The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page A6

6A WEDNESDAY02.15.2006THESUN FROMTHECOVER Plancallsforclosingseveralschools SCHOOLS tiallydiscussedforclosing politics. Hesaidmiddleschoolsaredis- proportionatelyaffectedinthe savetheirschools. ElmerA.HendersonElementa- theSouthwesternHighcomplex andthebuildinghousingDr.Sam- uelL.BanksHighandtheAcade- myofCareerandCollegeExplora- tionwouldcloseinthefall. landN.PattersonandHighland- townwouldbedispersedtoother schoolsintheSouthwesterncom- movetootherbuildings. 10-yearplan Inadditiontotherecommenda- schoolboardreceivedlastnighta proposed10-yearplanforevery publicschoolbuildinginBalti- more.Thatplan,whichwasnot detailproposedrenovationsand therclosings.Itisalsoscheduled foraMarch28votebytheschool board.

Amongthehighlightsoftherecommendations: ACCEwouldmoveintotheRob- ertPooleMiddleSchoolbuilding, andRobertPooleMiddlewould bephasedoutandwouldceaseto existby2008.HarlemParkMiddle wouldstopadmittingsixth-grad- ersandwouldcloseby2008. Studentsfromoneofthe VivienT.ThomasMedicalArts school.HarborCityWeststudents wouldbemovedtootheralterna- tiveprogramsaroundthecity. Jr.andPimlico—wouldaddsixth througheighthgradestoaccom- modatedisplacedmiddleschool pupils. Thestatehasdemandedthat thecityschoolsoperatemoreeffi- cientlyinthefaceofdecliningen- rollmentanddeterioratingbuild- schoolconstructionmoneyif buildingsarenotclosed.Thecity schoolsystemhasspacefor dentsenrolled. beforethemeeting.

Theimmediaterecommenda- tionsandthe10-yearplangrew outof58publicmeetingsheld overthepastfourmonths, Letsingersaid.Committeesin eightregionsofthecityheldhear- formulatedrecommendations thattheyforwardedtoacitywide committeethatincludedschool sentativesofcityagenciesand politicians. Thecitywidecommitteecom- piledthefinalrecommendations thatwereforwardedtotheschool boardlastnight. liontohireanOhioconsulting thecommunitythroughtheproc- essthatledtotherecommenda- tions. Schoolsystemofficialssaythe consultantretainsanactiverole ofthefirmbecamelessvisibleat communitymeetingsastheproc- esswentonandcommunityac- standtheneedsofBaltimore. temwillholdhearingsaboutthe schoolsproposedforclosingorre- law.Communityoppositionto someofthechangesisexpected tobefierce.

werecirculatingyesterday.The protestisbeingorganizedbystu- dentsintheBaltimoreAlgebra shouldbecloseduntilallclasses arereducedto20studentsorfew- er. Schoolsystemofficialssaythat closingschoolswouldgivemore resourcesfortheschoolsremain- ing. Letsingersaidtheclosingsrec- ommendedfornextschoolyear toimprovethebuildingsofthe schoolsthatwouldreceivetheex- trastudents. ingschoolswouldgetanextra topaycustodialpersonnelcom- ingfromtheclosingschools. aftercutting2.7millionsquare tocontinuetodeclineincoming years.

Allschoolbuildingsareowned vacatedbuildingswouldbe turnedovertothecity.Letsinger saiditisprematuretodiscuss plansfortheproperties. Nolostjobs Nostaffmemberswouldlose theirjobsasaresultoftheschool Teacherswouldmovewithstu- dentstotheirnewschools. Therecommendationsillustrate ventionalmiddleschoolsinfavor ofschoolsservingpre-kindergar- tenorkindergartenthrough eighthgrade. Systemofficialssaypupilsper- formbetterinK-8schoolsbe- causetheyaresmallerandmore personal.Opponentssayelemen- taryschoolscanbeill-equippedto handlemiddleschoolpupilsbe- causetheylackresourcessuchas scienceandcomputerlabs. aredesignatedbythestateas thefederalNoChildLeftBehind Act.Twoofthoseschools,High- amongthoserecommendedfor closing.

hasbeenneglectedforyears.This istheendofalongtimeoftotal sara.neufeld@baltsun.com MEETING SCHEDULE TheBaltimoreschoolsystem willholdaseriesofpublic hearingsinthecomingweeks, asrequiredbystatelawbefore itcancloseschools.The hearingswillbeheldat: 6p.m.March6attheLake CliftonHighSchoolcampus, 2801St.LoDrive,todiscuss therecommendedclosing, relocationorreconfigurationof east-sideschools. 6p.m.March8atthe SouthwesternHighSchool discusstherecommended reconfigurationofwest-side schools. 10a.m.March11inthe auditoriumatPolytechnic W.ColdSpringLane,todiscuss allrecommendations. Ifanyhearingsarecanceled becauseofinclementweather, amakeuphearingwillbeheld at6p.m.March15inthePoly/ Westernauditorium. Call 410-823-1349 800 Southerly Road, Towson, MD 21286 www.edenwald.org Introducing Norwich 1492sq.ft.

The best plan for your retirement lifestyle begins with one of our plans Spaciousandexquisitelyplanned, Terracesapartment homes will feature masterful detailing and large balconieswithstunningviewsof Dulaney Valley. First-classamenitieswillincludean With percent for your retirementlifestylecouldbeginwithoneof ourplanstoday. Preconstruction pricing ends soon. EdenwaldisanAccreditedNot-For-ProfitContinuing CareRetirementCommunity Choosefrom10floorplans featuringasmuchas1825square feetofelegantlivingspace. POSSIBLE SCHOOL CLOSINGS, RELOCATIONS AND REORGANIZATIONS Source: Baltimore City Public School System NEWS Dr.

Samuel L. Banks High School and Academy of Career and College Exploration (ACCE) Capacity: 1,680 2005 combined enrollment: 967 Building constructed: 1972 Would close: August 2006 Samuel L. Banks Would relocate to the Thurgood Marshall middle and high school complex. Thurgood Marshall Middle would accept about 60 fewer sixth-graders next year. Those children would attend a new middle school program at Harford Heights Intermediate School.

ACCE School would relocate to Robert Poole Middle School building. Robert Poole Middle School would operate alongside ACCE until current sixth-grade class finishes eighth-grade in 2008. Poole would not admit any new sixth-grade classes and would cease to exist in 2008. The Community Learning for Life Program would continue to operate at the Poole site. Southwestern High School complex Capacity: 2,168 2005 combined enrollment: 1,459 Building constructed: 1971 Would close: August 2006 Southwestern High School, No.

412 School would move temporarily to extra space in the Benjamin Franklin Junior High School building until all current classes graduate, at which point it would cease to exist. Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy School would move to the Harbor City West High School building. Harbor City West Students would disperse to other alternative programs: Francis M. Wood Alternative High, Harbor City East High and the Youth Opportunity centers.

Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts School would move to extra space in the Calverton Middle School building. Renaissance Academy School would move to extra space at West Baltimore Middle School. Dr. Roland N. Patterson Sr.

Academy and KIPP Ujima Village Academy Capacity: 2,211 2005 enrollment: 717 Building constructed: 1973 Would close: in August 2006 Dr. Roland N. Patterson Current pupils and incoming sixth-graders from Edgecombe Circle Elementary and Langston Hughes Elementary would move to Pimlico Middle School. Incoming sixth-graders from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Elementary and Pimlico Elementary would stay in their elementary schools, which would be converted to combined schools. KIPP Ujima Village School would relocate to a site to be determined. Harlem Park Middle School Capacity: 1,520 2005 enrollment: 746 Building constructed: 1963 Would close: August 2008 Would stop admitting new sixth-grade classes. Would close when current sixth-graders finish eighth-grade in 2008. Talent Development High School Now located in the Harlem Park building, school would relocate to a site to be determined by 2008.

Lakewood Elementary Currently serves pre-kindergarten through first grade. First-graders would move to nearby Fort Worthington Elementary, enabling Lakewood to expand its early childhood program. Highlandtown Middle School Capacity: 1,772 2005 enrollment: 849 Building constructed: 1932 Would close: August 2006 Current pupils would move to Canton and Paul Laurence Dunbar middle schools. Harford Heights Intermediate School would add grades six through eight and would begin offering an International Baccalaureate program. Commodore John Rogers Elementary would add the middle grades to become a combined school.

Incoming Highlandtown sixth-graders would attend Canton, Dunbar and the new middle school programs at Harford Heights and Commodore John Rogers. Elmer A. Henderson Elementary Capacity: 416 2005 enrollment: 240 Building constructed: 1954 Would close: August 2006 Current pupils would move to Dr. Rayner Browne, Harford Heights and Thomas G. Hayes elementary schools.

The Baltimore school board received recommendations that would lead to a sweeping reorganization shuffling thousands of students..