Toledo Public Schools Closing

I understood from a walk thru that I did with my mother when the new building first opened (she retired from the old building as a kitchen worker) that the teachers were already saying the building was too full. Apparently, when it was constructed it was assumed that a lot of the kids that were there before would not come back. Instead, the school opened at capacity. Since the old school had trailers on the grounds I assume that the influx of additional students to the new school will allow the "trailer trash" to accumulate. That's always good for the kids' self image. Or they might redraw the boundaries to cut the number in the school.

There are ways to nip rumors in the bud. Go to the TPS website. The presentation is there in power point form for you to view.

Fred, nothing provided at TPS that was not in the Blah's reporting. Funny how that lousy rag often provides information to a wider audience.

"... the teachers were already saying the building was too full."

Interestingly, the same thing happened at Arlington Elementary. Newly constructed just a couple of years ago, the school found itself over capacity before the first pupil even entered the new building. Some kids were then welcomed to their "new school" by being placed in portable classrooms crowded onto what teeny tiny little precious playground space there was to begin with.

Unbelievable. Nice planning, TPS.

Why would the TPS care about planning? They won't lose their jobs no matter how well or poorly they plan. The massive re-building plan was just a scam to make sure the construction mafia got paid big-time in a time of otherwise-decreased profits.

The new schools have a life expectancy of 20-25 years, and then they have to be replaced. Kids can be rough on buildings. Is there any guarantee that the money will be there in 25 years? None that I know of. Now we have a "transformation" that will be dependent on taxes from 2012 that may not be there. Maybe it is time to rethink the public school system.

The new schools have a life expectancy of 20-25 years, and then they have to be replaced.

<sigh>

Why is this even remotely acceptable, or taken as a given? Do we rebuild courthouses, hospitals, and other public use buildings in less than 20-25 years?

So glad we tore down buildings built to withstand the test of time to erect shit that is planned to fall apart after one generation of use.

Pathetic. Just pathetic.

OHT - Yeah but then council members couldn't pump sweetheart deals to their construction union buddies every couple of years.

The rumor now is that the kids from Fulton Academy (333 Melrose, 43610) will be bussed to Westfield (617 Western Av, 43609) and the students now in Westfield will be transferred to Marshall, or other "close" schools. It is about four miles from Fulton Academy to Westfield. I didn't believe it at first, but it does kind of make sense in a perverse way now. I guess the kids who now go to Westfield will be able to walk up to two miles to school (good exercise, especially now that physical education will no longer be offered).

Damn, why don't they just go to "distance learning". One parent of each working family can quit work to watch the kids at home while they sit in front of the computer, hopefully learning. They might not have as much reason to hold a job with lower taxes to the schools. It would open the economy to all those single, childless people who don't have a job, and get at least one parent back where s/he belongs: with the kids

The problem with distance learning is that offers the opportunity to achieve efficiency in student-to-instructor ratios. No unions will support that, for the obvious reasons. It's either more work, or fewer employees. Unions hate that.

Places like the Univ. of Phoenix invoked distance learning programs for reasons of market share. But the TPS has no interest in market share like that. They just want free money from the taxpayers, much like COSI always lusted after.

GZ, I think it is the parents that don't want distance learning because then they would have to responsible for their kid's education. It's a lot more fun to go to work, interact with other adults, and not have to be responsible enough to make sure your kids are learning. Right now, they can blame it on the teachers. We go to classrooms in the home, and they have no one to blame but little Johnny and themselves if the kid can't learn (or maybe that old favorite, "dyslexia").

My mom was asking me if Westfield School would be closed this year. I did not find its name listed among the elementary schools. That jumped from Walbridge to Whittier. I sent an email to TPS to find what they know about it. I did find a "Westfield Achievement-261" listed in the "TPS Locations" at 617 Western. Maybe we paid our taxes to build this school, and gave it to a charter school. Or maybe we group many of the underachievers there, and misplace their test scores.

OSB, Westfield Elementary is at 617 Western and it's not likely a charter school. http://www.tps.org/gallery-of-great-school-designs/westfield-elementary-school.html

To close it would eliminate 300 or so free breakfasts, too, not counting how may more there and across the city will be "fudged" by TPS.

Westfield closed as an elementary school in 2011 as part of the transformation plan. The building is still used to house a joint program that assists children with behavior challenges to return to a mainstream classroom. Can't say how well it works as I have not audited the program. Here is a link that describes the program. http://www.harbor.org/school-based-therapy-programs.html