Toellner Tells it

KCMO School District needs to exercise nimbleness in reuse of schools

Earlier today, the Star ran an article discussing some options for a couple of the now-abandoned KCMO area schools. One of the options is a proposal by Academie Lafayette (a very successful French immersion charter school in the city, now with over 600 students) to take over Longan School at 3421 Cherry St.

According to the article, Academie Lafayette is seeking an answer on their proposal to take over the school this week because they need time to upgrade the facility (which has been abandoned now for more than a year) and accept increased enrollment -- or seek other options.

Now, make no mistake, this isn't a rushed decision by Academie Lafayette. Discussion about taking over Longan School has been going on for at least 3 months now.  Academie Lafette wants to take over the abandoned school.  The neighborhood is as close to unanimously in support of them taking over the abandoned school as could possibly ever happen.  And the KCMO school board is supposedly eager to not let their 30 newly abandoned schools got to good use and not sit and rot like other abandoned schools have.

So, what's the hold up?

While I respect that the school distric wants to make the best use of their school buildings, there seems to be little that could be a better fit for a school building, in a neighborhood, than a successful school.

Apparently other schools are also up for re-use proposals as Alta Vista has a proposal in for Douglass School (2640 Bellview) and Academy of Integrated Arts has a proposal in for Franklin School at 3400 Highland. 

If the school district is to repurpose these schools, they must use a respectable amount of nimbleness in doing so. They cannot make the red tape of using the schools be too big of a barrier to reusing these schools and not only preventing them from blighting neighborhoods, but actually making them USEFUL for the neighborhoods.

This is a can't lose. Make it happen. Because blocking progress is everything the school board said they wouldn't do when they shut down the schools a year ago.

 

KCMO School District: Welcome to our world (& the one you're now perpetuating)

Last week, Kansas City police arrested two people who were allegedly trying to steal copper piping and wiring from the basement of Blenheim Elementary School. 

The School was one of several school buildings that was shut down last year in the Kansas City School District's move to "right size" the number of schools in the district. The building has been not in use for nearly a year.

For anyone who lives in the city, they are aware of these "copperheads" -- follks who routinely raid empty houses of wiring and piping -- often causeing tens of thousands of dollars in damages.  One house in my neighborhood went from selling for $130,000 to selling for $25,000 in less than a year after the house was completely stripped. The house suffered a lot of water damage from the stripped pipes, and would have to undergo a very expensive rewiring job.

This scene plays out all over the city as homes are systematically dismantled.

A year ago, when the district announced its desire to "right size", I noted that the school district needed to act quickly in getting these now-abandoned school buildings into new uses -- otherwise the building would fall into disrepair, would blight neighborhoods, and provide havens for criminal activity.  Meanwhile, it's now almost a full year from the closing of the schools and as far as I am aware, none of the 30 closed schools have been used for anything else (certainly the two in my neighborhood remain empty).

The longer these schools sit empty, the more likely they are to become victims of costly vandalism that will reduce the value of the buildings and cause blight in the neighborhoods. They'll also continue to drain police resources that are used in catching vandals like these two copperheads.  The school district needs to move quickly to get these schools into new uses.

Meanwhile, the city needs to seek some kind of solution to the problem of stolen copper. I'm not sure if there is a way to encourage the salvage yards that pay the money for the copper to do more research into where the copper came from before people are paid for their drop-offs, or what the right solution is -- but this is a type of vandalism that is proving very costly for abandoned homes in many Kansas City neighborhoods.

 

Some Staggering Statistics on Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday

Forty three years ago Martin Luther King Jr was killed - -fighting to end segregation in this country. Even though his efforts dramatically changed the legal rights of minorities in this country, sadly, our schools may be even more segregated than they were before.

According to a study by UCLA, the average white child in America attends a school that is 77% white, and where just 32% of the student body lies in poverty.

Fifty four percent of White students attend a school with more than 80% of the students who are White. More than 70% of White students attend a school that is 70% or more white.

The average Black child attends a school that is only 29% white, and 59% poor.

Latinos go to schools that are 27% White and 57% poor -- and 1/3 ofBblack and Latino children sit in a classrooom that are 90-100% Black and Latino.

The Kansas City school district resembles this continued segregation, with 87% of the students in the KCMO school district being Black (63.9%) or Hispanic (24.7%).  On the flip side, 92.5% of the students in the Blue Valley School District, and 91% in the Shawnee Mission School District, are White.

Sadly, 43 years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, and in spite of the some much needed changes in laws, our schools are not really less segregated than they were prior to his death. 

H/T: Dana Goldstein via Marginal Revolution.

New York Times Commentators on KCMO's Schools

A couple of months ago, the New York Times had several experts comment on the KCMO School Board's decision to close half of the city's schools.

On expert thought that small schools performed better than larger ones because students got more individual attention and that by consolidating the schools, class size would be larger and thus students would get a worse education.

One expert noted that the district could use the empty school buildings to promote the further development of charter schools (Kansas City already has 26 Charter schools).

One expert believes that fewer local neighborhood schools and longer travel times will lead to lower attendance rates -- which will lead to higher drop-out rates. In Chicago, the closing of many neighborhood schools helped lead to an increase in gang violence.

And one expert said the most important thing is that the schools focus on doing what is ideal based on declining revenue and that the quality of the education is most important.

All are probably right to some degree.

Time Magazine Covers KCMO School Struggles

  Last week, Time magazine had a feature that included an article about KCMO's public schools.

The article focused on the closing of Westport High - along with 27 other schools in the KCMO school district.

According to the article, in the 1960s, KCMO had about 75,000 public school students.

Up until 10 years ago, the school district had 35,000.

Today, that number is around 17,000.

The loss of 60,000 students in the past 50 years has had a lot of causes - mostly due to suburban flight. However, in the past 10 years a lot of the loss has been to the charter schools that are popping up in the area.

Over the next 2 weeks, I'm going to cover a lot of different angles on the idea of charter schools, and what they mean to the now downsized KCMO school district. It's a tough subject -- but I think one that we need to look at closely as we figure out how to manage what has become of our the biggest single factor that is negatively impacting our urban core -- poor schools. 

Rethinking High School

The past 12 months have involved a LOT of conversation about public schools in Kansas City, MO.

That's a good thing. Because our public schools are broken, and we can't fix them if no one is talking about solutions on how to do it.

I plan to spend more time on this topic in the coming weeks, but I thought this was an inspiring video of what can be done.  This is a 3 minute video about Locke High School in Los Angeles that was a dropout factory over run by gangs. In 10 years, Green Dot Public Schools took over and reopened it as a charter school. The school has gone from a 40% graduation rate to 80% -- with 76% of their graduates heading off to college.

H/T: Good

Many Winners in Yesterday's School Board Elections - unanswered question remain

Yesterday, Kansas City, MO held their elections for school board. It was a pivotal election for a lot of reasons. And coming out of it, there were some very obvious winners and losers. Once that is sorted out, the remaining questions of "what does this mean" will be sorted out.

Winners: Crispn Rea Jr., Kyleen Carroll and Joseph Jackson

They got the most votes (Rea and Carroll as at-large representatives, Jackson in his subdistrict). All three received approximately 73% of the votes (the Star's percent votes are a little misleading because there were only 11,350 voters yesterday, with each being able to vote for 2 candidates).

Winner: Superintendent Covington - Let's face it, KCMO hasn't been kind to school superintendents, churning out a new one about every 18 months for literally the past 50 years. That's part of our problem...no consistent leadership. Last month, Covington announced his plan to "right size" the school district in a move that would close nearly half of the public schools. It's a bold move -- and likely the best one for the students -- but very controversial. The three candidates that won in the election represent the three strongest supporters of the move. With 73% of the voter turnout being in favor of these candidates, it appears as if Covington has a large amount of support from the voting public -- and now of the school board. This should create some much need stability in the school adminstration, which is also a good thing.

Winner: Diversity and perceived racial divide in the school district. The three winners are a white female, a black male and an hispanic male. It's tough to get more diverse than that. Also, Joseph Jackson's election was a sub-district seat in a predominently low-income/black area. The fact that he got nearly an identical percentage of the votes as the At-Large candidates that also supported Covington, helps show that support for the Superintendent, and for the "right-sizing" of the schools is consistent across people of all neighborhoods and races. And that's a good thing.

Winner: Apathy in KC Politics - It could easily be argued that the single biggest factor that is negatively impacting Kansas City, MO South of the River is the schools. Poor education leads to higher crime. It leads to middle income families (who can't afford private schools, but can afford to move) to relocate -- often to the Kansas side of the line -- which hurts housing prices and the tax base for the city. The lower tax revenue impacts virtually all other services like police, roads, snow removal, parks and other things people complain about with the city. There is little that is more important than fixing our schools. And for that -- we got 11,350 voters out to the polls. That's it?  Ouch.

Winner: Kansas City Developers - Many of whom intend to redevelop some of the now-empty school buildings into lofts and office space.

It looks like there is now plenty of support for the Superintendent and for his "right-sizing" plan. But a lot of questions remain -- many of which can now get sorted out over the next 6 months.

1) Are we closing too many schools?  I get the need to close down quite a few schools as the district has lost half of its students over the past decade. But closing down nearly half the schools seems like a lot. Are we choking off too many schools and then not having room to grow if we are successful and the district starts growing again?

2) Will closing so many schools cause us to lose more students as families choose charter schools in their own neighborhoods...thus causing even more problems?

3) Will closing neighborhood schools decrease neighborhood/parent involvement as they feel like they are moving kids to someone else's neighborhood schools?

4) Will the developers who are redeveloping the old school buildings hold the city hostage for TIF money or other incentives in order to finish off the developments -- or will they sit on the buildings and let them blight neighborhoods?

Overall, I'm supportive of closing down a significant number of the schools. I think it is something that must be done. And over the next few months, the school board, including three new members elected yesterday, are going to get to work through these issues.

I wish them luck. There is little that is more important to the city than getting this right.

Note: Looks like 12th and Main posted some similar comments prior to me doing so.

Employment vs Education - and why the School District Decisions Matter

 KCMO School Superintendent Covington and the KCMO School board is continuing its talks about consolidating the KCMO public schools. Covington is considering a proposal that would close down up to half of the schools in the city because the number of students in the district has been cut almost in 1/2 over the past decade.

There is a good reason why improving the education of the students in our schools should be the top priority for the city. A recent study of unemployment in this country shows that people with less than a high school education are suffering from unemployment a significantly higher rate than those with more education --- currently, unemployment among those with below a HS education is around 15%, compared to about 9% with those graduated high school, and 4% for those with a bachelor's degree or higher.

That should really not be a huge surprise to anyone....as the more education people have, the more options they have open to them. And while many college grads are under-employed, they are at least able to make some money for their families.

It follows then, that a city zip code like the 64128 zip code (chosen solely because it is where Kansas City Central High School is located) that has a population that has double the state average in people with out a high school education, also has a high unemployment rate -- and thus triple the state average for people living in poverty. 

No one wins when the kids in this city don't get a good education...not the kids, not the families, not employers looking for skilled workers, and not the city and its taxpayers.

I know closing a lot of schools is controversial. No one wants the school in their neighborhood, that their child goes to, to close down. and because of this, some are speculating that Covington's plan will be shot down.

But we, as a city, need to quit looking at our own best interests....and figure out what is best for the STUDENTS. Because their success...and getting them through school, is paramount for this city, and must be the primary determining factor. It is too important to not make it the first priority.

Hat Tip Good for the Unemployment stats.

Thoughts on KCMO planning to consolidate schools - and an Old School Redux

 On Saturday, new school district Superintendent John Covington announced that the KCMO school district was planning on closing many of the city's public schools. The final number may be as high as half of the city's school buildings -- 30 total schools.

 First of all, let's make no mistake -- consolidation is absolutely necessary. The school district has dropped in the number of students dramatically over the past decade.  In 1999-2000, the KCMO school district housed 35,712 students. This year, the district is educating only 17,275 students.

The declines have been driven by a number of factors -- including the movement of families to other parts of the city that have better quality schools, as well as an increase in the number of charter schools available in the city.

The decrease in number of students for the school district has led to many of the school buildings being only half, or less than half, full. The half-empty buildings drives up the costs for the district because they have to be cleaned, maintained, and heated -- and also lead to disciplinary issues because it is easy for students to find trouble in unused wings and floors of school buildings.

Closing some school buildings is absolutely the responsible thing to do...but it does come at a cost.

Schools are a major part of neighborhoods. Families prefer to live in neighborhoods where they can be close to schools. Also, neighborhoods take pride in their schools and can often lead to the bringing of neighborhoods together.

Meanwhile, many neighborhoods throughout the city badly suffer from old, abandoned school buildings causing blight and safety issues in the neighborhoods -- creating often entire city blocks of a large, abandoned, dilapidated building and the surrounding grounds. Closed and abandoned school buildings are very bad for local neighborhoods.

So the situation is a catch 22 for the city, and the school district. There is certainly no easy solution.  However, if the school district wants to handle the consolidation successfully, and with city support, it will have to balance the very difficult challenge.

The number one priority MUST be improving the schools -- and the education received by the students there. The single biggest problem facing Kansas City, MO right now is the schools. Many of the city's other problems like crime & poverty, stem directly from our traditionally poor education system. Other many of our other problems stem from the unwillingness of middle-class families to live in the city because of the poor schools -- which weakens the tax base, and the demand for housing in the city -- which lowers property values and tax revenues.

So the schools MUST be #1.

However, the district needs to work with the city on the best ways to handle closed school buildings. While some should be kept in the short term with the hope that the district can grow again and move back into the buildings, most will need at least short term solutions to keep them used.  The district and the city should work together to see which abandoned schools would make good community centers/park space, which could be leased (or sold) to Charter schools, and which ones could be leased (or sold) as office space or loft space.

But simply leaving the buildings to decay in the neighborhoods cannot be an option. Because the 2nd most important thing our city needs is fewer abandoned, blighted buildings that lead to safety issues in neighborhoods.

I believe the consolidation can be done -- and in fact must be done -- well for the betterment of the city.

For more info on the school consolidation, you can get all the info about each school here.

Update:

Have an opinion about the schools?  Here is a list of how to let the schoolboard know your thoughts. They are actually providing a variety of ways of letting them know your thoughts and will be posting them for everyone to read at www.kcu4ea.org/kcmsdforums/ So contact them and be part of the converstation:

VIA TEXT MESSAGE: 
Instructions
- send your comments in a text message to:  95495
- start your message with KCMSDFORUMS 
- you will receive an auto text message to confirm we got your text. 
- you may sign your name or be anonymous 

Example
- to: 95495
- message: kcmsdforums i believe in the kcmsd [or whatever your message is]

VIA TWITTER:
Instructions
- If you have a twitter account, tweet your comments and use the hashtag #kcmsdforums
- comments using this hashtag will be posted at www.kcu4ea.org/kcmsdforums/ along with the text message comments received.  

Example
- tweet: i believe in the kcmsd [or whatever your message is] #kcmsdforums

VIA DISTRICT FORUMS:

Date / Locations
- Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Northeast Elementary School, 4904 Independence Ave. 
(6:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
(Askew, East, Fairview, Garfield, Gladstone, James, McCoy, Northeast Elementary, Northeast HS, Pitcher, Rogers, Scarritt, Trailwoods, West Rock Creek, Whittier, Woodland)

- Wednesday, Feb. 17 – M.L. King Elementary School, 4201 –A Indiana 
(6:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
(Carver, Central HS, Central Middle, Delano, Faxon Montessori, Franklin, King, Ladd, Melcher, Moore, Richardson, TAPC, Weeks)

- Thursday, Feb. 18 – Paseo Academy, 4747 Flora 
(6:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
(ACE, Ace 6th Grade, ACE Lower, Banneker, Holliday, KCMSA, Knotts, Paige, Paseo, Pinkerton, Troost)

- Friday, Feb. 19 – Foreign Language Academy, 3450 Warwick 
(6:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
(Attucks, Border Star, Douglas, Foreign Language Academy, Garcia, Hartman, Lincoln College Prep, Lincoln Middle, Longan, Longfellow, Manual, Phillips, Southwest, Swinney, Westport, Westport Middle, Wheatley)

- Saturday, Feb. 20 – J. A. Rogers, 6400 E. 23rd. Street 
(10:30 to 12:00 p.m.)

11 candidates to run for KCMO School Board, Schools benefit regardless of who wins

It would be an easy argument to make that the single biggest problem facing Kansas City, MO right now is our failing public school system. For nearly a decade, the schools in the city have been unaccredited. And without accreditation, the city has become unable to keep middle-income families (with kids) even living in the city, which leaves much of the housing vacant, and keeps tax revenue down. Meanwhile, the poor education keeps the poor, poor, and isolated from the rest of the city.

If we could change one thing in this community that would have the most dramatic positive affect on the city, it would be improving the public schools.

Two years ago, there were four empty seats for the KCMO School Board. Three of the four spaces had candidates that ran uncontested and the other had no one who ran for it -- so it was all write-in candidates.

With no competition in the elections, none of the issues facing the schools (and they are many) were ever discussed or covered by the local media.

Fast forward 2 years, and there are 11 candidates running for 5 seats -- with only one seat being uncontested. Bravo.

By having actual candidates, there will be more interest in the race. Many of the issues will be discussed, and possible solutions to solving our school's problems will be brought to light. We will discuss getting neighborhood and community support -- from both individuals and businesses. We'll discuss more economically efficient ways to run the schools, and ideas for making them better. And hopefully the public will take an interest, and become more involved in the schools.

It took our schools several decades to become a mess and to lose their accreditation...and it may take several years to lift them back up. It will take more than the five winning candidates for the school board to solve -- it will take the support of the entire community. But by having good, honest dialog about where the problems lie, and possible solutions, we will have a better chance of making positive changes for the schools.

So even before the election, a full slate of interested candidates has made the School district already a winner over where we were 2 years ago.