April 4th Important Day For Teachers, Schools

Mobile teachers worried about their jobs and people worried about their neighborhood schools closing should circle April 4th on their calendars.
That's when Mobile school officials expect to hear how much federal stimulus money they'll be getting.
But parents of one school on the closing list took to the streets Tuesday night to get support to keep the facility open.
About two dozen parents, students and teachers from Old Shell Road Magnet School rallied at Memorial Park calling on school board members to keep their school open and not transfer students to Dunbar Magnet School.
Kelly O'Donnell is a teacher at Old Shell.
She said, "The rooms are not big enough (at Dunbar), the facilities are not suitable, (and) our technology will not fit down there."
Alison Craft, a parent, said, "We have excellent test scores and we feel like messing with the formula we have going on there is just a recipe for disaster."
Even one Dunbar student spoke out.
Morgan Searcy said, "I'm in fourth grade and I get trampled by the middle school kids and I think the little kindergartners (who would come from Old Shell) would really get trampled."
Mobile School Superintendent Roy Nichols said because of the expected stimulus money, he may recommend to the school board that fewer schools be closed, but Nichols also said, "Its my job to bring forth the logical arguments. It's the board's job as elected officials to integrate into that the emotional and political."
School Board member Lavon Manzie said he won't support closing any of the magnet schools.
He's asking the superintendent to provide numbers on how much it costs to operate the Environmental Studies Center in Mobile.
Manzie said, "Not to say that it (the center) is not of an important use and a learning tool in the system, but if we're closing schools in the inner city, we need to evaluate any and all options."
Even with federal stimulus money coming, Mobile school officials have said some teachers may be laid off, and some schools may close.