ewalter@whyy.org
We want your commentaries on school closings
March 8, 2013
By Eric Walter
Should no school be closed, ever, under any circumstances?
Do you think the SRC chose the wrong schools or acted too quickly?
Do you support the school closings — even some of them?
Reactions to Philadelphia's School Reform Commission vote Thursday night, to close 23 city schools and merge or relocate five others, came fast and heavy.
Too bad this many people don't and haven't supported these schools over the years prior to the announced closing of these schools.
Contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
to
write a commentary for NewsWorks.
The SRC members were never up to the job and they were selected not to be up to their jobs. The fix is in, the Dems and Reps alike have plenty of money for anti-union, graft-laden charter schools and fake cyber "schools" but no money for public schools. The charter school charlatans won't be happy until 100% of Philadelphia public schools disappear, the teachers' union is broken and their pension fund can be raided.
Parents and staffers should sue the SRC members jointly and severally for violating their civil rights, and residents near schools should sue the SRC for lowered property values and dangers resulting from their houses being near unoccupied properties left to decay.
Katie Brinkley said on Facebook:
If the community is not heard — and peaceful protests are in vain — what options do we have to fight a system that most of us do not feel we even put in place to begin with. During the hearings, the SRC implored that we be respectful in our discourse while they politely disrespected our neighborhoods and dis-invested in the future of our youth. We were allowed to voice our opinions — but they did not even do parents, teachers, or community leaders the honor of responding to their pleas and concerns as they were individually presented.
[...]
We need to invest in our communities... and the communities are willing to work together to make good on these investments. We have screamed it at the top of our lungs.
Do you think the SRC chose the wrong schools? Should schools be closed at a later time? Or was there something rotten in the process that led to a bad decision?
Or do you support the school closings — even some of them? Do you think school reform commissioners are trying to improve the education system? Are you willing to defend any part the vote last night?
We want to hear from all of you.
Your comment