Updated 07/10/2009 01:46 PM
Community questions closing of Pearce Middle School
The Austin Independent School District is trying to answer questions surrounding the closure of Pearce Middle School.
During a meeting Friday, school, faith and community leaders expressed their opposition to the decision to close the school.
They called for better resources instead of closure and said it's cheaper to bring in new science teachers in an effort to improve scores than it is to shut down the school.
Sterling Lands is the president of the Eastside Social Action Coalition. He said the issue isn't about whether or not Pearce stays open, but rather about whether the students who live in the area get an equal education.
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"If we could just get somebody who will stand in the gap and say, 'OK, let's make certain we have equitable, equal education on both sides of I[nterstate] 35, we'll be satisfied," Lands said.
Johnathon Higgins attended the meeting with his mother.
He just completed sixth grade at Pearce, and he's not happy about the future of his school.
"I don't want to change to a different school," he said.
His mother had to give him the news about Pearce. It was a discussion she was hoping to avoid by helping him succeed.
"We had heard they were gonna close, so we pushed him to work hard. They said if they work hard and get their scores up, that they would keep the school open, so that's what they did," Nancy Tolbert, Johnathon's mother, said.
Johnathon did work hard. He's an honor roll student.
"I work real hard in my classes, turn in my homework everyday, pass all my tests," Higgins said.
Those at Friday's meeting felt the hard work of students like Johnathon isn't being rewarded.
That's why they're making their feelings known, and hoping they can change the path for their students.
"Stand up for your children, because if you don't stand up for your children, they won't stand up for themselves," Bradley said.
Pearce teachers don't know where they'll be working next year either.
They're expecting to find out at a meeting next Wednesday.
(AUSTIN) – The following statement may be attributed to Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond:
After years of failing to sufficiently prepare students for the academic challenges facing them in high school, Austin’s Pearce Middle School will be repurposed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). It is truly heartbreaking that the school could not meet the needs of these children. The TEA plans to bring in new staff to transform the school from its current failing state.
While Austin Independent School District, elected officials and the editorial board of the Austin American-Statesman are content to mislead the public by saying that the facility will be closed, the school will remain open with new leadership to address the needs of the 66 percent of students who have failed in science. These education arm-chair quarterbacks claiming to be education champions standing up for Pearce have ignored the needs of these children by allowing them to move forward in their academic careers utterly unprepared for the rigors of high school and ultimately unprepared to meet the demands of higher education or the workforce.
As the number one consumer of education, the business community has an important, legitimate role in seeing that our children are prepared to meet the demands of tomorrow – no matter the name of the school. The Pearce model led to students underperforming for eight of the last ten years, including the past five consecutive years. For Pearce, this is not the time for a Band-Aid; this is a time for major surgery. TEA has taken the responsible step by saying that these children deserve a fresh start.