Friday, July 25, 2008
By Wendy Gragg
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Two of the options the Waco Independent School District is offering for G. L. Wiley Middle School include closure of the school before classes start in the fall.
The district released three proposals Thursday afternoon for the future of the chronically low-performing school. Those options include Wiley remaining open with extra resources provided to help students raise their test scores, plus two options for closure which differ based on the schools that Wiley students would attend instead.
The school board will discuss these options and take comments from the community at a school board meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Waco ISD Conference Center, 115 S. Fifth St. Under the first option, Wiley would remain open and the school would receive technical assistance, as mandated by the state, to help get test scores up. That assistance is estimated by district administrators to cost more than $300,000.
Under a second choice, Wiley would close before school starts this fall. About 60 students in Wiley’s attendance zone would go to G.W. Carver Academy Magnet School, also in East Waco. About 240 students would go to Brazos Middle School and another 60 students would be granted transfers to other middle schools in the district.
Elementary schools that feed Wiley would instead send students to Brazos Middle School.
The third proposal also includes closing the school before fall, but Wiley students would be dispersed differently. About 60 students would go to Carver, 60 to other middle schools and the 100 Wiley-zoned students who are also zoned for West Avenue Elementary (in North Waco) would go to Brazos Middle. Another 115 Wiley students, who are in the attendance zones of East Waco elementary schools Doris Miller and J. H. Hines, would attend Cesar Chavez Middle School.
These options can be found at http://www.wacoisd.org/story.php?id=620&year=2008.
“Option one is the only option,” said McLennan County Commissioner Lester Gibson, after getting a first look at the options Thursday. He said the other options won’t benefit the community or the kids.
“The Wiley student body has done a Herculean job of trying to improve their situation.” Gibson said. “They’re going into the last round. I think they’re up for the challenge.”
Only science scores of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests held Wiley back from an “acceptable” rating this year.
Board member Pat Atkins said the third option was intriguing.
“It puts the kids in two of the best middle schools we have,” he said, speaking of the roughly 175 Wiley students would attend Carver and Cesar Chavez. But Atkins is still curious about the feasibility of a 2008-09 Wiley closure.
“One thing the board wants to hear from the administration is that steps are taken to ensure the transition. We want to know the logistics are solid,” he said.
Board President David Schleicher said there are also details to be worked out, such as additional transportation costs and time. The district statement about the options goes on to say that, under closure, Wiley employees would be reassigned to the schools gaining the Wiley students, as well as other schools. District officials estimate Wiley’s closure would save WISD about $800,000 from utilities, the reassignment of staff to current vacancies and in the extra overhead involved in the running of two small campuses (Brazos and Wiley).
Atkins and Schleicher said that while economic impact is something to be considered, it isn’t the driving force behind closing or keeping Wiley open.
East Waco leaders who met Wednesday to voice their disapproval of closure as an option said closing Wiley would be a blow to the community and would be one more step in making East Waco a ghost town.
Atkins stressed that, even if it was no longer a middle school campus, Wiley would still be a presence in East Waco.
“We recognize that Wiley is one of the most unique and beautiful facilities in the district. It’s not going to be shuttered, boarded up and abandoned,” he said. Wiley could serve another purpose as a professional development facility or maybe even home to a magnet school, he said.
Gibson said he feels like the board has already made up its mind to close Wiley. But he’ll be at the meeting Aug. 7 to contest that option. “We’re going to have a lot of people there. This gives us time to react in a mobilizing way,” he said.
Schleicher said he’s eager to hear whether people have other ideas or options that should be considered at the meeting. “It’s too important a decision to make without public input,” he said.
Whatever decision is going to be made, if it impacts this school year, it absolutely has to be made by Aug. 7, Atkins said.
wgragg@wacotrib.com
757-6901
—— WISD PROPOSALS FOR G.L. WILEY ——
1 Keep school open and provide technical assistance at a cost of more than $310,000.
2 Close school and relocate most of current students to Carver Academy and Brazos Middle School.
3 Close school and relocate current students to Carver Academy, Brazos Middle School and Cesar Chavez Middle School.
Comments
By ANGELA DAVIS
Apr 21, 2009 12:53 PM | Link to this
LET EM TELL YALL SUM10! WILEY WAS THE BEST SCHOOL IN EAST WACO FROM MY POINT OF VIEW!JUST BECAUSE WE HAD LESS KIDS THAN OTHER SCHOOLS, AND LOWER TAKS SCORES IN THE PAST!!!!!DOESNT MEAN ITS NOT A GOOD SCHOOL ALL WE REALLY NEEEDED WAS A LITTLE IMPROVMENT I MEAN REALLY WITH OUT WILEY EAST WACO IS DEAD,GONE AND FORGOTTEN REALLY YALL NEED TO RECONSIDER OPENING WILEY BECAUSE I ATTEND UNIVERSITY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND I DONT LIKE THIS SCHOOL FOR NUTHING IN THE WORLD.AND ALL YALL IN WISD NEED TO STAY OUT OF MR.WARDZ BISSNESS YA DIGG CUZ I WOULD SEND MY CHILD TO MIDWAY TO WISD IS WACK!!!!!!!!!
By Tymeshia Dickerson
Oct 15, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
IM FROM WILEY AND YALL MADE A BIG MISSTAKE BY CLOSEN IT. OUR WHOLE SCHOOL WORKED HARD AND WHERE MR.WARD DAUGHTER GOES IS HIS BISSNESS. YOU ALL DONT HAVE A CLUE WHAT YALL ARE TALKEN ABOUT WILEY IS AS SMART AS ANY OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOL. SO U AND WISD CAN TRY AGAIN CUZ OUR WHOLE SCHOOL PASSED ANS YALL JUST MADE A BIG MISSTAKE.COME 2 WILEY BEFORE U JUDGE US.
THANK YOU,
TymeshiaDickerson
By Friend of Jocelyn
Jul 28, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this
Hello,
First of all before providing this board and public with free information, I would like to express my concern. I am concerned that the community and parents did not wake up until a major crisis such as this occured. Once they awaken,they are angry and pointing the blame on everyone except self. To the East Waco community, I have visited with many of you, had lunch with many of you and also prayed for many of you, but it is time for you to do something. When your student brings home that first C, you should be at the school. That is not if you feel like it, if you want to, it is a must. Now, reality insists that time is a factor, but many of you should take time for your kids. Like I tell my clients, the night you made the child, you had plenty of time, so make time when they arrive!
Now to the board,
Each one of you have a mammoth task to tackle and you are well qualified to do the task. There are some questions that must be answered:
1. Who is inside the building?
2. Are they highly qualified beacause of a certification?
3. If you decide to close the school and disburse those staff members, will it have a negative or positive influence on the receiving campus culture?
4. Are the people in the building diversified by age, gender, race etc...
5. Is it worth it to keep a school open that has a track record and how much money are you losing?
You do know that you are going to make some parents angry and some happy, but nevertheless, you have to do what is best for children. I want to leave all the readers with a scenerio that my friend from Waco told me to prove a point.
A building served as a landmark for generations and all of a sudden a new influx of people were managing the building. The building needed to be painted, but no one ever painted the building, the windows needed to be repaired, but no one ever had time to repair the windows and most of all, the building needed to be remodeled, but no one ever had the money. The issue was not that the building needed to be remodeled, the issue is the people inside has a responsibility to maintain the upkeep. Should the building be torn down, or should some committed people be placed in the building so things can get done?
Wiley has had its good days and have experienced patterns that are undesirable, however; it is important to remember that the children are the one's who are really suffering. Should we continue to see the little progress, or should we go and save those students by placing them at schools which are experiencing some success!! Everyone has the right to a free and appropriate education! I believe Wiley is not exempt!!
One last question: Do you really know what goes on inside the building?
By Waco native:
Jul 25, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this
Well, I blogged on this issue when it first hit the paper. I was under the impression taht no one would show up at the meeting from East Waco, considering that 2 people showed up for the J.H. Hines meeting. I had stated that the only way to post-pone closure was for the community to stand up for itself, especially leaders from the church. I was doubtful that it would happen but hoped East Waco residents would respond by showing themselves at Thursday's meeting. I am happy to say that East Waco leaders have spoken up and have made their voices heard. Wednesday leaders from the community met with WISD board members and expressed their disgust for closing the school early. I know that the board members, with the exception of maybe 1 memeber, really want to see a positive outcome in all this and hope that something can be done about the poor test scores. But now the community leaders that made their voices heard need to do one thing. Stay involved, tutor the kids, conure volunteers from their churches, knowck on doors, and ask the community that is spiritually suffering from immoral behaviour such as sexual immorality, which causes teen pregancy and is a root of the problem with education, drug use, and lack of respect for people and themselves. We can't change the economic condition of East Waco overnight, nor can we turn it all around quickly, but East Waco can start from the beginning and work hard to. You know, its funny how I listen to people make comments about how minority communities and how bad they are, when a lot to blame on our condition was originated by anglos. Howevere, we must no longer blame anyone and just accept it and become responsible. They ave one year to shape up this school and parents, you need to do your part or be prepared to ruin your community you live in. Education is the foundation of every community and if nothing is done then you will lose it all.
By DDD
Jul 25, 2008 5:05 PM | Link to this
I'm sorry to say, but I worked in the Waco district for 11 years before leaving due to the low pay for paraprofessionals. I didn't work at Wiley but I saw and heard things that I didn't like at all regarding the district as a whole. I made sure when my children became school age that I was living in another district.
By null
Jul 25, 2008 3:09 PM | Link to this
I have read all of the above comments and some are true ,East Waco has deteriorated over the years but since we live in the "Bible Belt" we as a people should want to help this area get better.In the bible,Romans 15:1 "the strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves". We have to help our people not crucify them.
By null
Jul 25, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this
said closing Wiley would be a blow to the community and would be one more step in making East Waco a ghost town
A blow to the community? Does the community actually support Wiley- with more than just words?
East Waco will be a ghost town as long as its inhabitants are hell bent on "no snitching" and allowing crime/drugs to continue to run rampant.
Sorry, but alot of this boils down to personal responsibility.
By Chris
Jul 25, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
Dearest Fred,
I am deeply sorry that you feel that way about East Waco, or better yet, the school. The truth is--Are there problems in East Waco and G.L.Wiley? Yes. But your assumptions are totally off. YOU could be the reason that the problem still exists. Instead of pointing fingers and labeling people, why don't you try to help fix the problem? Have you tutored, mentored, or perhaps brought in a behavioral specialist, provided leadership opportunites at Wiley? I am not shuffling the accountability around, but people really don't know all the truth. Stop being ignorant and start being helpful.
By Lester's Conscience
Jul 25, 2008 10:43 AM | Link to this
Mr. WARD has the good sense to Send his CHILD TO MIDWAY!
IF WILEY IS/WAS SUCH A GREAT SCHOOL, WHY DOES THE PRINCIPAL SEND HIS CHILD TO MIDWAY?
I will await MR.WARDıS Silence?
The answer: Mr. Ward wants the best for his child and he knows it is NOT in the WISD! FYI Information Guru (DORK) Dale Caffey also lives in Hewitt and his child attends MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL!!
When the people that make big salaries from the WISD, choose not to live in the district (high taxes) and send their children to better schools (non minority) what should that tell US!!
I am tired of wasting tax dollars, all in the name of affirmative action
By jtex
Jul 25, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
If a business was considering locating in Waco, it would consider the greater Waco area, not just Waco proper. The Midway, Robinson, China Spring, etc school districts would be taken into consideration.
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