BPS schools raising money for Haiti

Second-grade students at the Sumner have made a video to try to raise money for Partners in Health to help with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. One of the student's parents is a doctor working with the organization in Haiti. They hope to raise $1000. So far, they're at $281. To donate, go to the Partners in Health website.

Other West Zone schools have also participated in fund-raising for Haiti.

• The Beethoven raised $2,045 with a "Hats for Haiti" Day. Students who contributed to the Haiti relief fund could wear their favorite crazy hat.
• The Ohrenberger had a "No Uniform Day" and raised $2,300. Students who made a contribution did not have to wear their school uniform for a day. 
• The Kennedy school had a pajama day, in which students who gave $1 or more got to ditch their school uniforms for a day and wear pajamas. Sounds like blogging. They raised $610.
• The Lyndon school held a penny drive.

Good job, kids.

BPS trying to cut $60 million

The Globe has coverage of last night's school committee meeting. In short, they're trying to trim (or hack) $60 million from the FY11 budget. The following items will make up part of the gap: freezing administrative salaries, turning down heat in schools and offices, and reducing custodial staff. Other possibilities include school closings, reduced busing, furlough days, wage freezes, or pay cuts. They don't foresee any teacher lay-offs.

I really get nervous when I hear about inefficiences and school size. Many of the little elementaries in the West Zone are gems.

The president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau told the reporter that school closings seem inevitable. Yikes.

I'll try to delve into the budget documents myself a little later.

School Committee looking at the budget tonight

Superintendent Carol Johnson will present the recommended FY2011 budget to the Boston School Committee at their meeting tonight. It doesn't look good. They're facing similar problems as last year, only this time, there's no federal stimulus money to save the day. The chief financial officer gave a presentation to the committee in December that gave a taste of what's to come. BPS is expected to face a budget gap again due to increasing costs, grant reductions and restrictions, and investments in certain academic priorities.

The school committee has scheduled a host of public hearings around the city:

Tuesday, Feb. 9., 6-8 p.m.
Harbor Middle School, 11 Charles St., Dorchester

Thursday, Feb. 25, 6-8 p.m.
Madison Park High School, 75 Malcolm X Blvd., Roxbury

Monday, March 8, 6-8 p.m.
The English High School, 144 McBride St., Jamaica Plain

Wednesday, March 10, 5-6 p.m., (prior to School Committee meeting)
Winter Chambers, 26 Court St., Downtown

The committee is expected to vote on the budget at their March 4 meeting.

Charter school showcase this Saturday

I confess -- I haven't had a chance yet to tour any of the city's charter schools. I was scheduled to check out Conservatory Lab, but a certain photo shoot came up at the last minute.

There is still hope for anyone like me. There is a charter school showcase this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at U-Mass Boston (100 Morrissey Blvd., McCormack Building, Ryan Lounge, 3rd). Representatives from 19 charter schools will be there, including those offering elementary education:  Conservatory Lab, Boston Renaissance, and Neighborhood House (all begin at K1) and Edward Brooke (begins at K2).

Reminder: First registration period ends this Friday

If you're planning to send your child to kindergarten (or grades 6 or 9) this fall, you need to register in the first round to maximize your chances of getting a school you're happy with. Registration ends Feb. 5.  There is a second round that begins Feb. 10, but there are fewer slots available.

First-round results should be mailed to families in early-to-mid March. Second-round results are sent out in May.

Irving Advisory Group requests extended learning for all Irving middle schoolers

Last Monday, I attended a meeting at the Washington Irving Middle School along with other concerned Roslindale parents and Superintendent Carol Johnson.

Background: Roslindale does not have any K-8 schools. The neighborhood's elementary schools end at fifth grade, and exam schools don't start until seventh grade. The Irving Middle School has not had a stellar reputation in the community. So Roslindale parents have been faced with the dilemma of what to do with their kids in the sixth grade. The Irving Advisory Group, made of of parents of elementary students and Irving students, was formed to find ways to improve the Irving.

The things I came away with:

• The community and BPS are trying to find creative ways to extend the school day. Currently, the Irving’s school day runs from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. That’s a lot of time in the afternoon from dismissal to when most parents get home from work. (My work day doesn’t even begin until around that time.) 
• One option is to have the school day start an hour or two later, pushing dismissal back.
• That would still leave several hours in the afternoon. One of the key recommendations of the Irving Advisory Group was to fund extended learning for all Irving students. Currently, only 200 out of 700 students are served in the extended-learning program.  
• There was a lot of love in the room for principal Arthur Unobskey, who is in his first year at the Irving. Parents said they have seen a lot of improvement in the school and student behavior in the community.

For more on the meeting, I’d recommend this article in the Roslindale Transcript. Unfortunately, that issue of the Transcript also reports on a recent incident at the school where two girls were arrested for fighting. Bad timing.