By Antonio D. French
Filed Tuesday, May 2 at 9:37 PM
After weeks of rumors, the St. Louis Board of Education has placed a resolution on the agenda of next week's regular meeting to close Cleveland JROTC Academy.
At an administrative meeting tonight, Superintendent Creg Williams told board members and the public that the conditions at Cleveland have become unbearable for students. He showed photos of exposed electrical outlets, peeling paint and deteriorating brickwork.
"Everyday we allow our children to be educated in this environment is detrimental to those students," said Williams.
The district's plan would call for moving the students to Madison School, located downtown on 7th Street.
Ald. Dorothy Kirner (25th Ward), in whose ward Cleveland resides, addressed the board briefly. She said the school was an anchor for her southside community and closing the school would be "really tough."
Board member Bill Purdy, who had expressed doubts about the move, said that Williams made a compelling case.
Williams said that the building would need $15 million to repair and another $7 million to remodel. The whole school could be rebuilt for $2 million less, according to the superintendent's figures.
He spoke to Purdy and Kirner's concerns by pledging that the building would not be abandoned.
"I'm not saying close it, board it up," said Williams. "I think that would be devastating to that community."
He said that the district would examine alternative uses of the building, including putting it up for sale.
4 Comments:
Madison School is currently OCCUPIED by a Magnet Elementary School, Madison-Waring IBE. This school houses the remains of the staff and students from WARING ABI, which was closed with no small controversy. Waring's program was "moved" to Madison School and merged with the Individually Guided Education Program there, creating the hybrid, Madison-Waring IBE, which will now be dissolved. This makes TWO high-performing magnet elementary schools which are now gone.
At what price is the district paving the way for change?
What happens when ALL the magnet schools become more convenient to let die away?
Wednesday, May 03, 2006 11:13:00 AM
Sending teenagers into an elementary school boarders on the uniquely insane. Cleveland cadets, teachers and staff are the unwitting victims right along with the students already AT Madison.
Thank heaven that Board Members Mr. Purdy, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Downs and Mrs. O'brien are less quick to embrace untested ideas that would change St. Louis' neighborhods whose singular personalities demand respect.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006 9:27:00 PM
I would like to know where Creg came up with the figures for Clevland. Is he soliciting bids that aren't publicly announced? Is he now an expert contractor? Oh right, he is an expert Superintendant with no experience, so I guess he is also an expert in construction costs. It is impossible to repair and remodel, which is ridiculous in itself, a school of that size for more than it would cost to build a structure of the like. What is to repair if you remodel the school? All the guts would need to be brought to code anyway. I point you to two years ago when the district built a school in Schoemehl's neck of the woods- contract for one amount and then the real construction costs. Don't believe the numbers that come from Creg's mouth. He and Slay will tell you the numbers you need to hear to get the contract. Next point- now they need to supposedly hire Kwamee to oversee projects currently being done in the schools by licensed contractors. They want to hire them for two million dollars just to oversee the ten or so jobs going on with the air conditioning of schools. What a joke, of course you need someone to oversee the work, but hire someone the board will control. 10 work sites at $10,000 a month is much more cost effective than $2 million a year. The average time a general contractor would need at each site is probably 5 hours a week. Everyone is getting caught up in this PC of hiring a minority contractor(that donated heavily to Buford, Clinkscale, and their PACS by the way), and they are not realizing all of the minorities this truly hurts in the St. Louis Public Schools. Every dollar given to a crooked, and rampant tax abating company is a dollar taken from our children and the real repairs which need to be done-like lead clean up.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006 9:49:00 PM
I would be embarrassed to death to be a superitendent of a school district for as long as Mr. Williams has and show pictures like the ones shown to the school board of Cleveland high school. Did he not tour any of the schools before he took the job? Shouldn't this have been on someones priority list? SHAME SHAME ON THE PARENTS OF CLEVELAND HIGH STUDENTS FOR LETTING THEIR CHILDREN ATTEND SCHOOL IN THIS CONDITION!!! Do they not attend classes with their kids once in a while or mabey a visit to school.Get a clue these people don't care about our kids they care about the almighty dollar WE as parents have to care for our kids at home and away!!!
Saturday, May 06, 2006 7:41:00 AM
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