New Haven Independent

Posted by: eli | June 26, 2007 9:24 AM

Two suggestions.

1 - move the Annex to the Gateway building.
It's across the street from the police station
its large enough to hold 175 extra people
it's in the same building as the B.O.E. & Dr. Mayo
it's centrally located

2 - ask the Greer family if they are interested in moving to Nash St. or becoming principals.

Posted by: on whalley | June 26, 2007 9:42 AM

Oh good. So theyll move the Connecticut Scholars out of my neighborhood to East Rock and bring the Annex kids here.

And what exactly is so hard about high school anyway? Are these remidial kids with disabilities or something? As I recall attendance was worth more than any exam or homework. Just show up and the lovely New Haven schools will pass you right on through. Unless the standards have risen in the last few years. LOL, yeah right.

Posted by: Frank Iezzi | June 26, 2007 9:45 AM

The administration had a chance to kill two birds with one stone where it came to the Lovell School building (aka Cross Annex) and expanding Hooker School. I've proposed repeatedly that the city use the Lovell School to put their Hooker expansion plans into effect. What better building than one built in the same era and in the same neighborhood to mimic the ambiance of Hooker? What better place to spend tax money than in that portion of State Street which also needs revitalizing? Children also had the Blake Street field and hockey rink which they could have safely walked to for extra curricular activities. That should have been the place where all their efforts were directed to, not Whitney Avenue.

Posted by: charlie | June 26, 2007 10:48 AM

How about

1) moving some of the kids to suburban districts. New Haven spends just as much per student. Transfer the problem kids to Hamden High or East Haven.

2) Break the teachers unions and create more charter schools immediately. Institute a system of school vouchers. Then "overcrowding" due to the NHPS' poor planning could be relieved with great new schools that are smaller and actually produce results.

Posted by: Ned | June 26, 2007 11:00 AM

Mayo doesn't have an answer: "But remember, they are kids" duh!, ever read Lord of the Flies? Please, get a clue. "Connecticut Scholars" LOL.

Posted by: DAFeder | June 26, 2007 11:28 AM

I'm certainly glad to be rid of the Annex in my neighborhood, but I feel for you, ON WHALLEY. Here's a suggestion -- put the screws to Supt. Mayo to enforce truancy. "Serious mental health, behavior counselors" are a great necessity for a population like this, but unless someone actually gets the kids into the building, they're not going to do much. And judging from the little crowd of young drug users (and occasional dealers) who hang out in the neighborhood during school hours, the counselors are not reaching the kids they're there to help. There ought to be a coordinated effort between school staff, the NHPD, and neighborhood residents to make sure the kids are getting the education they need -- and that we pay for.

David

Posted by: DAFeder | June 26, 2007 11:46 AM

Also, re: Nash St. NIMBY -- I suspect I speak for a lot of my neighbors when I say I'm disappointed in the school's failure to take advantage of their neighborhood location. High school students, Annex or otherwise, have to learn to integrate into their social environment in responsible ways. How many of our problems could have been avoided if the Annex students participated in neighborhood parties, meetings, clean-up days, and so forth? Nash St. residents put forth the effort, but the school repeatedly dropped the ball. As much as we wanted to be neighbors, we ended up as a convenient ATM and well-maintained crackhouse. A lot of us are not so much "not in my back yard" as "not *just this* in my back yard."

Let's hope school staff can do better in their new location. Or the next one -- which I assume is prison, unless these kids learn how to be citizens.

David

Posted by: WEBbloger 1 | June 26, 2007 12:12 PM

There is a CT. and city law that states NO Drugs within 1500 ft. of a school. Well that's nearly every where in the city. Why move the problem to another area. Just suspend or jail the criminals and send the state its money back.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | June 26, 2007 12:38 PM

First eli LOL love your answer

Frank Iezzi that is really a good idea!!!

Now.... first these are kids that can not be in other schools but have not been expelled or have dropped out..so they are still not so far gone that they can not be saved or they would not be attending school at all. But they are troubled and or hard to handle and I think Eli is not far off with his answer. Guards will not help.
And I have to be honest I would fight tooth and nail if the annex was placed in my area! I think the key is a remote area or non residential area. Not just for the community that would suffer having such a school in there community but for the children that attended it. These children are easily distracted, there friends that don't even qualify to be in this school are hanging around it and causing trouble . An area were they can not wander off and get into trouble or be swayed by kids that are looking to bring them down even further would be the solution as far as I can see. but this city being a packed as it is already I can only think of one place smack dap in the middle of Sergeant Drive or as Eli stated The Gateway building.

Posted by: Ben Berkowitz | June 26, 2007 12:42 PM

Sad that this program has fallen to such decay, but I, like may of others on State St, have had many run-ins with these kids...they won't be missed.

Posted by: East Rock Resident | June 26, 2007 12:52 PM

I'm glad to see that Dr. Mayo came to his senses! A big thank you to the neighbors who came out and spoke up and a big thank you to alderman Lemar who pulled the whole thing together and made sure that our voices were heard! This will be an enormous victory for our neighborhood.

Posted by: Robn | June 26, 2007 1:12 PM

This isn't so much an issue about schooling, but parenting. Yes, the school system can be rightly accused of foolishly aggregating troubled kids in one place, but really..if the kids are leaving school and comitting crime after hours in the East Rock neighborhood, is it the school's fault? Doesn't the student's opportunity to commit crime exist because they are leaving school and not going home??? or going elsehwere with the knowledge and consent of their parents??

The realpolitik is that the neighborhood will INSIST that this program to be moved out of the Lovell building. However, that doesn't really solve a problem which is unsolvable by a different location or even a gold plated scholastic program.

Schools can't be a substitute for responsible parenting.

Posted by: Red Scare | June 26, 2007 1:52 PM

Maybe these kids would respect the neighborhood more if they actually lived in or near it. What's more, the policy of "sending" all the "bad kids" to a dilapidated school is a failed one. They don't even have a library. The kids feel like they've been dumped there. Putting kids with problems together breeds more problems. And the problems have not surfaced only in the last year, as Reggie Mayo suggested. Click here, here, here, and here.

The city ought to save the $300,000 it just approved for a new roof on this building. Instead, it should sell the building and use the money to find a new home for the Annex - one with resources, books, motivated teachers, classrooms that are not falling apart, and perhaps even a library. The current building would make for some nice condos, apartments, or elderly housing, as one suggested.

Posted by: vblaisdell | June 26, 2007 2:11 PM

Roland Lemar is right--our neighborhood does have to keep the pressure up. But I am disappointed that the pressure is for removing the school, not fixing it. Canelli and Mayo were so proud of how great big Wilbur Cross is, now that they got rid of the bad kids. Branding them "bad kids" and segregating them into a rundown facility, no matter where it's located, is not only rotten education policy (one can see how well that works in prisons) but reeks of elitism. It's an admission of the failure of our education system.

Posted by: mary | June 26, 2007 2:21 PM

I am so sorry to see the problems that Cross Annex faces because I happen to know a lot of kids that go there.I lived on NASH street for five years three houses down from the school I moved away 2 years ago.I cant believe that they have had these problems in the neighboorhood when nothing of that nature happened when I lived there.I believe DR.MAYO when he says it was overcrowded and thats what happened.This school is not just for bad kids its for kids who cant be taught in large settings and need smaller size classrooms for whatever reason.I really believe that all schools need their communitys to get in touch with the schools we can be such a great resource to these schools and when the kids see the community people in there caring about them there would be less trouble in the neighboorhoods.IT doesnt matter where these kids come from what matters is what we can do for them together.

Posted by: mary | June 26, 2007 3:28 PM

I feel so bad that this happened in the EAST Rock community I lived on NASH street 3 houses down from the school 2 years ago.I lived there for 5 years and nothing of that nature ever happened. I do know a lot of the kids that go there and it is not a bad school for bad kids.IT is a school for kids that need a smaller setting for whatever reason. I do believe that DR. MAYO is right it was probably too crowded and and these incidents should have been taken care of right away.I do think that the community should have went into the school to speak to the principals and the school would have taken care of it.I dont know how it was done but I do know that most schools would have sat down with the community in fact the community needed to be on the schools s.p.m.t
meetings and it would have been addressed right away.IT is so important for community people to be active in the schools.KIDS who see community people in their schools are less likely to harm the neighboorhoods around them even if they dont live there.Again if we as community people get more involved we can become a great resource for the school and most importantly for the kids.

Posted by: Uncle Nunzio | June 26, 2007 6:57 PM

I used to live right across the street from this school, and I must tell you, I've never seen anything like it.

Kids using and dealing drugs right underneath the "Drug Free Zone" signs. (Should be changed to Free Drug Zone.) Kids screaming and fighting with each other. Smashing and destroying cars parked on Nash. Chasing people with bats. Kids shouting profanities and slurs outside the windows at residents in the neighborhood. Every day was a new adventure... and almost a comedy to watch the old security guard try to chase these kids around like a Benny Hill episode.

That school is awful and already adds to an increasing crime problem in that area. They should move that school out of a residential area and put it somewhere else. Perhaps an island off the coast of New Haven?

Posted by: Patti | June 26, 2007 10:39 PM

For clarification: The Connecticut Scholars Academy is one of two high schools in New Haven based on a national State Scholars model (www.ctscholars.org). The New Haven business community, along with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association has been working with these students for several years now.
These are students who are challenging themselves to take more difficult courses, and who have taken leadership initiatives. I was honored to be invited to the school's recent awards night and it's safe to say that the students who are currently enrolled in the Scholars Academy have proven themselves to be much more than average since enrolling in this school.
I think the East Rock community would be pleased with all the great work the teachers and students are doing at the Scholars Academy and, hopefully, would also want to get involved with these students in the classroom as so many other business people have.

Posted by: vblaisdell | June 26, 2007 11:48 PM

Thank you, Mary, for pointing up what the true meaning of a "community" school could be. I would really love it if our neighborhood cared about the kids there, rather than caring only that they were gone. Mayo and Canelli think that if they move the problem somewhere else, the pressure will subside, and that's probably the case. They'll do their bad-kids (oops, I almost said "ethnic") cleansing routine in another location where no one will notice, they hope.

People in the neighborhood DID complain to the principal, to the cops, to Reggie Mayo. No one responded. Mayo and the other school officials only came to our meeting because they were asked to come--it was not their idea. And Mayo just stood up there and tried to flim-flam us. First he said that it was a special school for remediation, with small class sizes. Then he said they had purposely over-crowded it without putiing any new resources in, because big Wilbur Cross wanted to get rid of some troublemakers. We're not stupid; we got the picture pretty quickly. And no doubt the kids at Cross Annex did, too.

If we as a neighborhood (or city) community truly cared about these kids and our education system, we would DEMAND that Reggie Mayo EARN his quart mil salary and set up special services in the big schools for kids that need extra help. The badder the kid, the more the help. Small class sizes? How about one-on-one? Extra resources? How about on-site social workers, health care and job counselors? How about they put back the music and art programs they stripped from the schools long ago?

Think of it--you're a "bad" kid who cuts classes and hangs out smoking dope in the neighborhood. Would you be mildly tempted to return to your "special" school if, instead of a brain-dead principal, knee-high elementary school drinking fountains and a bunch of beaten-down teachers, there were 9AM-9PM guitar classes? Rap competitions? Computer game design classes? Acura soup-up workshops? (It wouldn't take too much imagination for a teacher to turn these events into "teachable moments," I suspect.)

Reggie Mayo's job--and the job of the School Board and the Mayor--is to make our kids WANT to learn, no matter how impoverished their social or family background. They have woefully, miserably, CRIMINALLY, failed at this task. They have written these non-Hooker kids off.

If the Hooker neighborhood people have found a way to have a voice at City Hall, we Nash Street/Goatville neighbors must find one, too. I think we can do better than the Hooker neighborhood; I think we can fight for ALL the kids in this city who are shunted aside to make a pleasant suburban-style high-achieving school system. Even if Cross Annex kids run down the street, jumping on our cars, stealing our morning papers, smoking dope in our community garden, we--as a community and as a neighborhood--owe them a real education and our respect and support. Reggie Mayo be damned.

Posted by: Taxed To Death | June 27, 2007 10:44 AM

Here we go again -- another neighborhood under attack -- and after years of abuse, it's finally coming to light. Perhaps Alder Goldfield will now attack them as extremists and alarmists. Where has the response been all this time? Why are the police complacent? Where has Roland and Mattison been all this time? They convene a meeting to vent? And Mayho just got an $24,000 raise -- would that be for the 65% high school graduation rate or the demolition of East Rock? Where's DeStefano?

Posted by: ROBN | June 27, 2007 11:59 AM

Vblaisdell,

If, as you wrote, "kids run down the street, jumping on our cars, stealing our morning papers, smoking dope in our community garden",, then the problem is bigger than the best school can address.

Its the responsibility of a school system to TRY to make kids want to learn, and to TRY to overcome an "impoverished ...social or family background" but they shouldn't be expected to do the work of a parent. Plus, their responsibility to TRY ends when the bell rings and when the kids walk out the door.

In any event, whether the inherant nature of the program or just lax discipline in the Cross Annex has fostered and environment where kids have learned thievery and armed robbery then it's unfair to the neighborhood and it needs to be shut down.

Posted by: TEACH ME | June 27, 2007 2:32 PM

Along with increased parental involvement, strict behavioral consequences and prompt school principal, NHPD, Reggie Mayo and BoE response to taxpayers complaints, I also hope that at least some of these students will benefit from a kick start of creative engagement from NHPS', where ever their school is located -- for example, the Sound School, which sprouted from a Lovell school based HSC teacher's passionate boatbuilding/marine technology classes. Personally I had more than the usual trouble concentrating (etc.) in high school but the hands on curriculum of the fledgling Sound School was just what I needed so I want to thank George Foote, founder and first principal. Day by day my confidence was reinforced by the tangible accomplishments gained from working on boats etc. with Ken Donovan around the old South Water St. shack and I even was able to take my academics at UNH (V. Blaisdell's photo of an HSC student and I making the UNH deans list made the paper!). Among other things, we read and discussed the wonderful "Cruise of the Cachelot" by Frank T. Bullen with Schooner Inc's Peter Neil and relished winning the first Fair Haven Day rowing race in a class built dory that we stayed up all night finishing with HSC teacher Teresa Pasternak. Watched the sun rise from the City Point dock.

Sure we still occasionally skipped school but guess what? While playing hooky we'd do things like soak in a day at Mystic Seaport or head to Stamford Wrecking to buy liberty ship oars to refurbish. I was juiced enough by the school experience that I designed and fabricated the "SOUND SCHOOL" sign at home and it still hangs on one of the Sound School buildings today -- over 26 years later.


We had the usual trouble makers in the three New Haven High Schools that I attended but the worst of the trouble was caused by the dynamic of non-students hanging around, IE:

- Wilbur Cross teacher Anthony Annunziata was shot to death by a non-student while manning the school store. Getaway car driven by Mechanic St. ex - Cross student turned criminal.

- At the old Lovell school based High School in the Community, where Bob Cannelli was an engaging teacher of mine, a mob of HSC punks led by a large non-student tried to kick me off of and steal my motorcycle in that parking lot. (we settled that ourselves, without guns or knives and I never had another problem there)

- Another Sound School student tried to settle his teacher beef by bringing a large non-student into school to threaten the teacher (and to handsaw through the foremast of Schooner Inc's 65' J.N. Carter; luckily the first mate spotted the sawdust just before hoisting sail, thus avoiding the sawn mast crushing a deck full of 3rd graders!)

UNCLE NUNZIO's suggested WC Annex location as an "island off the coast of New Haven" brought back memories -- as a Sound School student, I used to help out by providing 'fredo runs -- taking disciplinary cases out for a row into the harbor to blow off steam. Nothing like being left stranded on Sandy Point in a rising tide to help get your head straight (:))


FRANK IEZZI, don't know how to best utilize the old Lovell school building but it is impossible to fit the more than twelve 3rd - 8th grade Hooker classrooms into that eight classroom building let alone providing a library and minimal core essentials. Also no gym or auditorium with restrictive .6 acre site with no possibility of expansion etc. etc. -- see 82 page 2001 "WHS Site Selection Process."

BTW, Hooker was one of the very last of the NHPS' to receive any facilities improvements and typically 35-40% of the WHS students live out of district.

Posted by: mary | June 27, 2007 4:42 PM

You are so right we as a whole need to demand extra help and resources for our kids.Schools need to be kept open 9 to 9.IT would so help everything that is happening out in the streets.SO if all communites come together to start talking to their alderpeople and community people maybe we can make it happen for our kids.I know we can make a difference for these kids but we have to do it as a whole.

Posted by: Frank Iezzi | June 28, 2007 6:55 AM

To Teach Me,

The recommendation for Lovell School was for the main building and site. There are plenty of surrounding properties that can be bought up to expand the school, including the Star Supply buildings which are also of the same era.

The size of the school is relative to what your trying to accomplish. Depends upon how many people you claim live in East Rock. That one building would be large enough for East Rock resident children, not the entire city of New Haven's population. Why can't we go back to the tried and true neighborhood school model? Worked for me and my parents. Didn't have all the problems and expenses we face now. Why can't we give children the benefit of what we had?

Posted by: TEACH ME | June 28, 2007 5:00 PM

To FRANK IEZZI,

I was responding to your statement about using the Lovell School building and existing site but to follow your WHS tangent:

FRANK IEZZI wrote: "There are plenty of surrounding properties that can be bought up to expand the school"

Perhaps, but consider that the properties surrounding the Lovell school are residential and the community processes and public hearings indicated a strong preference for not taking residential property.

Anyway do you really want to take more properties off of the tax roles? The 8 bedroom, 11 Mechanic St. multi family home, located behind the school is only .15 AC, the 2 family home, next to the school at 24 Mechanic St. is only .1 AC and the 4 family home, located next to the school at 51 Nash St. is only .11 AC so even if everyone was willing to sell, you're displacing approx. 9 units of housing and gaining only .36 acres. (Having been a church, 691 Whitney Ave is currently tax-exempt and will not further reduce NH's tax base).

FRANK IEZZI wrote: "That one building would be large enough for East Rock resident children."

If you're talking about the Lovell school building, now that they finally got rid of "art on a cart" and added handicapped access they can barely fit 3 grades into 15,251 square feet at Canner St. so how do 6 grades fit into the 21,550 square foot Lovell School? We're taking about children as young as 8 years old, what about a play area? Won't fit.

If you're talking about Star Supply, this 37,117 square foot industrial building was built in 1875 (!--Parents care more about school safety than vernacular)on 1.04 acres. The 1922 St. Stans building is 45,311 square feet and that is too tight as it is and a minimum of 2 acres was determined to be necessary to accommodate a school building, open space and off street parking. Parkland sites were not recommended because parkland taken by a state or local gov't has to be replaced by parkland in the same neighborhood and opposition was expressed to using parkland.

- Air Quality:
The health experts say that new schools should never be located next to highways:

Can Students Breathe Next To A Highway?http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/06/metropolitan_bu.php

I realize the air quality subject may be offensive to folks who voluntarily live near or next to a highway but we also have the choice NOT to build new schools there. I attended the East Rock Community Bunker for four years and enjoyed the huge library, gym, caf. etc. but wouldn't want anyone's children to have to breathe the air there. Ironically, we only played on Blake field about once per year for Presidential Physical Fitness day -- schools should be located where children can safely play/breathe outdoors.
Do they utilize Blake field for ERCS recess and/or gym now? What IS the plan for the ERCS building and students?

Soil contamination (?):
Look no further than the contaminated Hamden Middle School site to remind us NOT to build schools on contaminated soil:
http://www.newhallinfo.org/news.html

Proximity to existing K-2 school centrally located in the district on Canner St:
The closer the 3-8 school is to it's split site sister the better. Many WHS families are graduate students living up the hill near the western edge of the district so walking all the way across the district and back is too far -- again, we're talking about 3rd grade children as young as 8 years old so walking 15-20 blocks and back every day is too far.

FRANK IEZZI wrote: "Why can't we go back to the tried and true neighborhood school model?"

Not sure but CT DoE says that in an effort to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation Connecticut law (and some would say, morality) requires that school districts provide educational opportunities for their students to interact with students and teachers from diverse racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds -- so WHS is a neighborhood non-magnet school that ALSO allows empty slots to be filled on a first come first served basis, hence the 35-40% out of district integrated population.

Posted by: Ryan | July 16, 2007 10:13 AM

Okay, responding only to these calls to segregate, remove, enclose and basically transfer from sight the students from Cross Annex...
Out of sight may be out of mind but it certainly isn't a solution. We are following a war policy along the same minds but it is NEVER out of sight as long as you ARE ALIVE and facing the world with eyes wide and ready. It may be 16 blocks away or an ocean's distance but it is our world, our neighborhood and our fellow citizens we are talking about.
Unfortunately I am not offering an alternative action plan or specific recommendations but for the love of God, please stop this apathetic attitude that by removing Problem(X) from Viewer(Y) and into the scope of Viewer(Z) that Viewer(Z) will respond more effectively to Problem(X) and that Viewer(Y) will never have to deal with it again!