Was City Hall in attendance, and did anyone from local government speak? What is the effect of this proposal on neighborhood revitalization? Are we at the crisis saturation point where there are simply too few (and far too exhausted) activists favoring a civil (as opposed to troglodyte) society to overcome the obstructionist looters?
Hundreds attend NA-FC's meeting on proposed school closures, by Tara Hettinger (Tribune).
Parents came to the New Albany High School Auditorium on Monday night, with many opposed to a plan by the school system to close elementary schools because of budget constraints.
State Representative Ed Clere's viewpoint was written prior to the meeting and published today.
CLERE: Let's point forward instead of fingers
... The state has accepted responsibility for funding schools, and we must fulfill that commitment. We cannot, however, deny economic reality. We're in the deepest recession since the Great Depression. The last time we experienced such economic challenges there was a striking Richardsonian Romanesque elementary school at the corner of Vincennes and Shelby streets.
Finally, here is Shane Gibson's take. Gibson will be Clere's opponent in the House election this coming November.
Gibson on education: Takin' it to the state.
The Indiana Legislature in the final days of session is attempting to develop solutions to the education funding fiasco created by themselves and the recent cuts in education from Gov. Mitch Daniels.
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Council President John Gonder, Councilwoman Diane Benedetti, and Shane Gibson are the city officials I saw.
ReplyDeleteI did not see any speak.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEd Clere did speak. Everyone who spoke had to sign-in as they arrived - there were multiple sign-in sheets in various locations. Roger Whaley, board president, was given the gathered sheets, and he called speakers up in the order they were listed on each sheets. Ed just happened to be on the last sheet.
ReplyDeleteI am not speaking for Ed - but what I heard (and remember on little sleep!) None of this is a quote and Ed, if I mess up, I apologize. First, he expressed that he was advised not to attend, but did so anyway and was glad he did because he got to hear some really great points and data brought before the board. He also shared with us that this is all happening before the House is able to even vote on the 14th in regards to the 10%(?) use of the Capital Projects Funds for general education - - would could, in my opinion, greatly change the dynamic of this so-called $6.6 million.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor told me they were there to listen to the public's - - that this was the public's time to speak, and after listening to everything, he (the Mayor) plans to hold a press conference (today I think). I do not know if they were there for the entire hearing, as it ran from 7PM-11:30PM.
P.S. - Just for reference, I arrived at 6:15PM and when I was called to speak, it was nearly 9:30PM.
ReplyDeleteDid the Superintendent explain why he had already ruled out raising taxes? I have yet to hear anyone say they wouldnt pay the extra $250 per year per $100,000 of property value to solve this problem...
ReplyDeleteYep! Because he was new and didn't think he could be a very convincing politician or something similar - - anybody remember his quote?
ReplyDeleteI think the board knew exactly what they were doing and how they were going to do it. The entire meeting was set up and like others, the deal is set. Money has been poorly managed, over spent and now they are in a hole and expect the parents and children on Floyd County to take it on the chin, for them.
ReplyDeleteWe have an award winning school and school who was visited and honored by the White House slated to close.
Please tell me how much sense that makes. Yes, times are fiscally ultra tough, but tough choices brought to you by poor management is an even worse choice.
It's time to clean house and get rid of those who cause a majority of these problems and get a school board who is willing to work for your children, not themselves.
Is it too much for Clere to step up and be honest about what has caused the budget cuts? How are we supposed to have a reality-based conversation about solutions if certain causes he doesn't want to talk about are off the table?
ReplyDeleteThus far, his major statements have attempted to deflect attention away from the property tax caps he supports as a major factor leading to our current situation.
How the school corporation has handled money in the past might cause someone to support the cuts or support additional taxes to combat them, but it's not the reason they're are happening.
Ed played a role in advancing these cuts plain and simple. If he wants to defend them, he should. But trying to distance himself from them by continuing to suggest that the policies for which he advocates have nothing to do with them is baseless.
School board president Roger Whaley told Fox 41 News before the public hearing that it was possible at least one fellow board member would ask to vote separately on parts of the plan, particularly the closing of Galena Elementary School.
ReplyDeleteHas a decision already been made? “Particularly the closing of Galena Elementary School”? After the hearing was adjourned, board member Rebecca Gardenour asked if the board would vote for the entire recommendation or if items could be voted on separately, and Whaley responded that the board would have to have at least 4 members vote to separately vote on items. Staged much?
I shouldn't be surprised, because this is Floyd County, after all. The meeting hadn't even occurred, yet one board member was already planning to make a motion to vote separately on the closing of Galena. What voting separately on sending 5th graders to middle school? All of us completely understand the pain Galena parents are experiencing, and the frustration that it came so unexpectedly, with a very short time frame to respond. However, it is downright vile that after over one year of gathering hundreds of signatures on petitions, attendance at three public hearings, a multitude of yard signs, and letters and calls of protest by citizens of New Albany to keep Silver Street open, Silver Street will probably not be afforded this consideration.
Nccondra, your points are germane, and I'll vouch for your NAC bona fides (NAC?). You've provided information I did not know previously.
ReplyDeleteBut, just as with the current sewer imbroglio, it's all of a set, and each separate vote has a corresponding consequence. I can't imagine that pandering to a particular school zone would be considered viable or honest.
I'm hard to convince, and no one has yet convinced me that Silver Street's sitch is anything other than a manufactured plan to intentionally gut a neighborhood and county treasure.
"I won't maintain this school. I won't fund this school. I must close this school because correcting my neglect would cost too much."
Even the pretended "reason" is specious. "Too much?" Even with the intentional neglect, the cost is not too much under any analysis.
Jeff - I think you are a VERY good writer. But I sincerely ask you how does any of this finger-pointing help us today? How does any of that convince the school board members not to pass the vote? You are so talented with prose - can you please channel your passion into convincing the school board to not ruin our entire city-county?
ReplyDeleteBookseller - you said: "I won't maintain this school. I won't fund this school. I must close this school because correcting my neglect would cost too much." and you are right and that was so well put. Can we count on you to speak to the school board members on Thursday night before they cast their votes? You wouldn't even have to stay for the whole meeting.
Is anyone aware of a press conference from the Mayor's office? I haven't found anything.
Kathy, what makes you think the school board is going to allow public comments? They've already done that. Don't be shocked if they dispense with that courtesy. After all, it is called "president's prerogative," and I'd guess the president will say "We've heard from the public. We gave them four and a half hours to speak."
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteWe have both a referendum coming up to make the property tax caps a part of the state Constitution and a vote to elect state representation. Those choices will have a much broader and more lasting affect than the impending school decision. The potential school closings are just one consequence of many related to state policy.
Now that we are seeing the consequences of property tax caps via the school budget cuts, cap advocates are trying to deflect attention away from them to the point of misrepresenting the impact the caps have had. At least one of our state representatives is doing so as part of an effort to get reelected.
If expecting a representative, particularly one seeking reelection, to take responsibility for their decisions and to portray their outcomes accurately is finger pointing, then I'd suggest we need a whole lot more of it.
You've spent a lot of time making people aware of what you feel are bad past decisions and actions by the school board in order to get people to encourage them to make better ones and/or to pursue new representation. How is that different than what I'm doing or not finger pointing by your definition?
I do see your comparison fully and I am not saying you shouldn't address the politics behind everything. However, we have a vote happening tomorrow and the school board members are looking for ideas and solutions to deal with the current budget issue at hand and they need GOOD ideas TODAY. While I am saying, "you did this and shouldn't have" - I'm also trying to offer "let's try this instead" - - openly and in personal communications.
ReplyDeleteJeff - I'm not attacking you - quite the contrary - I'm telling you that you are one of the gifted & talented minds around ... I'm not telling you not to be upset over the politics of it all, it's a messed up issue and yes, people need to be more aware of EVERYTHING when they go to the polls. But what I'm asking is that we put that aside for the next two days ... I'm asking you to help us come up with some really good ideas to offer the school board members to make them see that there ARE viable alternatives to the superintendent's plan which will pretty much destroy New Albany. Once they see that we can find alternative solutions, then you go back to encouraging people to be aware.
Does that make sense? Or am I just not getting it?
Also...
ReplyDeleteIf the plan goes through - the politics of tomorrow won't matter because New Albany will become the place that everybody flees.
As I've said before, I think we need to be looking for a way to block the sale and/or demolition of the buildings. By keeping them in tact and under school corporation ownership, we get time to a) find a better operational strategy so that the damage is reversible and b) replace representatives with people who value public input and public, neighborhood schools.
ReplyDeleteThe school board has already been given a tremendous amount of information concerning the importance of neighborhood schools and have taken little to no action to enhance or protect them. Even in choosing a new superintendent, they chose someone with school closure experience over Cathlin Gray, a person who's won awards for her work with neighborhoods and coalition building.
The criteria the new administration put forward to justify its decisions about which schools to close inherently favor newer, sub and exurban schools over older, usually inner-city ones and give us insight into the team's biases. New people, but old thinking.
If the switch in funding remains, we'll more than likely be facing additional cuts soon. The reserves and rainy day funds will run out about the same time those would be happening. The way Hibbard and crew redrew districts, along with their closing criteria, puts SEJ squarely in the target zone for any further actions. Then we won't have any walkable neighborhood schools at all.
The next two days are a small part of a much larger war involving much more than schools. So gear up for this particular battle but realize this is just a beginning.
We lost a lot of ground by accepting the caps without much of a fight. We continue to lose by not demanding better land use and transportation policies among others. Those two types of policies could have solved this problem years ago and could help solve them in the future. Our schools don't exist in a vacuum. We just treat them like they do, waiting to react instead of using them in conjunction with other related activities to build stronger, more sustainable communities.
I can't control whether people give up or not. I can just suggest what I think the best way forward is. If this region ultimately chooses ideology over practical application, the loss of a few schools will be a single node on a long, downward spiral. Talent will just continue to run away.
Jeff -
ReplyDeleteI agree.
They have, I agree, yes they did and they sure didn't but should have.
I agree.
They do.
This is just the beginning, yes SEJ could very well be next and they're projecting even more beyond.
Yes the next two days is just a small portion ... but with potentially HUGE impacts (think nuclear bomb).
I agree.
I understand.
I just want everyone to see that if we all put our minds to it, we CAN make a difference - so that's why I'm just asking you (and everyone) to fuel your passion into great ideas. I'm still being asked for more ideas.
EVERYBODY:
I just set-up a gmail account for all community members to deposit their NA-FC school budget solution ideas. While "I don't want my school closed because..." is valid, it is not a solution. Our School Board members need to what all the great minds of New Albany and Floyd County can offer to turn this boat around! Please send your ideas, no matter how small or how large or how obscure to:
NAFCrecommendations@gmail.com.
In two weeks, pretty much whatever happens, the "people" will not being paying attention.
ReplyDeleteJeff is striking while the iron is still hot. People are paying attention. Just like the sewers. Just like a proposed smoking ordinance. Just like, etc. He's hoping to pick up converts who will still be paying attention.
OK - I just wanted some of his creative juices for budget plans.
ReplyDelete