Aimee Picchi, local freelance journalist, has written several pieces for Seven Days about Edmunds accessibility. Check out her blog for more.
(Thanks Haik for the heads up.)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Attend School Board Meeting May 19
Attend the next full school board meeting. Just be present or speak up during the public comment period. May 19, 2009, 7 PM, Burlington High School cafeteria.
Edmunds Accessibility - Myths and Reality
Wow. The outpouring of community support for making Edmunds accessible has been amazing. I bumped into a non-Burlington state senator and asked if he was aware... "oh yes!" Apparently he's gotten an earful from many constituents, which prodded him to make a series of calls. And this kind of thing is playing out all across northwest Vermont. Good. This conversation is long overdue.
Now, not all voices are singing strong in support. Indeed, we've heard from at least two people who seem against making the school in question accessible to children and community members with disabilities. A brave stance to take, no doubt. In response to some of their points...
1. We should make our decisions to provide the greatest good to the greatest number.
Hmm... a pro-tyranny of the majority argument seems a tough sell in Vermont.
2. While access to public school buildings may be an "inalienable right," we shouldn't support this right if it's costly.
Declaring something a "right" does just that... it de-emphasizes financial cost in light of community beliefs of right and wrong.
3. Spending money on kids with disabilities takes resources away from other kids.
Well, yes and no. Many public funds come with heavy restrictions on what they can and cannot be used for. E.g., federal nutrition funds for low-income kids cannot be used to build a new high school sports complex. Despite claims to the contrary, school finances are NOT a simple matter.
4. This is not a legal issue.
Of course it is! Anything and everything is a legal issue if the parties involved take it in that direction. We operate under the rule of law and when people disagree, they can turn to the law to resolve their differences. In this particular case, multiple legal experts have testified that the Burlington school district is out of compliance with more than one federal civil rights laws.
5. This is a $1.5 million elevator.
The current estimate is $500,000 for a four-building fire alarm replacement, plus $500,000 for a whole new electrical system for the middle school, plus $500,000 for a five-stop elevator in the middle school (including the attic). This is a $1.5 million fire safety, electrical, and accessibility proposal, NOT a $1.5 million elevator. The school district recently installed a 2.5-stop elevator at Burlington High School for about $250,000, as a point of reference.
6. One elevator in Edmunds won't solve the whole problem.
Correct! But it will solve a lot of it. And it will open up our public school to lots of children and community members currently screened out. And all of our children will benefit from inclusion and diversity, and from seeing the Golden Rule in practice. Also, the law is clear that this community is obliged to START implementing a solution, and this one elevator in the middle school will be a huge downpayment on this long-overdue obligation.
7. There's no money for this kind of thing.
Oh, there's always money. Especially in the United States of America... the largest, richest, most dominant county in the history of the world. It won't be easy, but it just takes work, smarts, connections and a bit of luck to find it. And we've got a great group of school administrators and commissioners who have all that. They only need to become absolutely determined to open up this school and end the discrimination and segregation... then get busy.
That's the reality.
Now, not all voices are singing strong in support. Indeed, we've heard from at least two people who seem against making the school in question accessible to children and community members with disabilities. A brave stance to take, no doubt. In response to some of their points...
1. We should make our decisions to provide the greatest good to the greatest number.
Hmm... a pro-tyranny of the majority argument seems a tough sell in Vermont.
2. While access to public school buildings may be an "inalienable right," we shouldn't support this right if it's costly.
Declaring something a "right" does just that... it de-emphasizes financial cost in light of community beliefs of right and wrong.
3. Spending money on kids with disabilities takes resources away from other kids.
Well, yes and no. Many public funds come with heavy restrictions on what they can and cannot be used for. E.g., federal nutrition funds for low-income kids cannot be used to build a new high school sports complex. Despite claims to the contrary, school finances are NOT a simple matter.
4. This is not a legal issue.
Of course it is! Anything and everything is a legal issue if the parties involved take it in that direction. We operate under the rule of law and when people disagree, they can turn to the law to resolve their differences. In this particular case, multiple legal experts have testified that the Burlington school district is out of compliance with more than one federal civil rights laws.
5. This is a $1.5 million elevator.
The current estimate is $500,000 for a four-building fire alarm replacement, plus $500,000 for a whole new electrical system for the middle school, plus $500,000 for a five-stop elevator in the middle school (including the attic). This is a $1.5 million fire safety, electrical, and accessibility proposal, NOT a $1.5 million elevator. The school district recently installed a 2.5-stop elevator at Burlington High School for about $250,000, as a point of reference.
6. One elevator in Edmunds won't solve the whole problem.
Correct! But it will solve a lot of it. And it will open up our public school to lots of children and community members currently screened out. And all of our children will benefit from inclusion and diversity, and from seeing the Golden Rule in practice. Also, the law is clear that this community is obliged to START implementing a solution, and this one elevator in the middle school will be a huge downpayment on this long-overdue obligation.
7. There's no money for this kind of thing.
Oh, there's always money. Especially in the United States of America... the largest, richest, most dominant county in the history of the world. It won't be easy, but it just takes work, smarts, connections and a bit of luck to find it. And we've got a great group of school administrators and commissioners who have all that. They only need to become absolutely determined to open up this school and end the discrimination and segregation... then get busy.
That's the reality.
Barnes School PTO supports accessibility
Meghan O'Rourke shared just now the following statement from the Barnes School PTO in Burlington's Old North End...
Statement on Accessibility for EdmundsLawrence Barnes School supports accessibility at all schools. We urge the board to move forward with finding ways to ensure that every child is able to attend his/her neighborhood or district school. The connections that kids build in elementary schools are often an important foundation for middle school friendships and consequential learning. If a child attends Champlain or Edmunds elementary, he or she should not be excluded from peers at Edmunds Middle schools because of a 20 year lack of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. We appreciate historic building preservation and we also appreciate raising the future to respect and accommodate all children regardless of their ability to walk." - Barnes School PTO
Thursday, May 14, 2009
So, how much will the elevator cost?
Good question.
The school district's architect proposed a $1.5 million solution for Edmunds that includes a four-building fire alarm (about $500,000), a new building-wide electrical system for the middle school (about $500,000) and a five-stop elevator, including the attic, for the middle school (about $500,000). It likely makes sense to do these three projects at the same time, but it's clearly NOT a $1.5 million elevator.
The school district's architect proposed a $1.5 million solution for Edmunds that includes a four-building fire alarm (about $500,000), a new building-wide electrical system for the middle school (about $500,000) and a five-stop elevator, including the attic, for the middle school (about $500,000). It likely makes sense to do these three projects at the same time, but it's clearly NOT a $1.5 million elevator.
Edmunds Accessibility on the Radio
Thanks to Anne Barbano. She lives in Burlington and made a film called Living the Autism Maze... important stuff. She also hosts a radio show on The Radiator called The Next Frontier. [Click on the date below to listen to the show.]
Anne and guest talked on the May 13, 2009 show about Edmunds school accessibility...
Anne and guest talked on the May 13, 2009 show about Edmunds school accessibility...
1990 American Disabilities Act. 2009 - Still working on it. Vermont prides itself on inclusion. Why do we still have issues around physical access into our public buildings... Listen in on a conversation with Michael Wood-Lewis regarding this daily reality.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Free Press covers Edmunds accessibility
More media coverage about Edmunds accessibility. Molly Walsh covered the story for the Burlington Free Press today (below).
Aimee Picchi's Blog - 02/20/2011
Channel 17 - 01/23/2011
The Independent - Winter 2011
BurlingtonPol.com - 01/20/2011
Seven Days - 01/20/2011
WCAX - 01/19/2011
Fox 44 News - 01/19/2011
Including Samuel Facebook - 01/10/2011
Burlington Free Press - 01/06/2011
Burlington Free Press - 09/10/2009
WCAX - 09/02/2009
Fox 44 News - 09/01/2009
Seven Days Blurt - 06/03/2009
Burlington Free Press - 05/08/2009
WPTZ - 05/08/2009
Seven Days Blurt - 05/07/2009
Seven Days - 05/06/2009
WCAX - 04/28/2009
WPTZ - 04/28/2009
Seven Days - 02/18/2009
Aimee Picchi's Blog - 02/20/2011
Channel 17 - 01/23/2011
The Independent - Winter 2011
BurlingtonPol.com - 01/20/2011
Seven Days - 01/20/2011
WCAX - 01/19/2011
Fox 44 News - 01/19/2011
Including Samuel Facebook - 01/10/2011
Burlington Free Press - 01/06/2011
Burlington Free Press - 09/10/2009
WCAX - 09/02/2009
Fox 44 News - 09/01/2009
Seven Days Blurt - 06/03/2009
Burlington Free Press - 05/08/2009
WPTZ - 05/08/2009
Seven Days Blurt - 05/07/2009
Seven Days - 05/06/2009
WCAX - 04/28/2009
WPTZ - 04/28/2009
Seven Days - 02/18/2009
Edmunds explores accessibility
By Molly Walsh, Burlington Free Press
May 8, 2009
The first phase of a proposal to make the four-story Edmunds Middle School handicap accessible would cost about $1.6 million, according to a new Burlington School District study.
That price tag would cover the cost of one elevator and a major upgrade to the building’s electrical and fire safety systems.
The estimate is part of a feasibility study completed this week for the Burlington School Board in response to calls from the public to make the historic Edmunds school complex on Main Street fully accessible.
The report by local architect Colin Lindberg was presented to a School Board subcommittee Tuesday night. Last week, about 60 people, including some who are members of new group called ACCESS Burlington, attended a meeting to demand improvements.
The School Board has not approved the access plan or secured funding to modify the two circa 1900 schools full of stairs and spaces that are off limits to people in wheelchairs. Many board members have said they want to find a solution.
Federal stimulus money is not available to help fund the project, said Jeanne Collins, Burlington schools superintendent. The stimulus money the district is receiving through the federal Title I program cannot be used on buildings, and the district’s request for money from the state’s pot of stimulus money was denied. Efforts to obtain grant money have also failed.
Still, those who are calling for full access are optimistic. After years of inertia, they see momentum for change.
“My family, for one, is thrilled with the progress that seems to be under way right now,” said Michael Wood-Lewis, a Burlington father of four and co-founder of the Front Porch Forum. “We’re not there yet. Nothing’s been built. No money has been secured, but there seems to be an acknowledgement that as a community we simply have to fix this problem, and I believe we can.”
His son Ben, a third-grader at Champlain Elementary School in the South End, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Under current district practice, Ben will not be able to attend his neighborhood middle school, Edmunds, when he reaches sixth grade. When his classmates go off to Edmunds, Ben will go to Hunt Middle School in the New North End because the one-story building is accessible to students in wheelchairs.
It’s unfair to segregate students in this way, Wood-Lewis argues, and wrong for the broader community to be shut out of the two buildings for plays, parent-teacher conferences and other events. At public meetings on the issue, residents have spoken about the difficulty teachers and students face when they become injured and need to use crutches, or develop other health problems that make it difficult to go up and down many flights of stairs.
Proponents of better access say the situation violates the spirit and letter of federal laws requiring handicap access. School district officials maintain that by providing access to an “equivalent program” in another district school, Burlington is in compliance with the law.
The estimate to make both Edmunds buildings fully accessible is $10 million to $15 million, Collins said. That would include four elevators and extensive remodeling.
Whether Burlington is willing to spend that much is unclear. City voters have been in a generous mood in the last two years and approved budget increases totaling 20 percent — increases that are well above the state average. This year voters also approved a $9.7 million bond and gave the School Board permission to increase its annual bonding capacity from $750,000 to $2 million.
Some residents have said the increases are too much, especially in a sour economy. Last fall the School Board iced plans for a school improvement mega-bond request that started at $226 million and was chopped to $92 million after many residents and city officials complained that even the smaller amount was unaffordable.
The Edmunds elevator project is competing with many other projects for funding in the district’s real estate portfolio of nine buildings totaling 602,600 square-feet. “There’s going to be some tough decisions to make,” Collins said.
Wood-Lewis stressed that only a portion of the $1.6 million phase I price tag is for an elevator — the rest is for infrastructure upgrades. “This is work that has to be done anyway,” he said. “I hope it’s made clear to people that it’s not a $1.5 million elevator.”
He believes city residents and school officials can make it happen. “I have every confidence that we’ll be able to figure this out and get it paid for.”
Contact Molly Walsh at 660-1874 or mwalsh@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Edmunds Accessibility - Getting Closer - Need to Push Now!
A vocal crowd of 70 people showed up at a committee meeting of the Burlington school board last week to speak out about Edmunds accessibility. Most of the school board and administrators were there, and one-third of the City Council stayed for more than an hour asking questions and adding their voice to this issue. Two legal experts spoke about the relevant federal and state laws, including ADA, IDEA and Section 504, making it clear that our school district is not in compliance with the law.
But the most compelling words were spoken by the people... our elders, our children, our teachers, our neighbors. People told of their shock upon learning that Edmunds, Vermont's most prominent public school building, essentially bars children and community members who use wheelchairs from entering.
The good news is that we're making real progress together (update here) and that it's easy for you to weigh in. Our school leaders need to know what you think about Edmunds accessibility. If you've spoken up in the past, please do so again now. And this is a community-wide challenge, so we need to include a wide array of elected officials. Please take all or some of the steps below and send the loud and clear message that...
"Edmunds school should have been made accessible decades ago. We're closer than ever before to finally getting this critical job done. Please actively add your support to the construction of Edmunds' first elevator, to be installed by 2010. Please also help direct city, state and/or federal funds to this project."
1. Attend the next full school board meeting. Just be present or speak up during the public comment period. May 19, 2009, 7 PM, Burlington High School cafeteria.
2. Write letters to the editors of the Burlington Free Press and Seven Days. Also, alert your neighbors about this issue via Front Porch Forum, and comment on the Seven Days blog post and Free Press article online.
3. Contact Burlington School Commissioners.
4. Contact Mayor Kiss.
5. Contact Burlington City Councilors.
6. Contact Governor Douglas.
7. Contact your Vermont State Reps. and State Senators.
8. Contact Vermont's Congressional Delegation: Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders, Rep. Welch.
9. Keep up to date... subscribe to this blog.
But the most compelling words were spoken by the people... our elders, our children, our teachers, our neighbors. People told of their shock upon learning that Edmunds, Vermont's most prominent public school building, essentially bars children and community members who use wheelchairs from entering.
The good news is that we're making real progress together (update here) and that it's easy for you to weigh in. Our school leaders need to know what you think about Edmunds accessibility. If you've spoken up in the past, please do so again now. And this is a community-wide challenge, so we need to include a wide array of elected officials. Please take all or some of the steps below and send the loud and clear message that...
"Edmunds school should have been made accessible decades ago. We're closer than ever before to finally getting this critical job done. Please actively add your support to the construction of Edmunds' first elevator, to be installed by 2010. Please also help direct city, state and/or federal funds to this project."
1. Attend the next full school board meeting. Just be present or speak up during the public comment period. May 19, 2009, 7 PM, Burlington High School cafeteria.
2. Write letters to the editors of the Burlington Free Press and Seven Days. Also, alert your neighbors about this issue via Front Porch Forum, and comment on the Seven Days blog post and Free Press article online.
3. Contact Burlington School Commissioners.
4. Contact Mayor Kiss.
5. Contact Burlington City Councilors.
6. Contact Governor Douglas.
7. Contact your Vermont State Reps. and State Senators.
8. Contact Vermont's Congressional Delegation: Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders, Rep. Welch.
9. Keep up to date... subscribe to this blog.
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