If Burlington closes a school, would it have room for universal Pre-K?

This past year, the Vermont state legislature held hearings on the possibility of the state funding universal pre-K education in the public schools. It is widely accepted that pre-K education is one of the most effective ways to improve academic performance for children from low-income families.

As the chart below shows, if universal pre-K were instituted, Burlington's current elementary schools would be just at capacity. If schools are closed and buildings are sold, we would not.

Elementary	Capacity	2006	pre-k	total with pre-k
Barnes	180	149	25	174	under by 6
Champlain	320	294	49	343	over by 23
Edmunds	340	287	48	335	under by 5
Flynn	360	331	55	386	over by 16
Smith	320	279	47	326	over by 6
Wheeler	320	228	38	266	under by 54

Barnes parents' principles about "socio-economic integration"

A large group of Barnes parents (representative and socio-economically integrated) met the morning of May 16 to discuss Superintendent Collins' recent proposals for "socio-economic integration". There had been a lot of focus on the Ward 1 parents who are upset. What no one seems to be focusing on is that under all of the superintendent's proposals, Barnes is essentially closed as an elementary school for people in our neighborhood, and those of us who live on the West side of the ONE would be redistricted to either Edmunds or Champlain Schools (although which one is difficult to tell as the administration keeps changing the maps).

We agreed on a set of principles, listed below:

1. Barnes, and the other Elementary Schools should remain K-5 schools
2. We should preserve the concept of Neighborhood Schools that children and their parents can walk to
3. We should work to make the three downtown schools attractive to all parents
-possible ideas: Themed Schools (Sustainable, Arts & Music, etc) that build on what are schools are already doing.
-invest in infrastructure (maintain and green-up our schools)
4. We should carefully examine the costs and benefits of selling any current school property (Ira Allen and Taft)

We know that many people have very positive ideas that could fit into the above. We are very concerned that the current proposal alienates parents while selling district property that will result in a net short-term cost to the district.

We are holding a press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22 at Barnes to share the above concerns and principles. We will then be meeting at 4 p.m. to walk from Barnes to Ira Allen for the 5 p.m School Board meeting (1.5 miles—a shorter distance than Barnes to Champlain Elementary).

Op-ed on Socioeconomic Integration

Submitted to Burlington Free Press on October 18, 2006
by Jonathan Kissam

As a parent of two children who are participating in a wonderful educational environment — Lawrence Barnes Elementary School — I am concerned that the School Board is still trying to use “socioeconomic integration” as a cover for closing one or more of Burlington's elementary schools.

The evidence that children from low-income families who attend "socioeconomically integrated" schools do somewhat better on standardized tests than children who attend less "integrated" schools is being put front and center in the public discussion. It is important, however, to remember that socioeconomic integration is not a silver bullet. The supposed gains of socioeconomic integration are modest, and there are other factors which also improve test scores modestly for students from low-income families, for example smaller schools and smaller class sizes. Furthermore, most of the studies of socioeconomic integration measure students' scores on standardized tests, whose relationship to actual education has been widely questioned.

If the Burlington community is going to talk seriously about "socioeconomic integration," then we need to start with the recognition that the Old North End is an economically integrated neighborhood. If families who live in Burlington are choosing private schools or requesting variances we need to find out why and the school board needs to come up with a plan to make all of our elementary schools attractive to all families.

Many of us in the Barnes community, both parents and staff, are more than willing to do the work necessary to make Barnes reflect the "socioeconomic diversity" of the neighborhood it is located in. We are willing to reach out to all parents who are considering whether to send their children to our school, to reassure them that our children receive an excellent education at Barnes, to share the wonderful things happening at our school which are not reflected in standardized test scores, and to identify areas where we and the administration can make our schools better. This is an approach to socioeconomic integration that does not require disruptive change, and would preserve the environmental and health advantages of schools where almost all of the children walk to school.

To do this, we need a guarantee of stability from the school board. No one, whatever their income, is going to want to send their child to a school that is perpetually on the chopping block. If the school board and administration believes that maintaining six elementary schools is financially unsustainable, then they need to be open about that, sooner rather than later. They also need to level with the community about what the real savings and costs of closing an elementary school are and are not. If the board is going to distribute information about how the cost per child of educating students at Barnes and Wheeler is higher than other schools, they need to also tell the public that most of those costs — related to the special education needs of specific children — will follow those children to other schools. Then we can have a public debate about whether closing a neighborhood school really makes financial sense, and whether the social and educational costs are worth the financial savings.

Last year, the school administration and some on the school board repeatedly justified their proposal to close Barnes with the rhetoric of socioeconomic integration, yet when we attended finance committee and board meetings, it was clear that money was the driving force. After all the work of the Task Force and the public forums, it would be tragic if all this talk about socioeconomic integration just turned out to be rhetorical cover for an agenda of balancing the budget by closing one or more schools in the Old North End, a neighborhood that is already socioeconomically integrated.

Statement of the Burlington Coalition for Community Schools on Poverty and Education in Burlington

The problem of poverty in the Burlington Schools is real. Close to 50% of students in the schools live in families who don't earn enough to consistently meet all basic needs. As we have been participating in discussions about poverty and the schools over the past year, it has become clear to us, both from reading numerous studies and from our own experience, that the underlying issues of low wages, poor housing, inability to pay for healthcare, lack of transportation, and insufficient government safety nets make it incredibly difficult for many students to learn in the schools.

We do not believe that any proposals that consist only of reconfiguring the distribution of students from low-income families will address any of these underlying issues. While economic heterogeneity clearly has benefits, we believe that there are ways to accomplish this while maintaining and improving the existing six neighborhood elementary schools.

We do believe that the school district, city and community have an obligation to address the underlying issues of poverty, and therefore we suggest the following approaches:

We call upon the Burlington School District to:

• Foster PTOs and other forms of parent involvement, recognizing that differences in wealth between schools will require greater resources be invested in fostering parent involvement in some schools;


• Maintain neighborhood elementary schools, so that all parents have a chance to be involved in their children's school;


• Working more actively with PTOs from schools in lower-income areas to recruit families who have choices;


• Encourage schools to be open for parent enrichment and development;


• Demonstrate a commitment to economic justice by paying livable wages;


• Play a leadership role in educating parents about the school district's ability to educate all students by taking firm public stands in support of:
  
  1. Universal Health Care;
  
  
  2. Federal spending that adequately funds education and antipoverty efforts;
  
  
  3. Repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act
  
  
  4. The need to increase the State's per pupil base education grant as enrollment declines state-wide, and move from regressive property taxes to progressive income and wealth taxes as the primary funding source for our schools.

We call upon the City of Burlington to:

• Continue facilitating the construction of family-friendly affordable housing in Burlington and to increase enforcement and penalties for landlords who do not keep their apartments safe and healthy for families.


• Play a leadership role in coordinating city, nonprofit and school efforts to
  
  1. provide after-school and summer learning and enrichment opportunities for all students, regardless of family income;
  
  
  2. address underlying issues of poverty.


• Play a leadership role in educating citizens about the school district's ability to educate all students by taking firm public stands in support of:
  
  1. Universal Health Care;
  
  
  2. Federal spending that adequately funds education and antipoverty efforts;
  
  
  3. Repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act;
  
  
  4. The need to increase the State's per pupil base education grant as enrollment declines state-wide, and move from regressive property taxes to progressive income and wealth taxes as the primary funding source for our schools.

As the Coalition, we recognize that the involvement of parents and community members is critical to the success of any effort, and we are committed to integrating our schools more into the community, fostering greater parent involvement, and working with parents district-wide, nonprofit organizations, and the city and school administration to address the underlying issues of poverty in our community.

PTO Goals: Attached is a list of goals developed by members of the Barnes community. We believe that pursuing such goals in the context of broader commitments by the city and school district will make all of our schools attractive to families who live in the neighborhood. We believe that attempts to increase economic heterogeneity of the schools will not be successful if mandated from above, but only if the schools, parents and city work together to make every neighborhood school a place of learning and community.

Lawrence Barnes School PTO Goals

To improve academic achievement for all of our students, we, the members of the Lawrence Barnes School PTO, assert that we will strive to identify and access the resources needed to strengthen Barnes’ learning environment by meeting with parents, teachers, administrators, staff, after-school staff and other school PTO leaders to review our existing PTO and school activities and plan the upcoming year's events and activities, such as:

• Provide on site, free parenting classes.


• Form a partnership and share resources with a PTO from a more economically-mixed school.


• Sponsor ongoing neighborhood community and cultural events jointly with Wheeler, or other schools.


• Work towards goal of having at least one PTO parent leader in each classroom.


• Ensure vital teacher participation at all PTO meetings and school events by circulating a sign up sheet prior to the event.


• Survey teachers to better identify ways that parents can be involved in the classroom


• Survey parents to better identify ways that they would like to be more involved in school


• Coordinate trainings for parents interested in volunteering in the classroom.


• Coordinate “How to” sessions, for parents wanting guidance in helping their child with homework


• Organize and implement a culturally-sensitive “Welcome Baskets” program for new families and families with preschool aged children in the neighborhood, which would include:
  
  • Welcome to the neighborhood brochure
    
  • Information on the Barnes School
    
  • Coupons & freebies from downtown and ONE businesses
    
  • Free passes to ECHO, the movies, or local museums
    
  • Handout of upcoming community events
    
  • Personal invitation to Barnes’ next Open House and PTO meeting


• Coordinate Barnes Open House for new neighborhood families


• Make the necessary connections to ensure that Barnes students have the opportunity to participate in a school play or chorus


• Work closely with Somali Bantu liaison and VRRP to ensure that all events are adequately promoted throughout our ESL population.


• Collaborate with After School Program Coordinator to expand upon enrichment programs offered and to explore possibility of offering late-afternoon activities that parents and children can participate in together.


• Organize and implement Family Reading Nights, and other special events focusing on academic achievement.


• Work with local businesses to offer incentives for those parents committing to become more involved in their child’s schooling.


• Organize possible speakers for Barnes student assemblies.


• Coordinate summer programming on site at Barnes, promoting food gardening, music, good nutrition, and the arts.


• Coordinate at least one PTO meeting over the summer, to oversee summer programming and to plan for strong showing in September ONE parade.


• Actively seek out Big Brother/Sister mentoring opportunities for students.


• Coordinate on site job fairs for families.


• Coordinate Health & Wellness fair for families, showcasing local resources and services.

Please consider a donation to help us cover costs

Thanks to everyone who signed onto our Open Letter to the School Board. On Tuesday, January 10th, the School Board voted to restore funding for the Barnes principal and social worker into the proposed school budget for next year.

The Coalition placed the open letter in the Burlington Free Press on the morning of the 10th, which cost us a fair amount of money. The PTO fronted the money for the ad, and is consequently now accepting donations to cover this expense. If you are interested in helping out, please mail a check made out to "Lawrence Barnes School" to Lawrence Barnes PTO, Attention Melissa Parker, PTO President, 123 North Street, Burlington, VT 05401. Thank you!

School Board Finance Committee Proposal, January 9th

Our understanding is that the School Board Finance Committee, on Monday, January 9th, recommended to the full board a new budget proposal which retains funding for a full-time principal at both Lawrence Barnes and H.O. Wheeler, and for full social worker services for both schools. We encourage folks to come to the School Board meeting on Tuesday, January 10th, at 7pm at the Ira Allen Building (150 Colchester Ave.), to encourage the board to adopt this proposal.

This proposal includes an increase in the Burlington tax rate; for us to preserve our neighborhood, community schools, it is important to pass the school budget in March. Please contact us if you are willing to get involved in efforts to make sure the school budget passes.

Coalition Delivers Full List of Signatures on Open Letter

At the school board budget hearing on January 3rd, 2005, the Coalition delivered the school board with a final list of signatories to our Open Letter to the Burlington School Board, which included numerous state legislators, the President of the Burlington City Council, religious leaders, social service and medical professionals, and academics.

The School Board will be holding a final vote on their budget proposal on Tuesday, January 10th. Please contact members of the school board and let them know you support the position expressed in the letter.

Coalition Delivers Open Letter, Initial Signatures to Board

At the School Board's budget hearing last night (December 20), the Burlington Coalition for Community Schools delivered the Open Letter (below), along with all the signatures we have received in the first two days. We continue to encourage supporters of neighborhood schools to sign on to the letter.

The School Board also heard powerful testimony from staff and parents at several Burlington schools about the importance of having a full-time principal, social worker and librarian in each school.

Open Letter to Burlington School Board

The final version of this letter was delivered to the school board on January 3rd, 2006

We are writing to implore you to carefully examine your own top board priority:

Remove obstacles to the success of students from low-income families.

With this in mind, you may recall that at each of the recent public hearings, the board heard from countless Burlington residents from all wards who clearly and unequivocally expressed that removing any services from the Lawrence Barnes School would be in direct and irreparable conflict with this priority. The Barnes School serves an already disadvantaged and under-privileged student population. The recent board decision to further cut vital positions (the principal, social worker, and librarian) from this school would be to essentially place these students at even greater risk for academic and social failure. We as a community cannot afford to cut any services from a school that is already precariously stretching limited resources to meet the diverse and ever-changing needs of its unique student population.

We believe that cutting essential services to the Lawrence Barnes School in fact introduces numerous obstacles into the lives of its students, ultimately creating widespread barriers to their overall success. We therefore encourage that the board reinstate services to Barnes through a moderate further increase in the tax rate or an equitable re-allocation of current resources across the board that would allow for all schools within the district to bear some of the burden for these cuts, and not solely Barnes, the school whose students can least afford any loss of services.

The Barnes School has already sustained significant cuts, although these were seemingly done quietly and without immediate public knowledge. In the last budget year, this school has lost a full-time behavior specialist and a full time registered nurse. Barnes students personally pay the price for those losses every day and can ill-afford further assaults to their already diminishing support system. Their academic success depends upon bolstering their support network, not slowly destroying it.

Particularly while children are in school and on the premises, Barnes requires the leadership from an on-site principal to make those executive and often emergency decisions needed in times of a personal or school-wide crisis. Sharing a principal places Barnes students in jeopardy should such a scenario arise.

Similarly, the social worker at Barnes reaches out not only to individual students but to their families and caregivers as well. Barnes families have a greater and more concentrated need for social work services than other schools serving children from more middle income families. Barnes was, in fact, the first elementary school to employ a school social worker. Cutting the social worker alone invariably unleashes an avalanche of obstacles to the success of Barnes children and their families. To tinker with their safety net is to undermine and devalue their potential for success.

Barnes students additionally require the services of a degreed librarian to truly champion and promote life long reading. Gains in literacy have consistently been much-lauded focal points of academic success. If we as a community truly believe this, then why would we cut the librarian from those students who inarguably need her services most?

Finally, with the recent ribbon-cutting of the North Street Revitalization Project, the neighborhood around Barnes School is, in fact, just beginning to truly feel good about itself. Let's support that positive momentum by strengthening our North Street school and thereby drawing more middle income families to relocate into the region. All Burlingtonians are ultimately stakeholders in ensuring that we get the full return on those millions of invested federal dollars, and a fully-supported Barnes School is integral to that success. Doing so creates a win-win situation for Barnes students, its surrounding community, and all of Burlington.

The current budget proposal is a slow and undignified death to Lawrence Barnes School and half of the children aged 5-11 living in the old North End. Restoring essential services is crucial for a school board truly committed to removing obstacles to success for lower income students. Community support for this is widespread across the city and is snowballing exponentially every day. The societal costs of not restoring services for Barnes students is undeniably far greater than $205,000. We ask that you not make the mistake of valuing a small cost savings over the ultimate success of Barnes' kids. The potential consequences are not worth it.

Naomi Almeleh
Kit Andrews
Kym Asam, LICSW
Tim Ashe, City Councilor
Lindol Atkins, President, Vermont AFL-CIO
David Bardaglio
Katherine Berkman
Cheryle Bilodeau, LICSW Burlington School Social Worker
Terry Bouricious
Kathy Bouton
Burlington Community Land Trust
Sharon Bushor, City Councilor
Betsy Cain, LICSW
Colin Campbell
Cara Caparelli
Ian Carleton, Burlington City Council President
Dave Cavanagh
Rabbi Joshua Chasan, Ohavi Zedek Synagogue
Mary Clay Thomas, Champlain College Adjunct Professor
Wendy Coe
Joanna Cole
Dean Corren
Andrew Crawford
Liz Curry
Tamara L. DiVasto
Johanna Leddy Donovan, State Legislator
Karen Donovan
Doug Dunbebin
Dr. Vivian Esparza, MD
Laurie Essig
Phil Fiermonte, City Councilor
Jules Fishelman
Paul Fleckenstein
Jim and Barbara Flint
Jason Ford
Mike Furze
Ginger Gillman
Lucy Gluck
Dr. Ann Goering, MD
Charlie Gottlieb, MSW
Tracy Greene, Spectrum Youth & Family Services
Jerry Greenfield
Arnie and Margaret Gundersen
Abby Hale, P.A.
Tom Hart, Baird Social Worker
Laban Hill
Wanda Hines
Doug Hoffer
Sharron Hopper
Dan Justice
René Kaczka-Vallière, Baird School Social Worker at Edmunds Middle School
Jessica K. Kell
Richard Kemp
Bob Kiss, State Legislator
Jane Knodell, City Councilor
Gary Kowalski
Connie Krosney
Catherine Lamb
Jim Lantz
Mark Larson, State Legislator
Lisa Lax
Michelle Lefkowitz
Jason Lorber, State Legislator
Erica Lustgarten
Erhard Mahnke
Nina McDonnell
Cheryl McDonough, City Councilor
Chris Meehan, Executive Director, Peace and Justice Center
Ralph Montefusco, Vice President, Champlain Valley Labor Council AFL-CIO
David Nestor
Erika Nestor, Past PTO chair of Edmunds Elementary
Networks, Inc.
Roddy O'Neil Cleary
Meghan O'Rourke
Allen Parker
Melissa Parker, Barnes PTO President
Megan Peek
Brian Pine
Barbara Prine
Gail Rafferty, LICSW, Director of Early Childhood Services, Baird Center for Children and Families
Jennifer Reay
Julie Richards, UVM Department of Social Work
Colin Robinson
Nick Robinson
Bob Sanders, Director, Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program
Lisa J. Schnell, Associate Professor of English, Director, Undergraduate Advising (English), Acting Director, John Dewey Honors Program, UVM
Judy Scott, Coordinator of Volunteer Services, Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program
Lila Shapero
Rachel Siegel
Erica Spiegel, ONE resident
Dr. Chris Staats, M.D.
Andrew Strauss
Rebecca Taylor
Zephyr Teachout
Fran Toomey, Ph.D., Developmental Psychologist, Speech and Language Pathologist, Special Educator, Professor Emeritus, St. Michael's College
Jim Trybus
Matt Trybus, Learning Services Specialist at University of Vermont
Tracey Tsugawa
Stuart Weiss
Tim Whiteford, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Education, St. Michael's College
Elise Whittemore-Hill
Women of Color Alliance
Michael Wood-Lewis
David Zuckerman, State Legislator

Budget Keeps Barnes Open

Last night the School Board approved a budget which will keep Barnes open as a K-5 for the next school year, but will cut most of the Barnes administration (principal, social worker, librarian), with the administration of Barnes to be done by the Wheeler administration.

It is a victory that we were able to put enough pressure on the board to keep Barnes open, however there are obviously still lots of issues, both in terms of how the school will function with shared administration and in terms of the long-term commitment of Burlington to community schools. We will be having another coalition meeting on Saturday to discuss these and other issues.

Burlington Coalition for Community Schools Statement to School Board, December 12, 2005

The Burlington Coalition for Community Schools urges the School Board not to adopt the Finance Committee's proposal to make Barnes into half a school. This proposal is simply not necessary from a budgetary standpoint. With the good news on health insurance costs, the state tax rate, and Fletcher Allen's interest in renewing its lease at the Ira Allen Building, Acting Superintendent Collins has said that the school board should be able to come up with a budget that keeps Barnes as a K-5 school for the coming school year, with either no or a minimal increase in taxes.

Turning Barnes into a K-2 undercuts the process of setting up a task force to look at achievement of students from low-income families by taking an important option (maintaining Barnes as a neighborhood K-5 school) off the table even before the process starts. Furthermore, this proposal completely fails to address the "equity" issue; if 3-5 graders from the Barnes neighborhood are allowed to attend any school in the district, wealthier parents will tend to move their children to the more "middle-class" schools which require a car to reach, while low-income families will likely send their children to Wheeler, which is in the neighborhood. Turning Barnes into a K-2 with no principal or clerical support essentially sets the school up to fail.

We are glad to see that the School Board is considering establishing a task force to look at the issue of academic achievement of students from low-income families; however, we have concerns about the process proposed by the Curriculum and Policy Committee. Under this proposal, one person (the President of the School Board) will appoint all 15 members of the task force; we have concerns that one person, who may already be committed to a particular outcome, can appoint a committee in a way that fairly and equitably represents all parts of the Burlington community. In particular, we want to make sure that both low-income parents from the Old North End, and front-line educators (teachers and paraeducators) who work at Barnes and Wheeler are represented on the task force. Additionally, we want to be sure that the work of the task force is both public and participatory, so that as many people as possible are allowed to participate in the process.

Finally, we continue to consider any proposal to fully or partially close Lawrence Barnes School to place an unfair burden on parents and residents of the Old North End, a working-class neighborhood which is the most racially and ethnically diverse in Vermont. Should such a proposal be voted in, we plan to immediately explore our options for legal action.

Don't sell Taft; don't close Barnes (BFP Editorial)

Published by the Burlington Free Press: Thursday, December 8, 2005

The Burlington School Board should put on hold a proposal to partially close Barnes Elementary School and sell "surplus" property specifically earmarked for educational purposes.

Instead, the board should take the time it needs to work with the public to create a comprehensive, long-term plan for improving education in the city while holding down costs for the taxpayers.

The board is considering selling the former Taft Elementary School, which was part of the estate Elihu Taft left to the school district in his 1927 will. That document also stipulated that the property should be used as a shelter for homeless men if the district no longer wanted it to serve a school function.

That's crystal clear.

Now the district might break or contort that proviso and sell the Taft building, which in combination with other changes, would save the district about $450,000. It was suggested to the Free Press recently that the Taft property could be converted to high-end condominiums or residential lofts.

That would be a mistake.

First, Elihu Taft left that valuable property to the district in good faith, making clear his desires for its uses. While it might be legally possible to break that commitment, it would be fundamentally wrong to abuse the trust Taft placed in the district in deeding the property.

More important, it would set an unfortunate precedent that could discourage Vermonters from making such generous gestures in the future. It's hard to imagine anyone's having much faith that the school district would follow his dying wishes after watching the fate of the Taft will.

The second problem with the board's plan is its call to partially close Barnes Elementary School in Burlington's Old North End. Putting aside a previous call to close the school and bus its students to other schools throughout the city, the board is now considering keeping grades kindergarten through second at Barnes and sending the students in grades three through fifth elsewhere. That measure would be temporary while the fate of the school is debated.

That, too, would be a mistake.

While the motive for closing Barnes is well meaning -- to improve the educational options for children in this largely low-income area -- it's clear that this school is more than a place of learning. It's a needed community center. For now, the school should stay fully open to serve its community.

The board means well by trying to raise the academic bar at Barnes Elementary and save taxpayers money.

But there haven't been the public discussions about the specifics or the long-term comprehensive vision needed to assure residents that the plan makes sense into the future.

The school board ought to slow down and continue the public debate on how best to hold down costs while improving education.

Burlington City Council Resolution Concerning School Consolidation (2002)

In the year Two Thousand Two
Resolved by the City Council of the City of Burlington, as follows:

That WHEREAS, the Superintendent of the Burlington School District has suggested a concept that would result in the consolidation of Burlington school facilities and the closing of a number of schools; and

WHEREAS, the School Superintendent and School Board are to be commended for their willingness to explore alternative ways of providing public education in Burlington; and

WHEREAS, the potential benefits of school consolidation include expanded opportunity for education and social development, as well as possible reductions in long-term operating costs; and

WHEREAS, the disadvantages of the consolidation proposal include the loss of neighborhood schools and the need to transport more students to school; and

WHEREAS, the City of Burlington has endeavored to create community schools, which provide neighborhood-based facilities and opportunities for education, recreation, and community activities; and

WHEREAS, certain school properties have deed restrictions or are subject to zoning regulations that would limit their adaptive re-use; and

WHEREAS, a School Facilities Report has been prepared, and this report identifies the improvements and alterations required by existing school facilities;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this City Council recommends to the School Board and Superintendent that a school consolidation proposal that would result in the closing of schools not be pursued; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the School Facilities Report be thoughtfully reviewed and considered, and that representatives of the School Department are hereby requested to present said report and its findings to the City Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council supports neighborhood elementary schools as the public policy of the City and that their maintenance is our priority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Burlington Board of School Commissioners and the School Superintendent.

Barnes is important to Old North End (BFP Editorial)

Burlington Free Press Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 20, 2005

Schools are more than bricks and mortar. They are village centers, the heart and soul of their neighborhoods, the place where parents catch up on local news and children discover life's lessons and friendships.

Lawrence Barnes Elementary School is just such a place for many residents of the Old North End. For the most part, they love their school. As a community, they feel a pride of ownership in the building and all that it symbolizes.

Closing Barnes would strip the center from this relatively lower-income section of the city that already feels underserved and neglected. The Burlington School Board is considering a proposal to close Barnes as part of a consolidation plan without adequate public involvement, but should withdraw the suggestion for now.

There are several good reasons for keeping Barnes open.

Virtually all the children can walk to school, which is important because many parents in this district don't own cars. Not only would closing the school require busing students to schools in other parts of the city, but their parents would be less able to participate in school events and teacher meetings because of their own transportation difficulties.

In addition, the city of Burlington has put time, effort and money into revitalizing stretches of the Old North End with improved sidewalks, lighting, streets and other quality-of-life measures. Now is not the time to undermine that message of restoration by shutting down something as vital as the local school.

Although enrollment at Barnes has been declining somewhat in recent years, it's clear that lower property values in the Old North End -- along with the revitalization improvements -- might prompt more families to move to this neighborhood. It is hoped that more children of varied economic levels and diverse backgrounds will look to Barnes for their education in the coming years.

Ultimately, the deciding factor must be what is in the best interest of the children. It's hard to believe that they would benefit from the closing of their school — being bused away from their home and friends, shipped to larger classrooms at a time when smaller is widely viewed as better, and no longer able to walk to and from school.

The parents of Barnes students have expressed a willingness to publicly debate closure of the school, a conversation that should include the role of the nearby H.O. Wheeler Elementary School, as well. That discussion should be thorough and take as long as needed to reach a reasonable consensus.

Any decision to close either school needs to follow that public debate. Now is not the time to close Barnes.

Ward 2/3 NPA Resolution Concerning School Redistricting in the Old North End

At the September 2005 Neighborhood Improvement Night, representatives of the Burlington School District assured residents that school closing were not being discussed, that the public would have a role in making decisions regarding school closings, and should school closings be proposed, that School Board members, residents and the City Council would be given multiple options to consider.

Because of the clear misinformation residents of Wards 2 and 3 received from Burlington School Board and Administration representatives at Neighborhood Improvement Night, the Wards 2 and 3 Joint Neighborhood Planning Assembly demand the following:

1. That representatives of the Burlington School District Administration with decision making power attend the December 8, 2005 meeting of the Wards 2 and 3 Joint Neighborhood Planning Assembly for the purpose of answering questions about and taking comment on the proposal submitted by Lyman Amsden to the School Board on October 25, 2005;

2. That the public be given multiple opportunities to provide feedback and comment on any proposal to close or change the use of a neighborhood school;

3. That the public be given a real and significant role in investigating alternatives to school redistricting and closings.

Old North End Community Alternative Proposal for the Schools

We are concerned that the proposal made to the Burlington School Board, to close Lawrence Barnes school, was made without any consultation with the people affected, the residents of the Old North End. We share the School Board's desire to improve the academic experiences of low-income students, but we do not believe that closing Barnes will contribute to this goal.

We propose that, instead of rushing to close Lawrence Barnes school, the School District establish a task force, in order to move towards a community consensus on how to improve the academic experiences of low-income students, and how to deal with budget pressures, and that no decisions on school closings be made until the task force completes its work.

This task force should be composed of both school board members and community members, and must specifically include:

* Representatives from the PTOs of all Burlington schools
* The Neighborhood Planning Assemblies
* Representatives of the school staff

In addition to parents and staff from the schools, participation should be invited from organizations representing various constituencies and issues pertinent to poverty and the Old North End, including but not limited to:

* City government: City Council, CEDO, or any other relevant departments
* The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program and other organizations representing immigrant communities
* Anti-poverty organizations such as Community Action
* Youth organizations
* Housing organizations
* Government, academic and/or nonprofit representatives with experience about transportation issues

In addition to studying the issue, the Task Force must hold public hearings, which must be:

* At least one to be physically held in the Old North End
* Designed to be participatory (not just lectures)
* Open to a wide variety of viewpoints (i.e., not stacked with "experts" of a particular ideological bent)