I’m confused…(and sarcastic)…about the University Heights property for a consolidated school

I don’t KNOW that there is anything inherently wrong with the site. I am not familiar with its EXACT location or the size. I am INCENSED that the BOE thinks they ought to steal it from Prestera. I think that it is probably too close to Prestera, to Rte. 60, and to what my MeMe calls “titty bars”. I want to know where the money came from that the BOE was going to spend on this property if they had won the bid process (or, alternatively, might be paying to Prestera with the eminent domain seizure of the property since BOE lost the bid), since last January the BOE said they did NOT have any money to purchase property and that was why the ONLY property that would work would be by the Vo-Tec. Smith said in one of the articles, the BOE could have bid higher than the $1.9 million. I thought there was no money to purchase property??

See article in HD about the eminent domain thing. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x181484999/BOE-votes-to-take-land-from-Prestera/index.html?show=all Look on the sidebar for related articles for the history on the property and the bids and BOE interest.

I have heard/read Mike O’Dell (operations director for the BOE) say that the Memorial Fieldhouse property wouldn’t be funded by the SBA. I thought they were trying to say that there was something about the site that did not fit the regulations or Policy 6200. I emailed the BOE today to ask about this. Apparently it is all down to the cost. Again. See more at a different article in the HD.

But, the claim (by Superintendent Bill Smith by email to me) is that there is too much traffic by the Field House (granted, but could we not ameliorate that in some way–say, a big fence and a pedestrian walkway over the road?), that the demolition is expected to be over $2.5 million (how much will the demolition of University Heights cost?, after we pay “fair market value” and take it by eminent domain from Prestera), that the drainage is bad and cannot be handled by the city, so there needs to be big holding tanks & buffer system underground for that (the second HD article says $375,000 for that). And, I’m afraid that we’ve forgotten what was said at the “Community Meeting” last January by Charles Holley who works for the city of Huntington — their experience is that they spend (if gutting an old, strong, historic building and rebuilding all the guts to be up to code) one-third less than building from scratch. I refer you also to a “comment” from the HD that is unattributed but sounds like they might know something from last January’s blog post.  And it is likely we could get the main part of the Memorial Field House for free from the Park District.  We would need to purchase some surrounding property.  So, take THAT by eminent domain.  Sheesh.  Did we only notice how wonderful the University Height property was when someone else wanted it?  Could we get someone to come up with a great plan for the Memorial Field House so that the BOE would want IT?  I know the Enslow and Highlawn parents would be happier.  I don’t know about all the people who are still ticked off about the last bond for the high schools, which resulted in the BOE offices occupying the old Huntington East High, instead of a consolidated Enslow/Beverly Hills middle school (does this sound familiar?)?

See?  I’m still confused about having the University Heights property is really saving any money.

Crystal’s comment, elevated

Comment from Crystal:
I’d be the last one to tell you to give up trying to make things better. I admire your “sticktoitness” but you realize that everyday that your kids are forced to stay within the confines of the cookie cutter education we have, they are becoming the cookie. You and I both know that we don’t have time to waste (for our kids) on fixing the system. Their formative years are fleeting. You’re completely right though. They look at a child who’s “got it” and they say “oh,, he’ll be fine, now I can focus on this kid” and who can blame them? What else can they do? We know this isn’t the teacher’s fault, it’s the system. There’s no freedom in it. Education without freedom is just total fail.
::steps off soap box::

response from Grace:
But I can’t do it! I know that I have the knowledge to teach them what they need, but I don’t know that I have the temperament to put up with them 24-hours a day, and have them do what I want without making me nuts and making them hate me! They both LIKE going to school. One of them likes TAG still. The teachers are trying–Christopher’s teacher got him put into 3rd grade math; Evan’s teacher does lots of great things and really does try to do some differentiation. I worry that if I take them out of TAG then I’m falling into some evil conspiracy of the school administration to get me to not use the “wonderful resources” they’ve provided and cut the program more.

I probably need to be a big girl and take them out of school part time. See if we kill each other. lol

My new mantra, even though it might not be helpful…

“Why should my child be the one that learns the least this year?”

This is based on the introduction to Susan Winebrenner’s orange book, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom.

I want to say it all the time.  But I’m not sure what that will get me.  I’m already a “troublemaker” after all.  But, maybe it will help SOMEONE who previously didn’t get why I am upset about what my kids are getting in school “get it.”  Because little Johnny who is on grade level will gain a whole grade level this year in school, and little Tommy who is below grade level might even gain more than a grade level, but my kids, who are above grade level, will probably NOT gain a whole grade level in school this year.  Is that fair?  

I know that lots of people think it is elitist for me to want more for my kids, but, why should they learn less in school than everyone else just because they started out ahead?  They learn quickly.  If given ideal circumstances, they could learn MORE than one grade level’s expected learning in one year.  And yet, alas, they probably will not.  They will “eventually even out” with the other kids.  I think that is a disservice to my children and am trying my hardest to keep it from happening.

A friend of mine works at a print shop and has got a copy of a book having to do with something called the Schoolwide Enrichment Model Reading Framework by Joseph Renzulli and is going to send it to me.  I haven’t read very much Renzulli (and I cannot go back and check since I lost most of my email messages during the tragic fried hard drive incident in November), but I’m fairly sure he is the researcher that our school district is supposedly following in their plans for the new curriculum and 21st Century Schools.  Anyhow, some related stuff is available online from the publisher, http://www.creativelearningpress.com

After I read it, I will report back.  They have some printable activities on the website that teachers, etc can use to encourage creativity in kids.

Listening to NPR this morning and the sponsor of one of the programs was George Lucas’ education foundation Edutopia, so I went and looked them up, too.  That led me to Big Picture Education.  Cool.  I haven’t read enough about the “how to get one” part…but, I am doubtful, nonetheless, as I seem to hit wall after wall trying to get something different here.

Oh, I’m also trying to read Bob Wise (former governor of WV)’s book Raising the Grade about high school reform.  I read all the parts where he used analogies about the current education our kids are getting being like driving a 1963 (?) Corvette on today’s roads…Not so safe, not so efficient, even if it was cool and great then.  But, as he points out, we are using a 100-year old (or older) model for curriculum and calendar and think we can keep using it, even though the world is so different and the jobs are so different now, and we don’t even KNOW what it will be like 20-30-50 years down the road when these kids are in the workforce.

Cabell County homeschool EAGLE

If you live in Cabell County and are homeschooling, please run, don’t walk, to the EAGLE website to read up about their classes.  The deadline to sign up is next week!!

Creativity in Education??

A friend sent me this and I LOVED it.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Not sure what to do about it…

Be a role model…

Try to NOT kill creativity…

 

 

Private school and start small?

I would LOVE comments on this, as well as people telling me if they would want to send THEIR children to this type of school.

 

Today our sermon at church was about sacrifices that we have to make to do the right thing.  I was thinking AGAIN that this school is really something I would like to get off the ground, even though I keep hitting brick walls and do not know how to get past those problems.

 

So, it occurs to me that since I cannot seem to get the public school people involved, it might have to be private.  And since I can’t know yet about getting the building I would really like, it might have to start someplace else.  I think perhaps I will try to get together a “board” and do the nonprofit thing.  And start writing to foundations to get money.  I started wondering how we could start small.  I will approach the pastor (although it would probably have to also involve the Trustees, as Methodist pastors don’t stay around for years and years, especially with the new bishop) again about whether we could perhaps do a school at the church.  He said before that it would be okay for us to do a homeschool coop in the building, as long as we checked that we were following any laws.

 

We would need a Principal Teacher, I think.   Someone who has experience as a professional educator, who could be the last word for discipline and tuition collection.  So, if we could just get enough money to pay ONE full time person a decent salary.  Someone who wants to help implement a project-based curriculum.

Doing the homeschool coalition WITH a principal teacher and meeting at the church might be enough to get started.  With some grant money we could keep the tuition low.

 

It would be handy to have more computers and other science equipment, like microscopes.  If the church would let us use space, they might also let us use a few computers–there is a small computer lab with 5-6 PCs.  But more would be good.  If we couldn’t get the money for more, maybe we could require students come with a laptop.  I just got an older Mac laptop with wireless internet for under $200 and I am guessing people can find older microsoft-running laptops for less.  They would just need to do internet and wordprocessing.

 

Private schools in Huntington seem to be $2-$4k per year for tuition.  I would still prefer a tuition-free school, but am thinking perhaps we could have a sliding scale with “sweat equity” from parents to decrease tuition from those who have more time than money.

 

We would need an application process, with at least a small fee to apply for admission (could be waived as necessary).  We would need to make it clear we could not, at this time, serve physically challenged nor much in the way of mentally challenged students.  We will NOT keep students who are discipline problems.  Parents who do not pay tuition and/or sweat equity will have their children removed from the school.

 

I’m starting to bang my head about how to provide all of the coursework needed, but I’ll get to that.  Maybe if we start small and get some grants and do well, we could attract more grants and more teachers, more students, a bigger facility.  Maybe we could figure out how to get ahold of a real school building.  I will ask Suzanne Oxley again about what she thinks about the Miller school building and if it has already been “promised” to another organization.

 

Please comment or contact me off-blog!  I would love to hear what you think!!

ACTC College Camp, including my Grossology class

http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/19991704.html

Children Get a Dose of College Experience Save Email Print

Posted: 8:32 PM Jun 16, 2008 Last Updated: 8:32 PM Jun 16, 2008 Reporter: Carrie Cline Email Address: carrie.cline@wsaz.com 0 comments Children Get a Dose of College Experience

A | A | A ASHLAND, Ky (WSAZ) — From boogers and snot to do-re-mi: throw in a deep sea adventure and a strut down Broadway and you have a bizarre few weeks of summer fun. That’s college camp for you; ten days of adventure and discovery in a collegiate setting. It’s all a part of college camp at Ashland Community and Technical College. For the next two weeks, children ages six to 13 will get an exciting dose of learning. This is only the start of a learning experience with plenty of gross factor along the way. The kids study grossology, a study of all things gross going on in a body. They are also taking acting lessons. More than 200 children signed up for nineteen classes. College camp has been going for more than 20 years.

Money to improve Beverly Hills Middle before the planned consolidation…

Okay.  The SBA is giving out money for rehab projects for schools, even if they are “too small” to fit the “economies of scale” for the new buildings that they usually require.  Mrs. Manchin told me that.  And, look, it is true!  Well, maybe not, BH is about the right size to get the money anyhow, it is just that ENSLOW is too small…

 

Sorry.  Hard to stay on track.  The SBA is giving the BOE $448,000 to update BHMS.  But that money can’t be used if the school is going to be closed.  The BOE wants to close BHMS to consolidate it with Enslow.  (Did they not ASK for money to fix Enslow?)  If they TAKE the money from the SBA, BHMS must remain open–but, oho! we could turn it into a consolidated ELEMENTARY school and that would let us get the money NOW and then be trapped into that decision for later.  Because, of course, we couldn’t possibly turn down all that money!  That we asked for.  Probably with the plan of exactly what is appearing to be a plan…to consolidate EVERY small school in the county with another small school so that we can “save money” on education.

 

Makes. Me. Sick.

 

And if the SBA is willing to fund it, there won’t ever be any vote.

Oh, good, a plan to consolidate more elementaries without “planning”

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/life/schools/x642013873

Cabell County board OKs middle school architect

May 20, 2008 @ 11:58 PM

By BILL ROSENBERGER

The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON — The Cabell County Board of Education approved a contract with ZMM Architects Tuesday night at its board meeting.

The firm will be the architect on record for the proposed Enslow-Beverly Hills middle school project and also serve as the architect for a handful of other county projects.

Assistant Superintendent Mike O’Dell said ZMM will be part of a design review committee comprised of parents and community members from both Enslow and Beverly Hills middle schools.

But the biggest news surrounding the proposed consolidation is a $499,410 grant from the School Building Authority that was announced late last week. The money, combined with $150,000 of local funds, will pay for first-floor bathrooms, a sprinkler system and an elevator at Beverly Hills, all things that are lacking at the school.

The awarding of the grant also calls into question the county’s intentions for the school and possibly the proposed consolidation. The money, said SBA Executive Director Mark Manchin, can only be used to renovate Beverly Hills if it remains a school that serves students.

“(Cabell County Schools) cannot use this money on a building that won’t be there,” Manchin said, adding that he was told the current Beverly Hills facility could become the new consolidated middle school.

O’Dell confirmed that is a possibility, but he also said it is one of a number of sites the review committee and ZMM will look at.

He also said no matter what happens with the two middle schools, the Beverly Hills facility will remain in use as a school, likely as a new elementary school.

“Structurally, it is a sound building,” O’Dell said. “It’s our intention to keep that building and use it for a long time.”

Earlier this year, Superintendent William Smith and O’Dell said on record at board meetings that the next project would be Peyton Elementary. It is possible that if a new location is selected and the middle schools are consolidated, Peyton and another elementary school could be calling the current Beverly Hills Middle School home.

Although there are still a lot of decisions to be made by the board, O’Dell said he feels confident he can get an application for funds for a new middle school submitted to the SBA by the end of the year or early spring. And, based on Cabell County Schools’ use of time and money on the current projects, Manchin said he sees no reason the SBA wouldn’t approve it.

“The people of Cabell County have sent a clear message that they value education and new facilities,” Manchin said. “It’s hard to speculate what we would do, but their track record and willingness to contribute … Cabell has done an outstanding job.”

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Copyright © 2008 The Herald-Dispatch Some Rights Reserved.

ACTC College Camp, June 16-27

Did you know—??  Ashland Community & Technical College offers a kids’ summer College Camp every year.  I’m teaching a class (“Grossology”) this summer.  The info is on their website:

http://www.ashland.kctcs.edu/lifelonglearning/college_camp/default.aspx