up for his/her own district. Many times, he could not get his agenda through.
He did close one building without public hearings. School solicitor Stefanko warned him. In the end, Thompson was terminated and so was the solicitor.
Don't get me wrong. I did not personally like Dr. Thompson. It was very hard to respect a man with his flamboyance and arrogance. I must also note that on his termination, he was cited for doing nothing about the racial achievement gap. His closing comments were, he was only given the task of balancing the budget.
Sending your children to PPS is when there is no other option left, no more money left, no morals left, no car left, no job left, no hope left, no truth left, no caring left, no help left, and no brain left.
The PPS district, save CAPA and parts of ALLDERICE are the only two schools left, because let's face it, elementary schools are babysitting, building blocks. If you cannot send your child to CAPA or ALLDERDICE, then try Catholic schools(if you can afford it), or Charter schools, but remember, charter schools are nothing, but public schools who cannot throw students out. Charter schools are full of inexperienced teachers who wouldn't, couldn't, and shouldn't teach in the decrepit public school system of Pittsburgh. However, they, like Catholic schools, are safe. What a disgusting district PPS is: excuses after excuses; throwing good money after bad; incompetent superintendent. The only entity keeping the district afloat is the repulsive ilk that elicits money from the government to keep it open. Hey, what happened to University of Pitt's agreement and association with UPREP? What happened there? How is that incompetent, unethical principal still working. I heard he was getting a job at Wendy's in Virginia or something.
I never understood the whole school closing issue. At the time when we were losing student population like crazy why fight to use valuable resources to keep half empty buildings? We need the money for learning not real estate. Plus, it is not fair to tax payers when the district thinks the money is free.
It is necessary to look beyond the immediate savings, however. It doesn't take many students switching to a charter when their neighborhood school is closed before charter tuition eats up the savings. Or, a charter takes over the building (see Burgwin in Hazelwood) and the pays charter tuition for a whole building full of former PPS students.
School closings have worked in the past-- when hard work went into planning and people felt their students would be more advantaged for the change. There was planning, there were meetings with community groups and people saw the advatage of their new school. When Homewood School became Montessori- the Homewood students found a new home at Minadseo-- this became their home school. Parents from both communities met, and both sides saw that a larger school meant "more" fopr students-- more full time special subjecte teachers, counselors etc. Just as a comparison, when Burgwin closed , there was one quick evening to see the school. No mention of more staffing for more struggling students. In the suburbs, part of orientation is a bus ride, where the transportation how-tos are taught. Remember- little kids are going from being belted in by parents, to basically lose on what seems like public transportation. Are we surprised that parents felt like something was being done TO their kids and didnt jump in to help? A "something better" attitude would have helped alot to make right-sixing work-- Way back in the 70s , elementary teachers met with middle school teachers so that students werre welcomed. It would not have cost a fortune to make this work-- just a genuine desire that all students feel safe and ready.
We do more to welcome 9th graders-- which is good-- but we did nothing to welcome a 2nd grader riding a bus to a new neighborhood where everything is very different.
So when we see literally 100 kids leaving a school in a year, this is why.
Yes I would and I did I sent 3 of my children through pps and they are all successful it's all about the individual and if they want to succeed in life it's not about the school it's about the person they are you can learn in any environment and I am proud of my children and the school they graduated from
ANY environment? Lots of changes have been made in recent years.
The majority of Pittsburgh Public Schools were once proud "environments" of learning. They could compete with any and all suburban districts. PPS had far more SAT scholarship award winners than all of the districts in Western PA put together.
Now they have more FOCUS (lowest 10% in PA) schools and more PRIORITY (lowest 5% in PA) than all of the districts in Western PA put together.
How did this happen when the kids in PPS are SMARTER than ever? Why are they NOT LEARNING in PPS?
Who will be held accountable? If schools are blaming students and parents for this state of affairs is what schools do, we don't need them, do we? Why do we pay taxes for schools "environments" that cannot educate?
These questions have been asked and answered--4:20-- repeatedly in this forum. The reasons for PPS's failure to educate our children are many and have been documented over the past decade.
If as you say the kids in PPS are SMARTER than ever--they will learn what they need to learn from where they need to learn it. Maybe we don't need the schools as they are--but we continue to pay taxes because we can't afford not to.
Unless the public is 'educated' about the reality of our schools our children will continue to be on the receiving end of that reality.
In the interim--between now and change-- teach a child when you are in their presence and become their 'environment'.
Yes sir/Ma'm! Doing it at every opportunity. Just can't reach enough soon enough or often enough. Lots of folks are doing the same, but its a drop in the bucket. There are nearly 25 thousand kids in PPS! Each and every one of them deserves to be educated! Not just a few here and there! Preaching to the choir can/t make it happen for so many who become more and more vulnerable with each passing moment!
No, my son endured Minadeo and it was a horrible environment. Before middle school we place him in a private school. He actually got accepted into CAPA for high school, but we moved out of state prior to his freshman year.
The district we are in is night & day compared to PPS.
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