Marc Borbely, FixOurSchools.net
Petition to the DC Board of Education opposing school closings
May 16, 2006

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Open Letter to the DC Board of Education
http://www.rightsizeright.org 

May 16, 2006

School Board Members:

We, the undersigned parents, teachers, students, school staff, neighbors and concerned citizens, request that you VOTE NO tomorrow, on the resolution to propose closing Fletcher-Johnson Educational Center, Merritt Elementary School, Shadd Elementary School, Webb Elementary School, MC Terrell Elementary School, Van Ness Elementary School and Walker-Jones Elementary School.

We are not convinced that the potential cost savings of moving forward with this plan now clearly outweigh the potential harm to children and to the school system.

Before proposing to close any school, the board must be able to answer at least the following ten questions:

1. What are the expected financial and academic benefits of closing the school? A detailed accounting of cost savings, not generalizations, should be provided.
2. How and why were these particular schools selected for closure?
3. Why were other “rightsizing” possibilities (such as downsizing buildings or sharing space) rejected in favor of closing this school? Instead of closing a school, why not move central administration offices into schools and close headquarters?
4. How will the academic programs of the two schools be combined? What will be the course offerings? What will be the expected class sizes? Will there be sufficient teachers, staff and counselors?
5. What are the detailed plans, with timelines, to ensure that the receiving schools (facilities and educational programs) will be ready for the large influx of students?
6. What are the plans for the school buildings that will be closed?
7. What are the advantages of closing the school now, compared to waiting until receiving schools can be modernized first, to minimize the number of times each child will have to change schools?
8. Have the plans been developed in conjunction with the stakeholders, and has enough transition time been provided, to ensure that departure from DCPS by parents and teachers will be minimized?
9. What attendance zone boundary changes are being proposed, and has the required analysis of demographic data and impact on the school system been conducted?
10. How far and across how many heavy-traffic roadways will children attending the receiving school be required to walk, to go to school?

We do not believe that closing Fletcher-Johnson, Merritt, Shadd, Webb, MC Terrell, Van Ness and Walker-Jones this summer will be beneficial to our students, or to DCPS, or that doing so minimizes disruption and chaos to the greatest extent possible. We look forward to continued dialogue, including a public roundtable where these and other questions can be addressed.

Thank you.

• Darlene T Allen (DCPTA)
• Hugh Allen (DCPTA)
• Gina Arlotto (Co-Founder, Save Our Schools/Watkins Elem.)
• Marc Borbely (FixOurSchools.net)
• Thomas Byrd (President, FW Ballou SHS PTSA)
• Reem Chiaviello (Parent, Stoddert )
• Angela Ferrel (Parent (Wilson HS), Wilson High School)
• Catherine Geier (Stoddert ES LSRT)
• Shari Gilbert (Stoddert PTA)
• Sabrina Hill (President of PTA, Webb ES)
• Deborrah Hines (Teacher /Executive Board Elementary Member -at -Large, WTU Executive Board/ Anne Beers ES)
• Barry Hudson (President, Shepherd Elementary PTA)
• George Jackson (PTA Vice-President, Webb Elementary School)
• LaVensus Jones (President, PTSA, Dunbar Senior High School)
• Rosalyn Jones (DCPTA)
• Wanda Morsell (Kimball Elementary/Ward Seven Education Council)
• Andrea Paipa (parent at Oyster Bilingual)
• Leslie Phillips (parent, Stoddert)
• John Potter
• Omar Saibou (President, Capitol Hill Cluster School)
• Nathan Saunders (General Vice President, Washington Teachers Union)
• Wendy Sefsaf (PTA Executive Board Member, Stoddert ES PTA)
• Iris Toyer (Parents United/Francis JHS)
• Wayne Turner (Ward Six)
• Susan Van Devanter (PTA Executive Board Member, Stoddert ES)
• Gwendolyn Verhoff
• Cherita Whiting (PTA President, McKinley Tech High School)
• Bobbie J. Williams (Editor for the LRCA Newsletter, Lamond-Riggs Civic Asso.)