STRIKE--CMSD Board meeting brings out Teachers' Union

Submitted by lmcshane on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 04:52.

February 23, 2010

As expected--and botched two weeks, ago--Sanders and his Plain Dealer and corporate-sponsored handlers again retracted Tremont and Ginn from the "Transformation" Plan's death sentence.  East High was "promised" to be reopened in 2011 as a charter school, if corporate support stepped in.

The District rolled out a revised list, which spares Tremont and Ginn at their current locatons,  and submitted the resolution language to adopt the plan, which will most likely be rushed to vote next week--at the CMSD District headquarters. 

The resolution refers to an Exhibit A and and Exhibit B--but the district AGAIN did not distribute the referenced materials.  A teacher also noted that the distributed Exhibit A does not include the fate of her school--Carl F. Schuler High School.  The District has never released the accounting to show how the proposed closings address the $53 million dollar shortfall.  Sanders noted yesterday that the savings would now amount to 16-17 million and not the 21 million originally estimated.  He offered no substantiation of these savings.

Five hundred angry taxpayers, parents, teachers and union representatives showed up at John Marshall High School (a landmarked building the District has slated for demolition).  A.G. Bell teachers lined up to protest the closing of their school and for the first time, a large, visible and vocal contigent of the Cleveland Teachers Union was present and a member implied a strike if this School Board approved the closings planned. 

Several members of the audience addressed inconsistencies and errors in the criteria used to close schools and Councilman Jeffrey Johnson again spoke out with passion against the three school closing in his ward.  He received thunderous applause and support, when he suggested that the CMSD school board should "repurpose" Sanders.

Councilmen Cimperman and Polensek were also present and addressed Sanders to thank him for sparing their schools. Notably, absent to defend his schools at this meeting was Councilman Brancatelli of Cleveland's Ward 3, who  has already rolled over on South High and has publicly stated that he will expedite the demolition of Albert B. Hart School.

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CMSD Demolitions

Where does the money $$$$ come from to demolish schools? From the bond levy  passed on the backs of residents. 

Where does the $$$$ go--who gets these board-up and demolition contracts?

Betrayed

The most compelling and poignant testimony of the night?

The sixty-five year old East High grandmother who voted for the warm, dry and safe levy only to see that money NOT invested to help her grandchildren--the taxpayer monies that put a roof and made repairs to East High so instead that investment may go towards a charter school that can deny an education to the children in her neighborhood.

"My community has been betrayed."

For me - most compelling and poignant testimony of the night?

We are more than scores...... more than numbers...

Used flawed data and unspoken/hidden agendas, the Board voted to allow the CEO to use the Transformation Plan to superced the current Master Plan...  in essence they voted unanimously to allow the CEO to move forward with the "close the school then push them to the new juvenile detention center" approach

Orchard and Almira Schools

 CMSD is having a meeting to talk about the demolition of these schools "as CMSD prepares to make way for the new schools..." The place is WSCH, 9300 Lorain on Thursday 6/24 while a lot of people are at work (4 to 6 PM). People around Orchard who can go who don't drive will need to take a bus as this is not a walkable location in proximity to Orchard.

CMSD needs to look at those bond ratings. The bonds are what funds construction.