Carthage School in jeporady?

[Dawn Longworth]

It sure makes it hard for us to trust what is going on in our neighborhoods.

[Dogtown]

Interesting answer you were given, Dawn. They didn't forget the weaselwording disclaimer language "at this point".   

By the same token if you asked Cincinnati city clowncil about The Banks Debac...um, Project, I'm sure they would say something along the lines of:

'There are no plans to throw this development on the scrapheap of history, at this point.'

Time will tell in both cases.

[Dawn Longworth]

Spoke with CPS Board member today via phone and she said there is "no plan to tear down the Carthage School at this point."

[Dawn Longworth]

I dont expect CPS to maintain the Carthage building or any of the 30 plus buildings all over the city that they have abandoned---I expect them to work something out with the City and the Neighorhoods those buildings are in for useful purposes.  I wrote all the school board members yesterday and copied it to all the City of Cincinnati Council members telling the Board they need to immediate present a accurate report of their building stock, conditions of each one of those buildings and sell them!!!!!!!!  They are laying off teachers, combining grades (yes, elem. grades will be taught together) and filling each class to the state min.  AND they are SITTING on a estimated value of $68 million worth of property...HELLOOOO!!  CPS, I found how to fix your budget problems.

My point is this and has been for the past 2 years or so since i have been invovled in the school----CPS is killing the City of Cincinnati.  No one wants to send their kids to an improving school or anything else below effective.  How can we build our neighborhoods for the better when we cannot get families to move here unless they can find a private school to send their children to?  Even though the City of CIncinnati and CPS are two completely seperate governments, The City needs to hold the CPS officials accountable for the problems that the schools are creating in our City.   People love Hartwell.  They love the location, the huge yards, the big old houses, and the family feel that is on each street.  But CPS schools...Bad news.  Here is my problem, my son who is now 15.  Let's say he is in 4th grade and he just passed and now will be going into 5th grade...GUESS WHAT?  He is going to have the same teacher next year AND he is going to be taught in a classroom of 4th & 5th graders.  Oh, and the max. amount of students will be in that class room.  If someone told me that, I would pull my kid out of that school right now and march him to Readings open enrollment.  You think we are not going to loose kids because of this..hell yes we will and we cannot allow that to happen when we are trying so hard to bring families to Hartwell.

CPS is urinating on all the hard work we have done in our neighborhood over the years and more recently the hard work I put into things.  5 years of my volunteering and attending more meetings that I would in a full time job--CPS will flush it all down the toilet in less than 1 school year. 

I know this is going to be a tough year and I know the teachers at Hartwell will go on and not skip a beat.  They will not let the kids know what is going on and keep them on the right track of learning.  I have faith in them because I have seen them in action and they care for those kids and that school---that is why I keep fighting for them and hope everyone will join in supporting them.  CPS has been able to get away with so much because no one questions them.  Board meetings are ususally near empty and parents dont participate in school problems.  If we cant educate our children, what are we offering them? 
Excuse my typos--11a meeting..will be back later to correct

[Valley Cat]

Perhaps they have fixed it but the pictures I saw a couple of years ago showed leaking roofs and a plethora of other problems. I loved St. Al's school in Elmwood - it was really a treasure that included a tunnel to an undercroft in the church. Try walking something like that after working all evening on a Haunted House. But in the end, it made more sense (at least to someone) to tear it down than try to maintain it.

Mike

[Dawn Longworth]

Read that CPS wants to tear down Carthage school after Hartwell uses it as a temp location while Hartwell is being remodeled.  I agree with the community that is should NOT be torn down and should be offered to the community for possible uses or as a Recreation facility...anything but torn down. 
Shame on CPS for leaving empty buildings all over the City and then tearing others down that people can use.