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Nothing like a little notice: BPS plans Saturday hearing in Hyde Park on school-moving plan
By adamg on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 11:43pm
BPS sent out notices today for a hearing this Saturday on its plan to move two high schools into the recently shuttered Hyde Park Education Complex.
The hearing on the proposal to move New Mission High School from Mission Hill and Boston Community Leadership Academy from Brighton starts at 10 a.m. at 610 Metropolitan Ave.
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Comments
Is Johnson getting a bad deal here?
I was at a forum where the Superintendent spoke, last week. I wasn't impressed from the beginning, since she was late (the only one of 15 speakers) and wouldn't go to the podium to talk, she just sat in her seat on the stage. So I didn't think she was taking it seriously. On the heels of her plans to close schools, last year, and the move of Latin to HP (or wherever it was) and this plan to move some schools around, it made me think she has no idea what she's doing.
After thinking about things a bit, though, I started wondering, she doesn't make all these decisions on her own, right? Just as Peter Meade at the Boston Redevelopment Authority is considered the straw man for the Mayor, isn't this true for the Superintendent of Boston Public Schools? Doesn't she just do what he wants?
If so, then how come she's the fall guy for all these proposals. They are at least vetted in front of the Mayor, no? Or, am I giving him too much credit and not understanding how it works?
She ended up giving a good talk at the forum and intrigued me enough want to learn more about the whole BPS process.
Others know better. Any thoughts?
No, she's not
First, a rant about her perennial tardiness...
Over the last four years, I have been to over a dozen events where Superintendent Johnson was scheduled to speak. She has been late to the overwhelming majority of them. Perhaps she could be excused some tardiness when she first took the job - not having a great grasp of how long it takes to get from one part of the city to another. But she's had the benefit of a professional staff and several years now to get it together and has failed.
It's an insult to the all the parents who go to the effort of taking part and being present at these meetings. She should be ashamed of this unprofessional and offensive habit.
***
OK, now to your question about whether she deserves the blame for the BPS's seemingly distracted and often irrational policy proposals. In a word - YES! She's got the sheepskins, she took the job, she gets paid handsomely - that makes her responsible. If the schools were doing well/better, you can be sure she'd get the credit. For the lack of progress and Mr. Magoo-like shifting of strategy directions - she should get the lion's share of the blame.
And if she's nothing but a puppet of the mayor, then double-shame on her for taking pieces of silver to be his beard.
***
N.B. Does the ire I expressed above mean I hate the BPS? Absolutely not! I am passionate about the value of public education, and about our beautiful city's centuries-long heritage of such. My daughter attends public school and overall has received a quality education. But of all the essential elements contributing to that education - good teachers, a caring parent community, dedicated support staff, engaged principals, and competent administration - it is the last that I have seen least often. Too much useless bureacracy and too little accountability.
One good thing
I don't know where the credit goes so I'll give it to Johnson at this point, but there was a significant improvement in the fairness and parity of per student funding with this year's budget. Schools now receive funding based on their mix of students with SPED students for example, requiring more funding. As it all based on a open formula, the disparity in West Zone school budgets is far less.
I don't understand
I don't understand why all of a sudden there is this need to move schools to Hyde Park - arguably one of the hardest areas of the city to get to. I don't even know how to get there via T, assuming by bus?
seems like it is making it a convenience to live in the Hyde Park (coincidentally[?] where the mayor lives) area, while a kid from Eastie, Southie, etc has an even longer commute to school.
There's a simple explanation
The BPS got about $37 million state money to renovate Hyde Park High. Hyde Park High is now closed and not in use. If the BPS doesn't reoccupy and use it again, they have to pay some of the money back. That is all. Convenience to the students is outweighed by the moolah. In this case, it has nothing to do with hizzonah.
What Sock Puppet said
As for public transit, you'd take the 32 bus from Forest Hills, get off at Metropolitan and walk a couple blocks. A royal pain if you're coming from, say, Brighton or East Boston.
I doubt the location of the mayor's residence has anything to do with it - he's in Readville, which is like a different world compared to where the school is.
2 Blocks from Metropolitan
I never had any idea this was so close to my house, always assumed it was further south. (BTW -- couldn't one get even closer on the 32 -- like getting off at Westminster Street or thereabouts).