TO KILL A HIGH SCHOOL

Mayor Brown's Summit on education is more like a cast of characters from a bad off broadway play. Bennett, the face of yesteryear has done absolutely nothing in Williams' tenure to prevent or pre-empt the so called failure of the BPS. Especially in these 9, 7 or other 29 schools that are slated for failure (or so rumor has it). Except of course, City Honors. Why there is only one school for gifted children just remains so offensive, and a bit like educational apartheid if one really thinks it through. Kozol is right. It is The Shame of The Nation, and there is no more amazing grace, although there seems to be an awful lot of praying going on. Just a guess this is how it goes....

What's happened here in Buffalo was planned since Williams hit town. This is how you kill a district, never mind a high school:

1. Close any alternative school opportunities and keep the troublesome one percent monopolizing an entire school.

2. Place failed leaders in new leadership roles instead of firing them.

3. Play politics with poor kids.

4. Force scripted curriculum down teachers, children, parents' and principals' throats.

5. Play hot potato with troubled kids.

6. Pump up the Special Education population in the "failing" schools, even though teachers & admin still perform miracles.

7. Test. Test more. Force kids with Low IQs to take tests to make them feel inept then pour money into Bullying workshops.

8. Blame teachers. More money spent on Bullying.

9. Arbitrarily raise Regents scores by 10 points with no explanation.

10. "Fire" the bad guy, the fall guy, the genius, Williams. Extend a boatload of cash his way so it eases his conscience.