Peabody High School on Chopping Block.

For everyone's insight. My comments are being saved for another posting. This was covered by the P-G today.

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FIRST PITTSBURGH PEABODY COMMUNITY AND PARENT STAKEHOLDER MEETING ANNOUCEMENT
(Two Meetings-Same Agenda-Same Day-
Pick Your Best Time-Attend One Meeting)

Time: First meeting- 8 am Second meeting- 6 pm
Date: (Both Meetings On) Wednesday, January 7th
Location: BGC Community Activity Center, 113 N. Pacific Avenue

Below are two recent news articles focusing on the work of a site selection committee for the Pittsburgh Public Schools International Baccalaureate program. (Please also read the letter from the BGC to the Superintendent -- attached and below.)

As you can see the site selection committee picked Pittsburgh Peabody. Pittsburgh Peabody with its rich history of educating high school age youth presently has 500 students attending the facility.

The Bloomfield Garfield Corporation is not aware of any broad based Pittsburgh Peabody parent and community stakeholder group planning process occurring prior to the announcement.

In order to ensure full Pittsburgh Peabody Community and Parent Stakeholder input into whatever Superintendent Roosevelt and Board of Education plan evolves the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation is forming a stakeholder working group.

We ask that join us on January 7th to learn details on what is being proposed. Our goal is also to identify an ongoing stakeholder group that will provide input to the Superintendent and the Board of Education as to what is best for the students at Pittsburgh Peabody and our region.

PLEASE SEND A REPLY EMAIL AND LET ME KNOW YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING.... Call with questions...

Rick Flanagan
Bloomfield Garfield Corporation
Cell 412-913-4360


Peabody best site for IB program, panel says
Friday, December 05, 2008
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A 30-member site-selection committee has unanimously recommended the Pittsburgh Peabody building as the best permanent home for the International Baccalaureate program for grades 6 through 12 in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

The district today released the recommendation, which calls for the building to be ready for the 2012-13 school year.

The recommendation noted the district's location near public bus transportation and the fact the building would need fewer renovations than some other buildings.

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IB school program may move to Peabody

By Rick Wills TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, December 6, 2008

A committee is recommending that Pittsburgh Peabody high school become the permanent home of the district's rigorous International Baccalaureate program starting in the 2012-13 school year.

The program could bring hundreds of new students to Pittsburgh Peabody, which enrolls about 500 students but is expected to have a student population of less than 200 over the next five years.

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The International Baccalaureate Programme offers students a chance to earn college credits. The program teaches subjects through an international perspective. It had been housed at Schenley High School until the district closed Schenley in June, 2008.

A 6-12 International Baccalaureate program was created in the Reizenstein school in East Liberty. However, the cost to make needed upgrades to Reizenstein has been estimated at $50 million, and the district has been looking for a new site for the IB program.

Peabody, which is located in East Liberty, was selected by a 30-member site selection committee, which presented its recommendation this week to schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt. The committee is made up of parents, students and alumni from across the city.

"I thank the committee for their work, time and thoughtful deliberation," Roosevelt said in a statement issued Friday evening. "Their recommendation will inform the work we are currently doing to restructure our high schools."

Roosevelt and his staff are expected to provide a recommendation to the school board in the next few months.

The site selection committee looked at six schools -- Connelly Vocational School, Reizenstein along with Langley, Oliver, Peabody and Westinghouse high schools.

Peabody was selected as the best option. Its East End location is convenient to many students in the program, and few building renovations will be needed. It also is close to public transportation, the district said.

For the next three years, the IB program will remain at Reizenstein Middle School.

Rick Wills can be reached at rwills@tribweb.com or 724-779-7123.

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Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation
5149 penn avenue
pittsburgh, pa 15224
phone 412-441-6950 fax 412-441-6956
http://www.bloomfield-garfield.org



December 26, 2008
Mark Roosevelt
Superintendent
Pittsburgh Public Schools
341 S. Bellefield Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Dear Superintendent Roosevelt,

The Bloomfield Garfield Corporation (BGC) appreciates your empowerment of a Pittsburgh International Baccalaureate program stakeholder group that recently released it proposed plans to move the International Baccalaureate program to Pittsburgh Peabody. The Board of Directors of the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation (BGC) is now asking for you to engage a community and parent leadership working group made up of Pittsburgh Peabody stakeholders.

The Bloomfield Garfield Corporation has already begun to identify community and parent leadership to join the working group. This leadership group will review the proposed International Baccalaureate program proposal, gain additional broad based community and parent input, and appropriately respond to the Pittsburgh International Baccalaureate proposed plan. The Bloomfield Garfield Corporation will act to organize and convene this stakeholder group.

Presently, the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation is asking that the Pittsburgh Public School Schools take the following action:

1) To the address above, send a copy International Baccalaureate program plan and a roster list of the decision makers on the plan. An emailed copy would be welcomed.
2) Please send copies of all the meeting minutes of the Pittsburgh International Baccalaureate program meetings.
3) Assign one or more of your district administrators to work in collaboration with the BGC on matters relating to the BGC newly created Pittsburgh Peabody Community and Parent Stakeholder Group.

As always, the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation seeks to support your restructuring plans. The work of the BGC/Pittsburgh Peabody Parent and Community Stakeholder group will permit the varying stakeholders to feel a sense of pride and ownership over whatever restructuring plans are finally approved by the Board of Education.

Please send an email to me with the name of the administrator who you have assigned to engage the BGC on this matter.

Sincerely,


Richard Flanagan
BGC Youth Development Director
Email Rflanag@aol.com
Cell 412-913-4360