Here is an interesting chart showing annual operating costs for Orange County's small schools. The chart includes year schools opened, acerage, sales tax, student enrollment, operating costs per student, annual operating costs and special programs.
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Students from across the country participate in a rally they call the March on Washington to Save Brown v. Board of Education -- the decision that banned school segregation more than half a century ago. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

Court Hears Cases on Schools and Race
Diversity Plans Challenged In Name of Equal Protection

By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 5, 2006; Page A03

Supreme Court deliberations are private, but yesterday's oral arguments on whether it is constitutional to allow school systems to use race in making school assignments became as much a public ...   more »

Please assist with the letter writing campaign to the Orange County School Board. These letters should be as personal as possible, but with the facts pertaining to community schools mergers/ closures. We have compiled a list of ideas (below) that may be of use to you as you write your letters to our elected School Board Members and our Superintendent.

The addresses of all are listed below also along with their email addresses...use them as you wish.

Please feel free to duplicate this information and hand it out to your friends, community and family who share our concerns and ask ...   more »

A community school meeting will be held tonight at 7:00 pm, December 4th, at First Christian Church Orlando gymnasium, located at 2565 E. Kaley Avenue, Orlando. Rick Roach is scheduled to attend and address our community and answer questions.   more »

OCSB DISCUSSES POSSIBLE SCHOOL CLOSURES

On October 30, 2006, the Orange County School Board held the latest in a series of workshops focused on "unitary status." Due to court orders dating from as early as the 1960s, the Orange County School Board has been working towards obtaining unitary status for all its schools to eliminate all vestiges of discrimination and inequality in the areas of school assignment, faculty qualifications, transportation, facilities, educational programs and extracurricular activities. The focus of their discussion at this workshop was the area of facilities.

Previously, the OCSB adopted an "ideal" elementary school size of 830 ...   more »

This is a copy of part of the invitation that was received by 4 of our School Board Representatives...

PLEASE NOTE: the next community meeting will be held on December 4 as per location and time stated in the body of this letter. Rick Roach has agreed to be present and  inform the community about many of the
community's concerns.  He does not have ALL of the answers, there is STILL MUCH information needed to
answer factually many of the questions that have been asked. He will provide information regarding unitary
status, the policy and procedures that are taken in ...   more »

Falling through the cracks

The Orlando Sentinel

Erika Hobbs
November 20, 2006

As throngs of Orlando parents gear up to fight a plan to close elementary schools, those at one east Orange campus say, 'Take ours.'

Parents from Engelwood Elementary don't care whether the district razes, merges or rebuilds the school -- to them, anything is better than what they have.

'We're tired of being ignored,' PTA President Rita Ortiz said.

The school district is considering a plan to reorganize as many as two dozen public elementary schools as part of an effort to erase traces of racial discrimination ...   more »

Tuesday, parents of students at Pershing Elementary put together a flyer and a town hall meeting. They are getting ready for a fight they never imagined.

Pershing Elementary is an "A" school. It isn't overcrowded and it's minutes from their homes.

"That's why we moved here, so our kids wouldn't have to take a bus to school. So they could walk and be with their friends," said parent Mary Asbury.


But the Orange County School District is considering closing Pershing because it's too small. With just 400 students, it's far below the district ideal of 700.

"I was really upset ...   more »

Orange Schools Consider Big Move The Orlando Sentinel Erika Hobbs October 31, 2006 Orange County School District officials are considering a bold proposal to reorganize more than two dozen public elementary schools -- a move that could shutter or merge several schools -- to erase the traces of racial discrimination in its system.    more »