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Parents question proposal for Booker T. Washington Elementary School
Dublin Core
Title
Parents question proposal for Booker T. Washington Elementary School
Subject
Primary/Secondary School Education and Discrimination, Arthur Culver, Columbia, Doretha Simmons, Sharif Ullah, transportation, Washington, Champaign-Urbana
Description
Unit 4, under commission of Superintendent Culver, uncover their plan to rebuild former school "Booker T. Washington" as a magnet school.
Creator
Melissa Elegant
Publisher
Daily Illini
Date
27 April 2010
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No
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Parents, administrators and key stakeholders in the rebuilding of Booker T. Washington Elementary School attended a public meeting at the Columbia School, 1103 N. Neil St., Champaign, Tuesday to discuss the effect this construction could have on traffic patterns.
Former students of Booker T. Washington, 606 E. Grove St., Champaign, were moved to Columbia School over their winter break this year as the Champaign Unit 4 School District closed the school to rebuild Washington as a magnet school.
A heated discussion between parents and key stakeholders in the project took place as Arthur Culver, superintendent of Unit 4, lead the meeting.
The school (Washington) will be rebuilt as a science, technology, engineering and math magnet school, which seeks to attract families from throughout the district. The school’s capacity will be increased from a two-strand school, or two classes per grade, to a three-strand school, Culver said.
“It’s something that would be of particular interest to families in this community, and particularly for our nation as we move towards increasing our student achievement in the areas of science and technology,†said Doretha Simmons, director of human resources for Unit 4.
At the meeting, Culver said the school is not modeled after old magnet schools in terms of a selection or application process. Eighty percent of the seats in the new school will be reserved for students who live within the 1.5 mile radius mandated by district policy.
“If there are seats left over, they will offer them to students who live in other parts of the community,†Culver said.
Parents who attended Tuesday’s meeting clashed with school officials on many issues surrounding the rebuilding of the new school, including traffic and parking on Dunbar Court for residents.
Administrators countered parent concerns by ensuring that the new school will not take over parking used by nearby residents.
Sharif Ullah, transportation engineer for the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, said changes will be made to streets adjacent to the school that will reduce traffic problems.
“In our analysis, we have recommended to make the Grove Street segment in between Wright and Sixth Streets temporarily one-way during the school start and finish time, so that it would be easier for parents to drop off and pick up their kids,†Ullah said.
Ullah added that parent traffic will be directed to the front of the building, while buses will load in the back.
“We have suggested that buses should be taking Romine Street instead of Wright Street or Grove Street so that the buses will not interact with the parents,†Ullah said.
He added that safety of students is the biggest concern at hand.
A traffic study was presented by Mishauno Woggon from the Champaign Planning Department. Woggon said that 80 percent of students are bussed to Columbia, even if they live outside of the 1.5 mile radius mandated by district policy, due to railroads and busy streets in the area.
Woggon said a land swap occurred between Champaign and Urbana for property on Eads Street, which lies in Urbana but is needed for parking space at the new school in order to improve bus loading.
“The school sits on the edge of the municipal boundary between Champaign and Urbana,†Woggon said.
Former students of Booker T. Washington, 606 E. Grove St., Champaign, were moved to Columbia School over their winter break this year as the Champaign Unit 4 School District closed the school to rebuild Washington as a magnet school.
A heated discussion between parents and key stakeholders in the project took place as Arthur Culver, superintendent of Unit 4, lead the meeting.
The school (Washington) will be rebuilt as a science, technology, engineering and math magnet school, which seeks to attract families from throughout the district. The school’s capacity will be increased from a two-strand school, or two classes per grade, to a three-strand school, Culver said.
“It’s something that would be of particular interest to families in this community, and particularly for our nation as we move towards increasing our student achievement in the areas of science and technology,†said Doretha Simmons, director of human resources for Unit 4.
At the meeting, Culver said the school is not modeled after old magnet schools in terms of a selection or application process. Eighty percent of the seats in the new school will be reserved for students who live within the 1.5 mile radius mandated by district policy.
“If there are seats left over, they will offer them to students who live in other parts of the community,†Culver said.
Parents who attended Tuesday’s meeting clashed with school officials on many issues surrounding the rebuilding of the new school, including traffic and parking on Dunbar Court for residents.
Administrators countered parent concerns by ensuring that the new school will not take over parking used by nearby residents.
Sharif Ullah, transportation engineer for the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, said changes will be made to streets adjacent to the school that will reduce traffic problems.
“In our analysis, we have recommended to make the Grove Street segment in between Wright and Sixth Streets temporarily one-way during the school start and finish time, so that it would be easier for parents to drop off and pick up their kids,†Ullah said.
Ullah added that parent traffic will be directed to the front of the building, while buses will load in the back.
“We have suggested that buses should be taking Romine Street instead of Wright Street or Grove Street so that the buses will not interact with the parents,†Ullah said.
He added that safety of students is the biggest concern at hand.
A traffic study was presented by Mishauno Woggon from the Champaign Planning Department. Woggon said that 80 percent of students are bussed to Columbia, even if they live outside of the 1.5 mile radius mandated by district policy, due to railroads and busy streets in the area.
Woggon said a land swap occurred between Champaign and Urbana for property on Eads Street, which lies in Urbana but is needed for parking space at the new school in order to improve bus loading.
“The school sits on the edge of the municipal boundary between Champaign and Urbana,†Woggon said.
Files
Collection
Citation
Melissa Elegant, "Parents question proposal for Booker T. Washington Elementary School," in eBlack Champaign-Urbana, Item #347, https://eblackcu.net/portal/items/show/347 (accessed July 3, 2024).
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