Andres Alonso, Baltimore city schools chief (pictured), wants to shut down 17 city schools, renovate or replace 136 of them, and relocate 12 more over the next decade. The plan was unveiled Tuesday as a solution to the decrepit state of the buildings many Baltimore students are expected to learn in. (The plan’s executive summary cites buildings that lack computer set-ups, air conditioning, natural light, and safe drinking water in the fountains.) He just needs $2.4 billion to make it happen.
The school board is hoping the General Assembly will approve a bill that would “allow the system to receive future capital funds as a block grant, which it could then leverage to sell bonds to support the construction.”
These certainly appear to be drastic times for Baltimore public schools — which is especially shameful in light of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s boast at the DNC that Maryland is “home to the number-one public schools in America.” Maybe these are the “drastic measures” we need.
Comments are closed.