Relocation of Elementary School
The State of Louisiana should reject the International Terminaling option proposed by the Port of New Orleans based on the educational consequences alone. Regional and local planners should review environmental effects on health and education and reject placing industrial facilities near elementary or any other schools; likewise, schools should not be relocated in close proximity to highways and industrial facilities. The PONO proposal changes Judge Melvyn Perez Drive to a dangerous, congested highway. Relocating historical William Smith Junior Elementary School and the deliberate siting of an elementary school [1] onto such a highway within such close proximity to a mega industrial complex would be a regressive decision that greatly interferes with the quality of education for the children of Violet.
"Children with consistent exposure to air pollution have increased asthma, chronic respiratory problems, and neurobehavioral dysfunction. However, many schools are located in close proximity to highways and industrial facilities which are key sources of air pollution to children." [2]
The proposed project drastically changes
the educational environment from a peaceful, quiet setting, surrounded by forested natural habitats to a heavily industrialized wasteland; future
expansion of the proposed project may propose yet another relocation and possibly affect the
lower teacher to student ratio now provided for our school children in Violet. Lower homeowner
values and lower number of residential properties in the district would generate less ad valorem
taxes for education (a tax the proposed project and its tenants are exempt from). The applicant’s
proposed relocation would not be an improvement; it would only serve self interests and
jeopardize the students’ futures. That is clearly a ‘most unreasonable balance’.
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School – Home of the Super Stars – formerly Violet Consolidated High School and it's Donald "Doc" Moore Gymnasium were renovated with ‘FEMA’ funds after the
levees failed in 2005. Smith Elementary enrollment is 95% African American, and the students
have achieved overall test scores in the top 50% of all schools in Louisiana, with 70 - 74%
students achieving proficiency in math (the Louisiana state average is 64%) and 60 - 64%
students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts (the Louisiana state average is 70%).
These students are ‘Super Stars’, they are our future and have much to be proud of; their
education should not be interrupted by industrial complexes which could be sited elsewhere.
[1] Proposed removal of historical Will Smith Jr Elementary and proposed relocation sites
[2] Proximity of public schools to major highways and industrial facilities, and students’ school performance and health hazards
Byoung-Suk Kweon, Paul Mohai, Byoung-Suk Kweon, Paul Mohai, Sangyun Lee,
No comments:
Post a Comment