31 replies to this topic

[Alxx611]

I was just wondering if anyone had any pictures of Birmingham schools, like Hoover, Spain Park...

[Florida]

How many public high schools are there in the city of Birmingham?

[dfwtiger]

Alxx611, on Oct 14 2005, 07:43 PM, said:

I was just wondering if anyone had any pictures of Birmingham schools, like Hoover, Spain Park...

Here are links to Spain Park and Hoover High School
http://www.hoover.k1...sphs/index2.htm
http://www.hoover.k12.al.us/hhs/

[EbonyGardens]

I'm banking on 15-20 public high schools in B-Ham.

[Blazer85]

Let's see... I'll try to name as many high schools as I can in Jefferson County.  

Ramsey
Booker T. Washington
Carver
West End
Wenonah
Woodlawn
Huffman
Jackson-Olin
Fairfield
Midfield
Minor
Jess Lanier
Hoover
Spain Park
Vestavia
Hewitt-Trussville
Clay-Chalkville
Shades Valley/Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School
Erwin
Fultondale
Gardendale
Mortimer Jordan
Homewood
Mountain Brook
Briarwood
Pinson Valley
Hueytown
Pleasant Grove
Oak Grove
Ensley
Alabama School of Fine Arts
Leeds

[kayman]

Shelby County Schools running out of room
Needs more classrooms and at least 125 more teachers

Shelby County Schools from The Birmingham News

It's apparent with the population of Shelby County now pushing 200,000 that there needs to be more classrooms and teachers.  This problem should have been addressed during state legislature by giving the county its own taxation ability.

[Alababy]

I agree that there needs to be some influx of money.  However, anything that goes to the polls that even smells like a tax will be defeated.

[kayman]

Clay is looking into creating is own school system
OK, and why?

Clay get idea of school system's cost

A consult informs the town of Clay that it would have to raise at least to 22-mills to afford its own school system.  The town hopes to create own by 2009.  


I ask, uh why?  These cities are getting way ahead of themselves with this rush to form their own school districts within Jefferson County.  I can see a lot of them going broke within the next 2 decades.  Most of the region is maxed out in the retail sector with traditional chain stores and the only form of income they can generate with current state law is sales taxes.  Also, just remember what happened to Trussville back 2004 when it had it property tax referendum on the ballots (statewide), it failed.  They are wishing for a pipe dream that has little chance of coming through.

[davidzLA]

Leonard23, on Nov 16 2006, 02:13 PM, said:

I ask, uh why?

Because parents feel their children are not being educated by Jefferson County to their satisfaction and are willing to tax themselves to supply a better system?

[kayman]

davidzLA, on Nov 16 2006, 11:41 PM, said:

Because parents feel their children are not being educated by Jefferson County to their satisfaction and are willing to tax themselves to supply a better system?

There maybe some truth to that, but this just reassures the existence of the "too many chiefs and no Indians" mentality of this region.  All they doing is biting off their own nose to spite their face.  If they are so dissatified with the school system then why don't they just they voice their dissatisfaction at one of the Jefferson County School Board meetings.  Political and community apathy is the cause of this dissatisfaction, and the only solution is more community involvement at the schools.  Until the state rewrites the state constitution to allow more home rule for the locales then they be just like Trussville hoping to break away but can't.

Edited by Leonard23, 17 November 2006 - 12:06 PM.

[kayman]

Birmingham City School District Superintendent Stanley Mims has proposed his first major plan since taking the post that determines the consolidation/closing of 10 schools of the current 66 school district.  He also wants to prevent the laying off of anymore instructors but rather administrative personnel to prevent a teacher shortage.   He has held numerous public meetings over the past few months before announcing this plan and he has recommended dividing the district into 5 individual sections that can be monitored by 5 section administrators that will answer to him.

Mims focuses on schoolwork

Mr. Mims has a track record of turning around the Bronx School District and East St. Louis (Illinois) School District, both of which were much worse off than Birmingham's.  How do you guys feel about this plan?  Do you think he will prevail?

[Blazer85]

I'm anxious to see what he can do.  He has a great track-record and couldn't do any worse than the last several leaders.  Education will be BIG in terms of continuing and initiating alot of new growth and development for downtown.  I trust his judgement.

[kayman]

The idea of neighborhoods and communities losing their schools in Birmingham are horrible, but it must be done if the school district doesn't want to be taken over by the state.  

Abandoned schools leave chasms in communities

I am glad that their is now coaltion in the eastern portion of the city working and striving to revivalize that entire area with organizations like Parkway East District Business Association.  Now, I only wish that the city would get behind them and push to revival that area.

[kayman]

Possible thefts by city school employees prompt audit

These fools KNEW how money strapped for funds the school district is but they still stole from it.  WTF, is wrong with these people.  This like kicking at a person when they are already down.

[kayman]

The latest it seems with the city's schools are that 10 are proposed to be closed, and Councilmen Roger Royal is proposing an 1-mill increase in property taxes to properly fund the district.  It is unfortunate that Mims is distracted from his task at hand to turn the school district around academically to deal with another threat of state takeover due to finances.

[convulso]

^ roderick royal?

money will of course help (it'll at least keep us out of trouble, whoo hoo), but the education problem in the city requires a holistic solution. improving the demographics and social environment of residents in the city limits is going to have to be a part of that solution - the in-town demographic is just too poor, uneducated and homogenized to carry its weight in supporting any dramatic school improvements, even if the city board were to discover a money-printing machine in the basement.

[kayman]

Convulso, I get where you are coming from, but that will come in due time after the initial problems are solved.  Yes, I know Birmingham is overtly homogenized at this point, but you can't really the make-up of the demographic as the problem.  The real problem of the school district is the quality of education, not whom is being educated.  The City of Birmingham hasn't really heavily invested in school district since the early 80's, and to be honest Richard Arlington is the blame for most of the fair share Birmingham's current problems.  He chose to pick-and-choose a lot of things with the city to invest upon and the schools wasn't one of them.  The Roads and Sanitation Department was another and it was disbanded by him, but that is whole other conversation.  

Back to topic: Mims is the perfect candidate to resolve a lot of the school district's current problems (his track record speaks for itself), but they must get pass this major hurdle first (sustainable funding).  Hopefully, this 1-mill increase will solve this problem for the long term.

[kayman]

Well, it has been resolved that Curry Elementary and Kennedy Alternative. Banks Middle Schools, all of which are already empty will be permanently shuttered along with the alternative school, McCaw School, and the learning resource center, Eureka Center.  Now the decision to layoff 500 employees still must be decided.  

I really hope that this is the last time Birmingham School District will have to contract in the number of schools.

[Blazer85]

I think overall, the future is better for the Birmingham City School system than in quite some time.  Stan Mims has proven to be a great leader... it will just take some time to dig out of the big hole that the previous leaders left the system in.  Eventually, with all the stuff going on downtown, if folks are brining their kids in there with them, more schools will have to be built in/near downtown... or at least expanded.

[Alabadrock]

Blazer85, on Apr 26 2007, 12:32 PM, said:

I think overall, the future is better for the Birmingham City School system than in quite some time. Stan Mims has proven to be a great leader... it will just take some time to dig out of the big hole that the previous leaders left the system in. Eventually, with all the stuff going on downtown, if folks are brining their kids in there with them, more schools will have to be built in/near downtown... or at least expanded.

If they can just get the schools to perform better, that'd do wonders for the whole city.  People like the idea of their children getting a good education.  So, if the city can make it apparent to everyone that it is possible to get on in Birmingham, people might not move out so quickly.