SW Education Committee January 7th, 2013 meeting review

Our thanks to LaShay Harris, President of the 19WCA, for taking notes and to Bruce Tehan for keeping the Library open past closing hours for us.

Meeting Notes 1/7/12 at 6:30pm

Present: John Boutet, Diane Watkins, Mary Adams, Dan Ross, Jay Ross, Terry Smith Grannum, James Swank, Sarah Yawarsky, Ken Chandler, John Laing, Brenda Driscoll, Jackie Farrell, Eleanor Coleman, Nanna Maasai Sonekai, Sheila Driscoll.

John Boutet and john Laing summarized the Friday School #16 walk-thru:

The main problem is the smell of urine from the boy’s bathroom. There was no identifiable plumbing problem. Tom Keysa from the City School District confirmed that the plumbing was not the problem that caused the smell.

The smell can be treated by cleaning the tile and increasing the ventilation. The current ventilation system is 1/3 of what a new system would produce. The facility is too small for K-8. Boutet says Vargas and his staff has a low figure of about 2 million dollar to do quick fixup and $6 to $8 million ~ 4+yrs for a good remodeling. All the complaints about the School 16 building including adding on a kitchen will cost roughly 16 million dollars. Included in those complaints was 16 does not have a bus loop.

Discussed what will 16 need to reopen:

· Mitigate the smell of urine in the bathroom

· Upgrade the HVAC system

· Return the school to K-6

· Add on the needed kitchen

· Provide wrap-around-care services

Board Member Mary Adam said issues for School #16 were brought up in a meeting from complainers -lead paint, fire safety issues with the doors

Mary Adams said that School# 44 is in need of a lot of repairs- on a list of a strong candidate for retirement

We still need to verify the lead paint question.

Diane Watkins asks who is going to take responsibility for having all of these building surveys and for the lack of maintenance in the schools. The current administration is new (Vargas and Underwood).

Sarah Yaworsky stated we should connect with politicians to lobby their support like Adam McFadden and the council because they have to approve the bond for the funds

LaShay said that Adam Mcfadden and Willie Lightfoot have expressed their support in keeping schools of the 19^th Ward open. She also suggested contacting the state officials directly. John Boutet urged that we also keep reaching out to John Lightfoot and we should try to get Willie Lightfoot to attend a few meetings. John Boutet also suggested writing editorials to newspapers as well.

School 17 has had some success in preventing school closures and we should learn from their strategies. They had a clear and consistent message. Mary Adams said School 17 is now closed but is undergoing Phase 1 of modernization.

Links to an on-line survey were sent out via Location19 and email. We need to get folks to complete the survey. So far John Laing has received 81 surveys. Anyone who is interested in completing the survey can get to it from the Location19 home page.

Ideas generated from the meeting:

· Create a bus loop on the back side of the school

· Correct the behavior that causes the boys room urine smell - consider cameras outside the bathrooms- suggestion from Nanna Soneki, who has identified that bathrooms smells and issues are problems in all schools because of behavior.

· Maintain the flexibility of school choice while keeping a neighborhood school.

· This committee needs to reach out to the City Council, individual members of the school board and other politicians who represent our district.

· The Mega School model will not work for our community

· Suggest our own plan to the district

· Keep School #16 K-6 open and make necessary repairs

· Keep School #10 and let it remain as it is

· A middle school concept is needed for the 19^th Ward

· Minimize busing

The next step is to be at the board meeting Thursday January 10. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak.

Minutes submitted by LaShay Harris

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