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I intended to
stay positive in this blog and chronicle my daughter’s and now son’s journey
through our local neighborhood Philadelphia public school. We have had a great
four years thus far but I would be lying if I claimed that the entire road has
been bliss and there was no drama or that this time of year when the “doom and
gloom” and “fear mongering” outlooks for the district begin that it doesn’t
physically and emotionally fatigue me (remember last year’s threat of ½ day
Kindergarten). In addition I am professor in higher education where we also face constant budget cuts, top down restructuring and a professoriate that is
increasingly undervalued and dismissed.
BUT I do try
to stay positive remembering we are in a major city with resources and educated
leaders. So as all the stories come out
regarding the latest restructuring of the district I try to make sense of it.
-
I
have been thrilled with all the teachers that we have had a J.S. Jenks. I cannot wrap my head around the notion that
the “failing schools “ are all their fault.
“It takes a village.”
- I
am relatively new to Philadelphia but one fact seems to come up over and over
in some of the recent articles; the city’s schools have been UNDER funded for
quite some time. Why don’t we have the political will to educate our children
and fund the schools well? Our school has
done amazing things on a skeleton budget and I hope to see what is possible
when there are no budget fears. So why don’t we (the city, mayor and city
council) pressure Harrisburg or figure out some way to fund the system?
- I
am frustrated when dealing with the district. I was frustrated with all the money
needed to “buy out” Dr. Ackerman. I am
frustrated with all the money spent on consultants, testing and test
preparation and who knows what else
- The
latest restructuring does not seem to be a huge money saving venture so what is
the motivation……..
BUT with all
these factors I believe that neighborhood schools are necessary. Having kids commute to all ends of the city
for “choice” seems unreasonable.
I do think dismantling
the arbitrary catchment boundaries and building neighborhood-community schools
seems to be a far better idea. Giving communities’
autonomy to build their school with teachers, administrators, parents and
communities partners working together seems to be the ideal model. The
district should provide support to areas that need the help but learn from
communities who make it work.
Our school
community is trying to build the ideal. A newly formed group, Friends of J.S. Jenks,
has a 3 fold mission.
- To enhance the educational and enrichment opportunities for
students at J.S. Jenks by bringing together the financial and creative
resources of educators, parents, students, alumni, and the greater community.
- To insure long-range financial flexibility for J.S. Jenks,
allowing the school to develop innovative programs, student support systems,
and infrastructure.
- To forge new partnerships between the school and the cultural,
business, and academic institutions in Chestnut Hill, and contribute to the
vibrancy of our neighborhood.
Since we cannot
seem to get politicians to fund our kids’ education we are taking matters
into our own hands. Private funding is not an ideal or equitable way to fund
public education but community partnerships and collaborations are necessary and
who better to form those relationships than the school community.
I
look forward to the enhancement of a strong northwest Philadelphia community
public school (J.S. Jenks). The added benefit is that my kids see parents rally around their school and not run to the next better (seemingly) option.
Come
support our inaugural fundraiser to benefit
the school’s music and arts program, on Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 4pm –
7pm at The Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Field, 8000 Saint Martin’s Lane,
Philadelphia, PA 19118. Enjoy hors d’oevres and refreshments amidst live music
from area musicians; including a performance by J.S. Jenks music students. A
silent auction of goods and services from an array of local businesses, as well
as raffle prizes, will be available throughout the event. All proceeds
will help support the music and arts programs at J.S. Jenks School, and all
donated items will be tax-deductible.
