Score one for our school board, which voted not to approve the police department’s efforts to get a grant that would station armed police officers in the secondary schools. The vote was 7-0. Coverage here.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Ten reasons not to put armed police in Iowa City schools
. . . as our City Council and Police Department want us to. The school board votes on the issue this coming Tuesday. My reasons to vote against it are over at the Patch.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Guest post: One Vision? Not there yet.
This is Karen W.’s follow-up to her earlier post on our school district’s efforts to develop a Facilities Master Plan.
I attended the district Master Planning Workshop on Monday. I estimate attendance at about eighty or so, including district personnel.
Sam Johnson and Barbara Meek from BLDD Architects were back again to provide an overview of the facilities planning process and to present eight building scenarios.
The materials presented at the workshop are available on the ICCSD website here. The eight proposed scenarios are available here and contain details about proposed renovations, additions, building capacity, and cost. Note that there is no indication in the documents, and no discussion at the workshop, about where new buildings would be constructed.
Status Quo—Minimum Maintenance and Code Compliance. Continue to use existing buildings as is.
Scenario 1—Original Proposed Plan. Build 3 new 500 seat elementary schools; additions to 9 elementary schools (multipurpose rooms plus 100 new seats at Penn); 220 new seats at NCJHS; and a new 1000 seat high school.
Scenario 2—Enhanced District Plan. Build 3 new 500 seat elementary schools; additions to 9 elementary schools (multipurpose rooms plus 150 new seats at Kirkwood, 150 new seats at Lemme, 250 new seats at Longfellow, 100 new seats at Penn, 250 new seats at Shimek, and 150 new seats at Twain); additions at all 3 JHS adding a total of 575 new seats; additions at City HS to add 300 new seats; and a new 1200 seat high school. Hills, Hoover, and Lincoln would be closed.
I attended the district Master Planning Workshop on Monday. I estimate attendance at about eighty or so, including district personnel.
Sam Johnson and Barbara Meek from BLDD Architects were back again to provide an overview of the facilities planning process and to present eight building scenarios.
The materials presented at the workshop are available on the ICCSD website here. The eight proposed scenarios are available here and contain details about proposed renovations, additions, building capacity, and cost. Note that there is no indication in the documents, and no discussion at the workshop, about where new buildings would be constructed.
Status Quo—Minimum Maintenance and Code Compliance. Continue to use existing buildings as is.
Scenario 1—Original Proposed Plan. Build 3 new 500 seat elementary schools; additions to 9 elementary schools (multipurpose rooms plus 100 new seats at Penn); 220 new seats at NCJHS; and a new 1000 seat high school.
Scenario 2—Enhanced District Plan. Build 3 new 500 seat elementary schools; additions to 9 elementary schools (multipurpose rooms plus 150 new seats at Kirkwood, 150 new seats at Lemme, 250 new seats at Longfellow, 100 new seats at Penn, 250 new seats at Shimek, and 150 new seats at Twain); additions at all 3 JHS adding a total of 575 new seats; additions at City HS to add 300 new seats; and a new 1200 seat high school. Hills, Hoover, and Lincoln would be closed.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Louis C.K. on school
School officials like to interpret parents’ silence as satisfaction; “You’re the only parent who’s complained about it” is a stock response to criticism. But isn’t it very possible that parents who don’t speak up have something closer to Louis C.K.’s view in this clip (which also gently spoofs parents like me)? Don’t be put off by the content warning; it’s tame.
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