Antonia Banks pleaded to the Special Advisory Board last month not to close Gallaudet and Nottingham, schools for children with special needs.
“When my son was at a regular school, the kids took his belongings and he got in trouble a lot for his behavior,” Banks said of her 17-year-old son, John Paul, who now attends Nottingham. “I don’t want him to go through that again.”
District leaders must have listened to Banks’ plea.
Superintendent Kelvin Adams spoke Thursday at a board meeting recommending closing 17 schools rather than the 29 proposed by MGT of America Inc. Nottingham and Gallaudet were two of the schools Adams recommended to be knocked off the closure list.
“We were very worried Nottingham was going to have to move because most of the children need a separate school,” Banks said.
“The environment works totally for them because we don’t have to worry about them being teased and their self-esteem is up. We didn’t want St. Louis Public Schools to take that away from our children.”
According to Adams’ closure plan, most of the 17 schools would close by June, and three by 2011. Only one school – Stowe Middle School – was new to the list. In addition, he calls for building two new elementary schools – one on the north and one on the south.
His plan would save the district $8 to $14 million per year.
“It was never my intent going into this looking at saving dollars,” Adams said of his report and the district’s projected deficit of $36 million this year. “While that is an issue, the larger issue is student achievement.”
Adams said he relied heavily on the report presented to the district from MGT, but he also took into consideration school test scores and feedback from the community.
More schools could be recommended for closure if their enrollment continues to decline.
More than 100 attended the meeting at Gateway Middle. Many applauded when they heard which schools would be spared.
Cleveland, Gateway and McKinley all stay open, as does Gallaudet, Nottingham, Shaw and Shenandoah elementary schools.
Like Banks, Nottingham Principal Brian O’Connor said he was “relieved” when hearing his students did not have to be moved to another school.
“We really require a handicap accessible building and not many buildings are completely accessible like Nottingham,” O’Connor said.
Others were pleased that the final list included some new proposals to reuse shuttered buildings as community schools.
Others remained angry, including a handful escorted out by security guards after they shook rattles and yelled comments while Adams read the list.
One of those noisemakers was Don Fitz, co-coordinator of Green Party of St. Louis.
“There are a lot of people that feel none of the schools should be closed and that it is an overall attack on the whole city and to push people out,” Fitz said of the protest. “Public schools are a critical part to bringing a community together.”
The decision was a difficult one, but it had to be done, Adams said.
His plan also includes expanding 13 community education centers into full service schools and implementing an extensive marketing plan for the whole district and for each school to attract more students.
This is Adams’ first major task since the Special Advisory Board appointed him as superintendent in October. Many seemed to be pleased with his performance thus far.
“He knows our kids and our program and knows the importance of it,” O’Connor said. “Out of all the superintendents we had, I truly trust in his leadership.”
Like O’Connor, SLPS CEO Rick Sullivan was satisfied with Adams and said the SAB would turn to him again to find additional funding and saving measures to close the budget gap.
The SAB will make its final decision on closures March 12.
Deed restrictions
State Senators Jane Cunningham, Jim Lembke and Jeff Smith and state Reps. T.D. El-Amin and Tishaura Jones sponsored a bill (SB439) on Tuesday that would stop SLPS from barring the sales of closed buildings to other school groups.
Sullivan told the Post-Dispatch that the district would wait until legislators make their decision before doing anything.
Recommended closures
for June 2009
Ashland Branch
Baden
Clark eMINTS
Big Picture @ Des Peres
Mark Twain
Meda P. Washington
Scruggs
Shepard
Simmons-Marshall
Blewett
Stowe Middle
Big Picture @ Turner Middle
Roosevelt 9th Grade Center
Big Picture @ Kottmeyer
Recommended closures
for June 2011
Cote Brilliante
Mann eMINTS
Sherman
Recommended to remain open
Gallaudet
Patrick Henry
Mallinckrodt
Ames VPA
Shaw VPA
Shenandoah
Bunche
L’Ouverture
Langston
McKinley
Stevens
Gateway
Nottingham CAJT
Cleveland @ Pruitt
Northwest
