Anne Dorn
@AnneDornPhilly
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Notes on speakers at school board meetings are my personal impression of their live remarks; any errors in transcription my own. Opinions mix of speakers’ &mine
Philadelphia, PA
Joined February 2023
Lewis has sinners subjected to continued temptation after death. They know if they don’t repent something unpleasant is coming, but demons continue to whisper in their ears and the nature of their wrong is not clear to them. Not all are expected to repent before it is too late.
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Comparing this vision of repentance after death with the vision in CS Lewis’ “Great Divorce.” Dante has sinners subjected to a punishment that makes the nature of their wrong plain, then has them hang out until they are ready to repent. All are expected to do so sooner or later.
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If the doctors our society is producing are not sufficiently caring, the lawyers will probably be equally bad at caring but much worse at medicine. End up with a completely heartless system consisting entirely of poorly filled out paperwork. And so on for all the professions.
@tetheredtoed1 @shagbark_hick So sick of all the forms. Last pediatrician visit, there were forms for school and forms for camp for multiple kids. Doc is saying, “You fill out this part and I fill out that part, then sign here, initial here and here, sign here…“ I said, “I feel like I’m closing on a house.”
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When a profession isn’t performing as well as we would like, there is a temptation for another profession to step in and start bossing them around. Lawyers want to boss doctors around, politicians want to boss teachers around, etc. Never goes well.
It’s unclear why planners write (and defend) rules that result in terrible architecture. Is it MALICIOUS? Do they want Architecture to look terrible so they can blame builders and centralize power? Or is it IGNORANT? Do they not know any better and believe that their
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It would help to change the college financial aid formula. Right now, it only depends on number of children currently in college. Parents who have savings ear marked for younger siblings are required to spend those savings on their eldest exactly as if the siblings didn’t exist.
How can we incentivize more Americans to have children?
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We really don’t know why the district is taking a building away from a neighborhood school and promising to renovate it for a magnet school with money it doesn’t have. Possibly the point is to make it difficult for Fishtown moms to get involved in politics https://t.co/TgS6H4enxz
“Current students ‘hear that they are simultaneously not good enough to go there, and what has been good enough for them is not good enough for Bodine kids,’ he said.” Of course, they haven’t actually raised the money to fix the building up for the Bodine kids either.
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This Fishtown mom didn’t say a word about Bodine. But she shares her take on another aspect of the Facilities Plan to the school board, and suddenly she is the public face of the unpopular Bodine renovation plan.
@dustindove The only person who testified in favor of the School District plan was a mom from Fishtown. https://t.co/fL3ktDFFKZ
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This is another issue that hampers parent activism in cities. Urban politics are the big leagues. Nascent army of angry parents is taking on sophisticated defenders of the status quo, with plenty of tricks up their sleeve to frustrate, embarrass, or co-opt https://t.co/B53LMGph0q
@AnneDornPhilly @headwaysmatter @SaladBarFan Yes I agree that PSD is very poorly managed and there doesn't seem to be an angry army of parents calling for Watlington's head over the mismanagement. That would happen in Souderton.
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I don’t know who is writing up or paying for the talking points, or why they think anyone cares what I talk about. I generally send them out to be polite to the board, making clear what I’m doing. But I kind am of a front for some unknown group; parent group kind of could be too.
My talking points for this month. Presumably some of that consultant money paid for these?
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I know people in this group, & they certainly don’t think of themselves as a front for anyone. Recess policy is very important (let alone) the rest of their agenda) and they are doing the right thing advocating for it. But I know even as a PCAC member, I get sent talking points.
@AnneDornPhilly This parent group is a union front
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“‘“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will,”’ Watlington said” When you are the power in question, why would you say that? Shouldn’t we be entrusting power to people who will do the right thing on their own initiative?
The big bureaucracy of Philadelphia schools can make it feel difficult if not impossible for parents and the public to affect change. Through sweat equity and tears, Lift Every Voice was determined to overcome that sentiment.
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BM Harper: this is district’s plan not ours. We haven’t voted yet. Proud of student speakers. Wants to hear from everyone. “Vote no”from crowd. BM Wilkerson: Doing nothing not acceptable. Finances in challenging state. Thanks to all who came out. Need all info for good decision.
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BM Novales: this is not the board’s plan. This has been submitted to us for our vote. We have not made up our minds yet. Impressed by student and teacher speakers. Has attended town halls, met many people heard many stories.
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Streater responds “we’re going to sit here and listen.” BM Lam: thank you to all student speakers BM Jones addresses this ⬇️ young man “I know you’re shy, but I’ve been impressed hearing you speak and you should be proud of yourself.”
Feels like he hasn’t been heard. Watlington was scheduled to come to Lankenau. Messiah had prepared a speech. Shy, but was standing ready in front of the cameras. Watlington did not come, sent a substitute. Messiah was heartbroken.
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BP Streater has advocated for the same resources kids have asked for tonight. Feels he has not been heard, hopes backup from kids speeches will move Harrisburg legislators. $7B in deferred maintenance if don’t close anything. Underfunded $1.2B “Make it make sense” call from crowd
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Low enrollment in these schools caused by centralized school selection process. Taking away principal discretion to waive qualification criteria is what caused low enrollment. Come to us, we can come up with other solutions. Do not disrupt education- I know what that feels like.
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Dairy/swine farm at Saul, environmental science at Lankenau. Only 3 year CTE program in state. Can’t offer same resources at another school. Waring students need stability the most. Will be harmed more by transfer than anyone else.
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Why mess with environmental stewardship at Lankenau? Build condos elsewhere. We need this school’s environmental stewardship for the world. Can’t do this program anywhere else. Saul also unique. District needs both schools. Specialized infrastructure.
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Nina Ahmad #phled Has someone with her holding sign “Closing schools is trashy behavior” and pictures of littering. Grew up in a war zone, had no school to go to. Can’t take these kids schools away. Shouldn’t be worrying about this. Don’t close Lankenau and Waring.
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Schools recommended for closure are 90% black and latino. Schools in more elite neighborhoods stay open. Until she gets better answers, will fight this plan with everything she has.
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