21st Century School and School Portfolio Recommendations Community Action Needed!!!

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Dear Leaders,


As you know Baltimore City Public Schools are set to go through a once in a lifetime period of school renovation and construction thanks to the efforts of the entire Baltimore community in obtaining $1 Billion in funding. Below and attached you will find my email to the school board and CEO detailing my displeasure in the initial phases of the plan as it does not positively impact any 2nd District Schools. My displeasure is shared by the entire 45th District Delegation who have also relayed that message to the board and CEO. Now we need them to hear from you that Northeast Baltimore will no longer be ignored! Northeast Baltimore is the area with the most children and deserve improved buildings for our students! After you read my letter we are asking all that are able to email the school board and CEO who's emails are listed below in support of our changes to the current plans. It is vital however, that you carbon copy me on your emails in order for me to monitor them. Moreover, I have created a draft template that is below and attached to this message. In Addition, we are asking that all whom are willing join us at the school board open forum on next Tuesday at 5 p.m. Anyone who is interested, has questions or wants more information please call my office on 410-396-4808 or email me at brandon.scott@baltimorecity.gov. In my opinion this is the most important email I have ever sent and I ask that you share it with everyone in our neighborhoods. 

Sincerely,

 

Brandon M. Scott


 

Draft Email

Dr. Thornton and School Board Members,

My name is ________ and I live at ___________. I am extremely displeased that the 2nd District is not included in the first phase of the 21st Century Schools plan and I support the recommendations of Councilman Brandon M. Scott, Senator McFadden, Delegate Cory McCray, Delegate Cheryl Glenn and Delegate Talmedge Branch. A billion dollars for Baltimore City Schools for renovation/construction is the most significant government action to take place in Baltimore in over forty years and is a once in a lifetime achievement that we must get right. Be clear, I am strong supporter of the overarching plan to improve the horrible conditions in which Baltimore's students learn. However, our elected officials have presented you with data and recommendations that would make the plan inclusive of all Baltimore’s Neighborhoods. I strongly support their recommendations and hope that you will do the same.

Name

Address


 

School CEO and Board Emails


ssauls@bcps.k12.md.us 

gethornton@bcps.k12.md.us 

 

 

My Letter to CEO and School Board

November 25, 2014,

 

Dr. Thornton and Members of the Board, 

 

Being a part of bringing a billion dollars to Baltimore in order to create 21st Century school buildings is the proudest moment of my time in public service and is without a doubt is the most important government action in my lifetime. In fact, the 21st Century Schools Plan and funding is a once in a lifetime achievement that we must get right. Be clear, I am a avid supporter of the overarching plan to improve our school conditions for Baltimore's students. However, I do have significant issues with the first phase of the plan as it has been proposed based on a few factors and data points. At the onset of the plan, we were informed that many factors would be used to determine the what, when and how for every school that was to be renovated or replaced. Those factors included the Facility Conditions Index, Educational Adequacy Score, utilization, enrollment, neighborhood demographics, and conditions of  nearby schools. Based on these factors, I am amazed that the neighborhoods I represent are being ignored in the first two years of the plan. In fact, my council district which is one of only four to gain population during the last census.  Moreover, the only impact on my area in the first phase is the immediate joining of Vanguard and Northeast Middle at Northeast Middle which goes directly against the purpose of the 21st Century Schools Plan. This simply doesn't make sense for many reasons and is even more glaringly evident now that we now know that the number of schools to be impacted by the initial funding has decreased significantly.

 

Northeast Baltimore is the backbone of our city. While many areas have wavered, fell and become strong again, Northeast Baltimore has been the model of consistency. Northeast Baltimore does not have the droves of vacant homes, vacant school buildings or other issues found in other areas of our city. However, there is no denying that Northeast Baltimore is full of young people attending school in poor conditions. The residents of Northeast Baltimore and I fully understand that new school buildings could be the start of transformation of communities in Baltimore that have seemingly been forgotten about for too long. However, we are asking that this once in a lifetime funding be all inclusive and that we not be forgotten as Northeast Baltimore has been in the past. Moreover, we are not asking for the lions share, but just a piece of the pie.

 

Our requests are that Vanguard Collegiate Middle School and Northeast Middle School not merge at Northeast Middle until it is renovated and that Hazelwood Elementary Middle School and Gardenville Elementary School be added to the first phase of the construction plan. There are individual factors that support each of these requests but, there are some data points that make the case for all three.

 

According to the latest population data the neighborhoods of Frankford and Belair Edison are the top two in youth population in every category. Frankford has 1708 young people between the ages of 5-11, 654 between ages of 12-14 and 748 young people aged 15-17. Belair Edison has 1734 young people between the ages of 5-11, 794 between 12-14, and 873 youth aged 15-17. In addition, Vital Signs data shows that these two neighborhoods rank in the top 5 of neighborhoods for student enrollment in city schools for every category. Frankford is ranked #2 for enrollment of 1st-5th grade while Belair Edison ranks #4. Frankford is ranked #2 in enrollment of 6th-8th grade while Belair Edison ranks #3 and Frankford is ranked #1 in 9th-12th enrollment while Belair Edison ranks 3rd. In addition, both of these neighborhoods bucked the citywide trend of population decline over the past ten years with Frankford growing from a population of 16,792 to 17,694 and Belair Edison growing from 16,523 to 16,690

 

According to the 21st Century plan Hazelwood Elementary/Middle has Facilities Condition Index that indicates that it will cost more to renovate than replace. Moreover, the building does not meet the standards for learning is projected to have a utilization rate of 91%. Gardenville Elementary’s building has an Educational Adequacy Score of 53.6 which is well below the preferred score of 80 that is the standard for buildings in which instruction occurs. Moreover, Gardenville is projected to have a utilization rate of 136% and would cost only about $6 million to renovate. Both of these locations are on par with locations selected for phase one  of the plan when considering just the 21st Century Schools data. However, when one looks at the other factors around population and demographics, it is clear that these locations represent a clear choice of providing a chance to impact the most young people possible.

 

Vanguard’s current location is a great learning environment, where as Northeast is a school that is in need of massive renovation that no student should be subjected too. If the purpose of the construction plan is to place students in a better building then renovating Northeast before any students learn there again goes without saying. The attached pictures provide an undeniable look into this truth. Co-locating the schools at the current location of Vanguard while, immediately renovating the Northeast building is clearly the best course of action for the young people of the schools and surrounding neighborhoods.

 

The residents of Northeast Baltimore will no longer stand for being forgotten and I ask that you please consider the facts that have been presented as you make this most important round of decisions.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Brandon M. Scott

Baltimore City Council

2nd District