Here are the meeting notes as a Word file: Meeting Notes SWCC Education Committee Sept 4, 2013.doc

SWCC Education Committee
Wednesday meeting at Carlson Commons
Sept 4, 2013

The Meeting convened at 6:35 pm.

Present: Mary Adams, John Boutet, Marian Boutet, Richard DeRose, Robin Dettman, Redell Freeman, Raymond Giamartino, John Laing, Elizabeth Murphy, Bill Nichthauser, Juliette Pennyman, Erick Stephens

The Education Committee of the SW Common Council met took its September meeting to the PLEX neighborhood in the spacious Carlson Commons building at 70 Coretta Scott Crossing.

Coming to order and introductions. First time participants were:

• Richard DeRose, Principal of School 44

• Redell Freeman, Assistant Principal of School 44

• Raymond Giamartino, Chief of School Transformation, RCSD

• Juliette Pennyman, Chief of South Zone Schools, RCSD

And our two featured speakers:

• Elizabeth Murphy, Active Transportation Specialist, Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency (FLHSA), 585.224.3146, elizabethmurphy@flhsa.org

• Erick Stephens, Parent Engagement Coordinator, Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency (FLHSA), 585.224.3112, erickstephens@flhsa.org

(Note 2021: FLHSA is now Common Ground Health.org, therefore

Erick Stephens <erick.stephens@commongroundhealth.org>  Don' know about Elizabeth)

Walking School Bus Presentation. Elizabeth Murphy and Erick Stephens, who are working with the Healthy Kids Initiative of FLSA, reviewed the Walking School Bus program they are starting at School 2. They will also be working with School 19 in the next few months. The goal is to launch the program October 9^th, which is International Walk to School day. The presentation was videoed and can be found at: http://youtu.be/Ag0PG21Tnbg

School 17 under Dr. Ralph Spezio will implement a plan whereby children will walk to school in the morning and ride a bus home in the afternoon/early evening.

Stephen discussed various incentives for children, such as t-shirts, buttons, pedometers, baseball caps, etc. Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! program offers, among other things, a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award for children who commit to an activity five days a week for six weeks, and walking to school can be one of those activities.

Information was passed out about the Walking School Bus Program. Individual routes of up to 1½ miles are created for teams of children and adults, with one adult for every 6-10 children. The distance for each team would be tailored to the ages and abilities of the children. It is likely that busing for distances less than ½ mile will not be reimbursed by the State, so the ½ mile distance is a natural starting place. A recommended website is Nichols K-8 School in Detroit, Michigan . It includes a lot of useful information for setting up a walking school bus and has an excellent video of the concept.

A direct link to the Nichols Middle School video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7GKWCQ8_sE&feature=player_embedded

The Clara Barton School 2 website has this good information about the program: http://www.rcsdk12.org/Page/32192

This brochure gives a nice review of benefits.

http://www.rochester.k12.mn.us/sites/www.rochester.k12.mn.us/files/files/Walking%20School%20Bus%2007242008%20brochure.pdf

Additional resources are the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership.

Update for Schools 10, 16 and 44 - John Laing, the Chairman of the of the 19^th Ward Community Association Schools Committee, gave a quick review of the closing attempts on 16 and 10 and now on 44.

• School 16 closed on Post and relocated to Freddie Thomas - Summer of 2012.

• 19^th Ward Community Association passes resolution opposing closing of Schools 10 and 16 in the Ward. (School 10 was slated to move to Bldg #1 at Cobbs Hill) - Fall of 2012

• RCSD agrees to refurbish and reopen School 16 on Post in 2015 - Winter 2012-13

• Fight continues for keeping School 10 on Congress. - Winter/Spring 2012/2013

• 19WCA reactivates its Schools Committee to represent the neighborhood in ongoing interaction with District on 19^th Ward Schools as 10 and 16 are renovated and 16 is brought back. - Spring 2013

• District finally agrees in late Spring 2013 to keep 10 on Congress but decides to close 44 sometime after 2013-2014 school year.

The group then discussed the issues involved with the busing which moves children all over the City such that most schools have students that come from all over. For special draw schools that offer a particular program not offered in all schools this may be a benefit. For regular neighborhood schools busing student in from all over serves no useful purpose and separates parents from their children's school.

The fact that the school in the 19^th Ward are needed where they are if the schools revert to true neighborhood school with minimal busing was discussed. The need to find a way to avoid closing 44 was the reason Stacie Colaprete from the Vision Quest Community School project had been invited to the August Education Committee meeting along with School 44 teachers so we could look at possible synergies that could help both.

Raymond Giamartino reviewed the many things that have to be looked at and tried before a school can be closed. He wants to make sure that whatever decisions are made that it is with the best interest of the students in mind. Principal Richard DeRose and Assistant Principal Redell Freeman indicated that they are aggressively working for a turnaround and believe the teachers and students are on-board to make it happen. School Board Member Mary Adams provided background on many of the issues discussed.

The full discussion can be viewed in http://youtu.be/3gANabMaASI .

The meeting adjourned at 8:25 pm.

Minutes submitted by Marian and John Boutet