Apoojo, I'm sure you're right about others having the idea long before me. The school has been pretty bad for an awfully long time.
You also have a great idea (really great) about making this an issue for the upcoming school board election. We should start pressuring candidates now. --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "apoojo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "justifiedright" > <justifiedright@> wrote: > > > i will give you credit for bringing this to this point, as far as > taking credit for first bringing it to the table, i remember bds. > talking about this in the 80s, be it moor vs harrington or migliore > and dondalson debating mcriff on its needs, but it never got this far > so thank you. it is the only answer and i will vote for the 5 > candidates who support this idea, as i posted several weeks ago, i do > not believe the state will do this, unless the bd. takes the first > step and tells them as of june 30 2007 here is what we are going to > do, that gives the state 4 months to figure out the particulars. > anything short of that and it will not happen, it is entirely up to > the bd. now. what will they do? admin. wont be happy, oh dear, the > union wont be happy , of my, but it is the only choice, it is the > right thing to do for the children, isnt that what it is all > about!!!!! > > > > As many of you know, I've been talking (blue in the face) for a > > number of years now about the necessity of desegregating Asbury > Park > > High School by closing it. > > > > Last week I posted here and asked that all of you go to Randy > > Bergmann's Blog (he is Editorial Editor fo the Asbury Park Press). > > He blogged about he school report cards, and I ended up in a > posting > > argument with others about closing APHS as a way to desegregate it. > > > > There ended up being 30 posts, mostly between me and a couple of > > others. One was an intelligent fellow. One was an extreme bigot > that > > said just build more jails for Asbury's youth. Scumbag. > > > > I digress. > > > > Today in the Asbury Park Press, they printed an editorial, with the > > postion that Asbury should close as a way of desegregating the > > district. > > > > They took my argument almost to the letter, including where to send > > the kids. The only thing they forgot to do was credit me, but who > > cares. > > > > The good idea is finally catching on! See below: > > > > > > Dismantle the district > > > > Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/25/07 > > > > > > There seems to be no end to the depressing stories coming out of > the > > Asbury Park School District. In the past two weeks alone, there > have > > been allegations of padded enrollment figures and bid rigging, a > > vote of no confidence in the high school administration by the > > teachers and a document raid on the Board of Education offices by > > investigators sent by the U.S. Attorney. > > > > Add to that the stubbornly low test scores despite the highest per- > > pupil costs of any K-12 district in New Jersey and a student-to- > > staff ratio of more than 5 to 1 at the high school. The violence in > > and around the schools. The on-again, off-again sniping on the > > school board. The disastrous lack of leadership at the middle > school > > and the chaos in the halls and classrooms there and in the high > > school. The superintendent the board tried to fire, was forced by > > the state to hire back, then tried to oust again, suspending him > > instead with pay at the insistence of the Department of Education. > > > > There have been some glimmers of hope over the past several years, > > but they have proved fleeting. For the most part, the school system > > has been a disaster. It is broken. Stronger leadership might help. > > But finding it and keeping it has been a persistent challenge. > A > > state takeover isn't the answer either, as experience in other > > districts has shown. Given the hurdles the district faces, > > dismantling it and starting over offers the best chance of > providing > > the city's students with a quality education. > > > > It's time for a new approach to educating children in Asbury Park > > one that involves creating a desegregated regional district that > > includes Asbury Park, Monmouth Regional, Ocean Township and > > Manasquan. Asbury Park High School should be turned into a county > > magnet school for the arts. The middle school should be converted > > into a trade school under the jurisdiction of the Monmouth County > > Vocational School District. At least two of the elementary schools > > should be left open, but operated by the regional district and > > desegregated. And Asbury Park students should be sent in > > proportionate numbers to other schools in the newly created > regional > > district along with increased per-pupil aid. > > > > At the same time, steps should be taken to separate those students > > who are not interested in learning, or who prove disruptive to the > > learning environment, from those seeking a good education. That > will > > likely require expansion of the county's alternative high school, > or > > the creation of a branch of the high school at a central location > in > > the newly formed regional district. The state must ensure the > > regional district creates an environment in every school that is > > conducive to learning. > > > > State officials can't allow the Asbury Park schools to continue to > > fail the children they are responsible for educating. They can't > > continue to waste taxpayers' money by pumping millions of dollars > in > > state aid into dysfunctional schools. A new, regional model is > > needed. They can't keep doing what they've been doing. > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/4It09A/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/Y2tolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! 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