With a Discussion Title like that it is going to be a challenge keeping this short, but I'll try.

School 10 with its Expeditionary Learning, Dr. Walter Cooper Academy program will remain on Congress Avenue in the 19th Ward!   John Laing and I talked to Dr. Vargas yesterday morning on the subject and he confirmed this.  The school will be renovated but I have no information on what the $ figure for that will be.  I have full confidence that the 19WCA Schools Committee will be fully involved in working with the RCSD in shaping what gets done here.  At the Coffee and Conversation meeting Dr. Vargus advised us to keep on top of developments with School 17 since they are the ones breaking new ground on rebuilding a school with a tight neighborhood involvement.  That was music to my ears.  Sarah Yaworsky and I attended the Monday 5/13 School 10 PTO meeting.  They went through an exercise to identify physical plant needs for a refurbished or replacement building.  This will be good input for the 19WCA Schools Committee.  It would be good if the District can provide the parents and staff there some feedback on what the latest evolving plans are.  There was a lot of uncertainty.

School 16 will return to a refurbished building on Post Avenue in 2015.  Around $10 million is planned for the renovations.  While the planning for 16 this is probably further along than for 10 there is a need to have the 19WCA Schools Committee get in this loop also to make sure plans are in tune with community expectations.

School 44 is currently planned for closing in 2020 but the students and staff at 44 are going to be affected by those plans much earlier than 2020.  They were informed by the RCSD this week that they can be certain to remaining in Building 44 through the 2013-14 school year.  It is not known yet if they will be there for the 2014-15 school year.  Reasons cited for the decision are performance of the school, condition of the building, the very small lot size of the school and its location on a very busy intersection at Chili/GPB/Stanton Street.

(School 29 we love you and have not forgotten you!  We are delighted there is one school in the 19th Ward that is not in the school closing cross-hairs this year!)

The SW Education Committee is a committee of the SW Common Council (SWCC) which is composed of representatives of all the SW Quadrant neighborhood associations, organizations and stake holders.  We jumped into this school endeavor first because the SWCC meets over the summer and was able to fire-up it Education Committee quickly and provide us a platform from which to function.  Many of the participants have been 19WCA members. One of our goals has been to have the 19WCA revive its Schools Committee to take over dealing with its schools in the coming phase of the school revitalization process.  Saving a school from being closed is one thing but working with the District to weave the fabric of the schools into the neighborhood they are in is best done by the local community association.  Many of the members who have been active in the SW Education Committee will likely transfer to the Schools Committee.  I see the tasks ahead for the Education Committee to be working with the other neighborhoods associations to get them more involved with their schools to avert future issues in other schools of the SW Quadrant.  The objective is to have all the schools succeed.

The 19WCA Schools Committee is once again standing and ready to take on the challenge ahead!  We are very fortunate to have had John Laing step forward and agree to be appointed by LaShay Harris to chair this committee.  At the transition meeting we had Tuesday he indicated he was looking to have a small committee of 5 to 10 members who will attend meetings faithfully.  This group would work closely with the District to ensure the revitalization of the schools factors in the community needs.  The core group will also involve many more volunteers to work directly with the schools and will communicate developments to the community.  Leading up to the Tuesday May 14th meeting the 19WCA president LaShay Harris had tasked Sarah Yaworsky with writing a Mission Statement for the Schools Committee. It was presented and approved at the the May 9th 19WCA Delegates Council.  I'll leave it to John Laing to present more details on the developments in the 19WCA Schools Committee.