More School Closings and Desegregation Rollbacks in Boston, ANSWER, December 3, 2003

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition strongly encourages everyone to
attend this important meeting and show their solidarity with
the parents and communities of Boston.

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The Following is reprinted from USWA L. 8751 (School Bus Drivers) Union Bulletin>>

Join in Solidarity with Parents and the Communities We Serve!

Come to the Boston School Committee Meeting
26 Court St.
Wednesday, December 3, 2003
5:30 PM on (come after work)

Without discussion or consultation with the parents and
communities of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, Superintendent
Payzant, Mayor Menino and his appointed School Committee are
preparing to vote for another round of school closings and
consolidations this Wednesday night. The move is in preparation
for their plan to return all of Boston Public Schools to "walk to
zones" or neighborhood schools starting next year. They call this
plan "22/11", which proposes eliminating the current 3 Boston
school choice zones � dividing the city into 22 zones for elementary
and 11 zones for middle school, and limiting parents� choice to schools
within those "walk to zones".

The vast majority of Local 8751 members are parents, grandparents and relatives of children in the Boston Public Schools, who have a personal stake in building a better school system for our families. But as drivers, we know that this same "walk to school" plan has been proposed by opponents of desegregation and school choice for 30 years. This plan doesn�t amount to better quality, more equal education for the children we serve. Instead it simply takes a budget axe to the vital service of safe, efficient school bus transportation which currently benefits more than 30,000 young people and their parents.

On Monday, December 01, 2003, Chuck Turner � chair of the City Council�s Education Committee � Councilors Felix Arroyo and Charles Yancey held a hearing at City Hall to hear the School Dept.�s plan. In questions from the Councilors, former State Rep. Mel King, Louis Ellisa of the NAACP, Boston Teachers Union president Richard Stutman, parents and community education activists, it became clear that the School Dept. is trying to ram through a vote on these most recent school consolidations this Wednesday night, Dec. 3. Our political allies and community leaders are calling all concerned members of the public to be there and voice your concerns about this attempt to railroad our children�s future.

"We want safety for the children, justice for the drivers!"

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PRESS ADVISORY issued by Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner

December 1, 2003

Contact Person: Chuck Turner (617) 635-3510

Where/When:

Tuesday, December 2, 2003--a press conference will be held at 10:00 am on the 5th Floor of Boston City Hall in the Curley Room.

Purpose:

Our purpose is to outline our opposition to the Boston School Committee's proposed vote regarding the reuse of school facilities. Our opposition to the vote is based upon the Boston Public School Departments release of an inadequate amount of information. This insufficient information does not allow the public to understand how the plan affects the quality of education and what the long term affects will be. The School Committee proposed vote will be taken on Wednesday, December 3, 2003.

The press conference will be attended by:

Boston City Councilors Felix D. Arroyo At-large, Charles C. Yancey District 4, and Chuck Turner District 7/ Education Committee Chair; former State Representative Mel King; Reverend Gregory Groover, Peggy Wiesenberg, former Chair of Citywide Parent Council; Owen Toney, ACORN; and other concerned education activists.

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A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
(Act Now to Stop War & End Racism)
284 Amory St.
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617.522.6626

answerboston@iacboston.org

www.iacboston.org/answer