Please forward far and wide.
Call to Action:
Defend Seattle Schools!
What: Special school board vote on school closures
When: Thursday, 5pm
Where: John Stanford Center Parking lot (corner of 3rd and Lander)
Bring: Signs, Banners, Chant ideas and most importantly- more people!
http://soseattle.blogspot.com/
Email [email protected] for more info
On Thursday, January 29, the Seattle School Board plans to vote on the Capacity Management Plan put forward by Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. We cannot let our leaders treat our kids like widgets and fail us so miserably. Educators, Students and Parents for a better Vision for Seattle Schools (ESP Vision) calls on anyone against the School Closure Plan to converge on the School Board to make our opposition to the school closures know.
There are many reasons to oppose this school closure plan. Here are a few:
* This plan will shutter not just buildings, but the heart of communities all over Seattle and for only a mere $3.6 million–a fraction of the overall 25 million budget shortfall. The district has a $30 million reserve it could use to cover the budget shortfall that would spare schools from closing.
* This school closure plan is racially biased and targets low income communities. That statistics of the school being closed speak for them selves:
Ø African American Academy – 99.1% minority, 80.5% low income
Ø Cooper Elementary – 77% minority, 71.3% low income
Ø Meany Middle School – 87.1% minority, 68.7% low income
Ø Summit K-12 – 50.2% minority, 47.2% low income
Ø TT Minor Elementary School – 84.5% minority, 78.6% low income
* The last round of school closures drove families out of the Seattle School District. As a November 21, 2007 Seattle PI article pointed out, “A new district analysis shows that, of 732 students at closed schools, only about half of the students went to the schools to which they were assigned. Another 155 left the district.” With some 20% of the displaced families abandoning Seattle Public Schools in the last round of closures, the district not only managed to disrupt teachers and students lives, but also lost money that the state pays per pupil enrolled. The total number of students involved in this proposed closure is 3,733. If we see another 20% dropout, SPS will lose approximately 746 students who will take with them $5,311/student from state funding and $485/student from I-782. The total reduction in yearly revenue from the loss of students will be $4,327,002—more than the district claims it will save from closing the school.
* Under the Basic Education Act passed by Washington’s legislature in 1977, the state bears responsibility for fully funding K-12 education–but the level of funding for public schools has steadily declined ever since, with Washington State now ranking 42nd in per-pupil spending. Because the formula for funding the act hasn’t changed substantially since 1977, but basic educational needs have, it doesn’t completely fund the Learning Assistance Program, school transportation, Special Education, and English Language Learners.
Email [email protected] for more info.
