Well the verdict is in. The judge made his determination that the failing schools Joel Klein tried to close without any due process could not be closed.
This allows the 80,000 letters that the Board of Ed were holding onto, that told 80,000 nailbiting 8th graders who thought they would know by Wednesday of this last week, to finally get their letters by some time next week.
Not that there won't still be heartbreak, hallelujahs, and a range of in between, but at least most kids should get their seat and know where they will be going next year.
I usually am a pretty big NYC advocate and have little patience for the whining that goes on about how difficult the whole school process is for New York City parents. I figure anything that saves me from the suburbs, with my 'bungalow-phobia,' is fine. I will do what it takes to try to figure out the byzantine system that comes with kindergarten, middle school, but particularly high school.
However, it has been getting steadily worse. As 8th graders have waited for this second round of letters they thought would be coming, a political snafu of sorts came about that was handled particularly poorly.
Back in September, Joel Klein picked 12 schools that were said to have been 'failing.' With protests of the community, teachers and parents, and legal protests by the Teachers Union and the NAACP that there was no process to these decisions and where were these kids going to go once these schools were closed, things were logjammed. Nothing was being decided. This week, a judge determined that the Board of Ed could not send out letters to 80,000 kids without a ruling if these schools would be closed, as all of the high schools seats would be taken. Then what would happen to these kids who would have nowhere to go?
And of course you are wondering: What would happen to them anyway, given that there don't seem to be any alternatives that have been created to accommodate the kids who are now attending these 'failing' schools. What was the plan, guys?
Well we finally got the verdict, at least. The judge determined that the schools had to remain open, the seats remain the same, and after a week of hand wringing, parents will get letters sent to them directly from the The Board of Ed. vs. being sent via the guidance counselor. The Board of Ed. is working overtime this weekend to send out letters to help relieve frayed nerves. Thank you!
It is hard to imagine that these political snafus could not have been handled better and with a bit more sensitivity and anticipation of what was to come.
Really.