Link: Baltimore Brew: Baltimore school and partners kick off renovations and, they hope, a turnaround.
“The NEW Benjamin Franklin High School @ Masonville Cove. “ This is our anthem, our chant, and our hope. Well over 80 years old, the old Benjamin Franklin Junior High, often referred to as “Ben,” is finally receiving much-needed renovations. I can personally attest to the excitement among the students, faculty, and administration when discussing the new buildings. A media center? A full library? New science labs? It is all going to be there!
However, it should not stop there. There are far too many dilapidated, outdated, and unhealthy schools throughout the district, and we all know it. It was rejuvenating to see the ACLU come speak at our school celebration last week; and while many of their comments flew right over my students’ heads, the ACLU’s words stuck with me. Frank Patinella of Maryland’s ACLU stated, “We get emails and calls about schools being closed because of boiler problems and electrical problems. Kids are missing school because of this.” These are only the serious problems. Do not get me started on the lack of heat, air conditioning, or other basics.
My reaction to this article is two-fold. On the one hand, as a teacher at Ben Franklin, I am overjoyed simply thinking about my students walking into our new school next year. They deserve it. However, at the same time, thousands of our kids across Baltimore City will walk into the same buildings they left last year. They deserve better, and if we are serious about reforming our schools, let start with the basics. This is my hope.
2 comments:
My question is this: why can't we find a way to consistently keep our schools updated? Couldn't we budget for this in a more long-term way?
For example, what if city schools apportioned 15% of its yearly budget to school construction. Or 20%. Or however much it needs. And then the argument can become how much funding does City Schools need?
It just doesn't seem like we have a consistent policy in this regard, and so we have to go to the state with some regularity asking for funds. We need something more comprehensive so that we can obtain and maintain high quality facilities.
As a teacher who has experienced the effects of the decaying school infrastructure on the classroom, this is close to my heart. Before I began teaching, I imagined many challenges to my students; lack of water in the school was not one of them.
I am surprised more people are not outraged by the status of the school buildings in the city. Forget media centers and science labs, the absence of the basics like water, heat and AC is what struck me. Lack of heating and AC in a classroom is distracting at the least, and a serious health hazard at the worst.
One solution was to have teacher's fundraise for AC units for their classrooms. Then the question becomes, how much should teachers be fundraising for the basics in their classrooms? Where does the responsibility lie in getting our schools and our students the necessities they need for a quality education?
Renovations of our schools needs to be a priority. Where does it fit in with all the other issues that must also be prioritized to overhaul our schools?
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