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Board
president objects to
diversity part of closure plan
Brandywine
school board president Joseph Brumskill declared that he will
not vote to approve a schools-closure plan that would result in
a sharp increase in the proportion of children receiving
government-subsidized lunches in some of the remaining schools
while reducing it in others.
One of two
proposals presented to the board by the district's space
consolidation committee in what was described as a preliminary
report defined attendance areas for Claymont, Harlan and Mount
Pleasant Elementary that would increase the number of students
from low-income families to more than half their total
enrollments from between 38% and 40% now. That plan would close
Hanby Middle and Darley Road Elementary.
Under the other
option, which would close Carrcroft Elementary as well, Claymont
would also top 50% while Harlan would have 49% and Mount
Pleasant 46%.
In those scenarios,
Maple Lane Elementary would go from 51% to 40% and to 29%,
respectively.
Children from
low-income families, on average, turn in lower academic
performances than those from more affluent households.
Brumskill drew
applause when he said the committee, or district administration,
should further refine the proposals to at least get the new
ratios down to the 40% to 45% range.
That was the only
applause a board or committee member or administrator received
from the nearly 300 people who turned out for a board meeting
called to receive the committee recommendations. The audience
applauded frequently as the 41 attenders who spoke voiced
various objections to parts of the plan. No one from the public
endorsed it in its entirety.
Brumskill, whose
negative comment was the only surprise at the presentation,
later declined to talk about his views on other parts of the
recommendations.
The
last paragraph in the 10-page
printed report delivered to the board and distributed to the
public at the Jan. 7 meeting said the committee "believes
recommending feeder patterns is beyond the scope of the
committee," adding that superintendent Jim Scanlon "will work
with the community to finalize [sic] feeder patterns over the
next several months."
During the process
which produced its recommendations, the committee had listed
maintaining 'economic diversity' as a priority. Its report
refers to "socioeconomic balance in all the schools." There are
no references to race nor ethnicity in that context.
While the
prospective attendance zones in the report will result in "more
students going to schools closer to their homes than now,"
according to chief financial officer David Blowman, they call
for children living in the portion of the district which lies
between Market Street and Northeast Boulevard in Wilmington to
continue to be bused to elementary and middle schools in
Brandywine Hundred suburbs. All three high schools are in the
suburbs.
School jargon uses
the term 'feeder pattern' interchangeably in references to both
attendance zones and the progression of students from elementary
school through middle school to high school.
In addition to
Brumskill's specific objection, board members Mark Huxsoll and
Aletha Ramseur questioned the effect of the potential attendance
zones on student performance as measured by annual state
testing.
One set of
prospective attendance zones was the basis of objections to the
proposals raised by several speakers from the Weldin Road and
Alapocas areas because they call for children living there to
attend Harlan Elementary, Talley Middle and Mount Pleasant High
rather than follow the long-standing progression from Lombardy
Elementary through Springer Middle to Brandywine High. With the
district's present grade configuration, they also go to Harlan
or P.S. du Pont Intermediate School. Intermediate schools would
be eliminated in favor of expanded elementary and middle schools
in either school-closure scenario.
Saying that he
bought a house in Alapocas with the traditional alignment in
mind, Fred Michaels said changing it will "create a district
people will not want to move to [but] away from."
Vying with
attendance zones as the primary objection to the proposed plan
at the meeting was the fate of Darley Road Elementary. Faculty
and staff members questioned the wisdom of closing a school that
has built a reputation for programs benefiting so called
'academically challenged' children.
"Darley [Road] is
on all six [original committee] scenarios and no one has given
us a reason why," said Maria Natalie, a first-grade teacher at
the school. Several other faculty and staff members voiced
similar opinions.
Sandra Skelly, who
was elected to the board from the nominating district which
includes Darley Road and the rest of Claymont was the only board
member who did not attend the meeting. No reason was given for
her absence.
Carol King-Ries
accused the committee and administration of "not having a
long-term vision of what is going to happen" as the result of
school closures as a way to reduce excess capacity and save
money. "You're treating this problem as a mathematical problem,
not a social problem," she said.
"Our goal here is
not to be mean or disruptive," Scanlon said.
The report details
for the first time the estimated 'savings' in annual operating
costs -- $2.9 million for the three-school scenario and $2.2
million if two are closed. In both cases, the figures include
the expected benefits of the already planned closing of the
Bush
Early
Learning Center and the district administration office building,
but not the high-rise Burnett building.
Also recommended
are future possible uses for closed building or their sites.
Most involve converting them to parks or athletic fields No
commercial uses are proposed, but residential development of the
Carrcroft and Darley Road sites is listed as a possibility. |