Milbank Manufacturing Co Corporate Office & Headquarters

Gary, Should these schools stay the way they are? Is that what these ptotesrs are advocating for? What is you suggestion? Sorry about posting anonymously, but I really don't want to be attacked for who I am instead of what I say (I am teacher at Columbus). I'm very conflicted about the fate of our school. I know we aren't succeeding in our mission for these kids (and frankly a lot of the kids aren't doing their share either -- nor are their parents), but they need a place to go to school and I need a place to work. Columbus is an even more complicated situation because of our tradition of being a haven for the kids tossed around and out of other schools. I apologize if this is too frank for this outlet, but something has to give. There are days when our building and its programming only vaguely resembles as school as most people know it or remember it. If I had to vote as queen of the world, I'd probably vote to keep it open, but just because I don;t see any other options for these kids, nor for the educators working here that have families and bills.

There are a myriad of comeplx problems in these schools and they're not solved by simply reopening them as charters. Charter schools have not been universal successes. Some yes, some no. Also, the lottery system is going to leave many students out. Do we know what's going to happen to them?My point is that the city insisted that by creating small schools within large high schools this would move them in the right direction. But, again, for numerous reasons these plans have failed in so many schools.Also the grade measurements that are being used to measure the schools and teachers, as we have seen, can fall prey to many factors - including political agendas, many of which are not really good barometers for the quality or lack of in an educational program.So I'm not saying NOT to close the schools, what I'm saying is I'd like to hear a real plan behind what they're doing and I don't hear that. And i think the parents who expressed their displeasure at these meetings would also back off if they heard answers that gained their confidence. But what they're hearing sounds to them like further alienation and lack of real direction.One more point, this ongoing campaign against teachers is not helping.