Schools in Springfield

[lucinda]

WHY ALL THE DRAMA? SPRINGFIELD IS EATING MJ!

Though I'm an urbanest, current invested in the burbs due to economic opportunities, we have looked downtown several times. Springfield has a few possible places I have seen and one that I rather like, but I suppose my grandson would have to attend First Baptist or some other private school. Springfield has some lovely old schools until you see that the principal has driven to the school in an M-1 Abrams Tank.  Okay, just kidding, but does ANYONE send their kids to the local schools? OCKLAWAHA

A lot of Springfield residents send their kids to the local schools.  If they are elementary age, you have the option of four different magnet programs.  Brentwood is focused on the arts, Andrew Robinson is a math and science magnet, John E. Ford offers a Spanish Immersion Montessori program, and R.L. Brown is an I.B. school, which feeds into Darnell Cookman and James Weldon Johnson middle schools.  These are the two magnet middle schools (located close to downtown) that most families in Duval County try to get their kids into because they consistently receive A grades.  La Villa school of the arts is right downtown as well and is an excellent school.  Darnell Cookman, James Weldon Johnson, and La Villa feed into Stanton, Paxson, and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts respectively, all of which are grade A high schools located near downtown.

So, if you live in Springfield, there are a lot of great public school options available.  Many Duval County residents spend a significant amount of time driving or bussing their children into the downtown area in order to be able to attend these schools.

[fsu813]

Darnell Cookman is transitioning inot both a middle AND highschool, btw, which is AMAZING.

They are adding a grade each year, think they're at 10th this year.....

[uptowngirl]

My daughter attends Andrew Robinson now, and hopefully (fingers crossed) will get into Brentwood next year. If not, well AR's engineering program is great too! I drop and pick her up everyday and have never seen any tanks...well protective tanks anyway LOL!

[fsu813]

OCK,


"I've heard that several people have wanted to open new businesses along Main Street, but SPAR has disapproved of either them, their business, or their plan..."

- instead of basing an opinion on what you've "heard", why don't you simply call and ask them. Or attend one of many public meetings.

Or ask Fusion, A&A Auto Repair, Uptown, Valerios, City Kidz, Wafaa & Mikes, Three Layers, Tommy's, Hola, H&R Block, Shifters, 3rd & Main Apartments, American Celebrity Fashions Botique, Tropical Island Cafe, An Olde Time Hardware, Carolina Lumber, Pasco, Fortec, etc is Spar Council is anti-business.

Spar also produces & distributes the only business flyer in the neighbrohood as well, so that residents can support thier local businesses.

"Hell just a year ago, this entire sight went mad over someone leaving a "Room for rent" flier in a local Springfield Gas Station."

- Yea, I started that thread. That BP was supposed to "get it", meaning they weren't going to contribute to the problems in the neighborhorhood. Rather they would be part of the solution. That was the buzz. So when it began to deteriorate, it was very disppaointing. Since that time it's been the subject of many neighbors and JSO's scorn.

"SPAR was all about kicking out the riff-raff which seems to be defined as your tired, your poor, your hungry, or your huddled masses."

- you need to find another source for your information. wherever you are forming your perception from (let me guess.....) is not reality.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I live out in St. Johns, and you know what? If someone wanted to reopen or build a car wash, and sell coke and chips my whole neighborhood would welcome them and turn out for the opening day "hot dogs and balloons.""

- different neighborhoods have different issues. St. Johns County and Historic Springfield have little in common.

"If SPAR can't do the same in Springfield, someone needs to ask why? Doesn't that suggest that deep down the very organization itself suspects almost anyone and everyone as a possible code breaking blight on the community.  Yet way out here in the boondocks we'd be throwing a party because we could BUY coke and chips without having to drive 8 miles."

- different neighborhoods have different issues. not sure why you are speaking about issues to which you are not familar with. St. Johns County has a dearth of convenience stores. Historic Springfield has an abundance of poorly maintained ones that contribute to many negative issues  in the area. See the difference? Finding a balance between naive & suspect is important. Again, St. Johns County and Historic Springfield issue's are very different.

It's clear, and I think you would admit, you are not very familair with Springfield's issues. If you'd like to get a real understanding of what Spar has been, is currently, and will be involved in....please attend one of the various public meetings or give the office a call. The organization has done a terrible job of communicating all that they do and thier value, which is being addressed. The next Board meeting, which are all open to the public, is Monday the 8th @ 7pm.

Please attend. Ask questions. Get involved.

[Sportmotor]

WHY ALL THE DRAMA? SPRINGFIELD IS EATING MJ!


Yeah, yeah, yeah, I live out in St. Johns, and you know what? If someone wanted to reopen or build a car wash, and sell coke and chips my whole neighborhood would welcome them and turn out for the opening day "hot dogs and balloons." If SPAR can't do the same in Springfield, someone needs to ask why? Doesn't that suggest that deep down the very organization itself suspects almost anyone and everyone as a possible code breaking blight on the community.  Yet way out here in the boondocks we'd be throwing a party because we could BUY coke and chips without having to drive 8 miles. We'd celebrate the new neighbors, the new business, the new convenience, and toast their success... Are the people in Springfield REALLY that different? Someone please explain to me why if the neighborhood is so safe and attractive, everyone is so suspect?

As I too live in St. Johns, we are not Springfield. We are a different breed, so you can not expect the same way of thinking or treatment of others and new business.

[Springfielder]

Fusion, A&A Auto Repair, Uptown, Valerios, City Kidz, Wafaa & Mikes, Three Layers, Tommy's, Hola, H&R Block, Shifters, 3rd & Main Apartments, American Celebrity Fashions Botique, Tropical Island Cafe, An Olde Time Hardware, Carolina Lumber, Pasco, Fortec, etc is Spar Council is anti-business.

Tommy's has been in business for close to 30 years or more, and spar had nothing what so ever to do with his opening or staying in business. Nor can spar be given credit for Carolina Lumber, Pasco, Fortec, Olde Time Hardware or Shifters, these places have been there for as long, long time. As for A&A repair, Mike took over an existing business, as did Waffas (Mikes wife) and Holas.

Now Three Layers needed an exception and I don't know if spar was instrumental in helping with that or not. I know that they endorsed Uptown and the apartments behind it, as well as City Kidz ice cream.

I'm not saying that spar has or has not endorsed those businesses, but I don't see where they get credit for those businesses being there either. There is currently an issue with the car wash reopening, which IMO, spar hasn't exactly endorsed. I'm not trying to discredit spar, but let's be realistic about what credit they've earned.

Spar also produces & distributes the only business flyer in the neighbrohood as well, so that residents can support thier local businesses

Whom do they distribute this to? I can't recall ever seeing one.

[fsu813]

This is frustrating.....why are you arguing about something that wasn't stated?

I never said they were responsble for every businesses' existance.

I said "ask them if they think Spar is anti-busness", and please do.




The business info is distributed in thier news letter, which can picked up at various locations in the neighborhood and is mailed to most members (though i've never received them, there's some hitch in the syetem I think). Some business info is also included in thier weekly email newsletter.

I could go on about other Spar initiatives that benefit local businesses too, if you like......just ask. =)

[Springfielder]

FSU813, I wasn't arguing, I'm pointing out that you make appear as if spar's responsible for those businesses being here...and you always give them credit for which they've not earned. My point is that let's give a more realistic view, and most of which has nothing what so ever to do with spar.

[strider]

Successful economic integration requires working with the market, not against
it.

Their mantra is: “If someone is good enough
to work here, they ought to be good enough to live here.”

Above all, political success requires convincing citizens that the affordable units
will not harm property values.

And I will ask again for someone with SPAR Council to explain how their polices support the above comments, which are from a study to which your “marketing expert” board person says she subscribes to.

It is difficult to “listen” to some SPAR Council supporter claim they are “business friendly” when we all have seen the proof that they are “business friendly” only when it is a business “they” deem worthy using some unknown but to them policy, and if it is not deemed worthy, they use innuendo and misinformation to either belittle it and the owners or to try to stop it from being opened. 

The above quotes from that posted study are very true and we all need to begin to believing in what it really says, not some contrived misinterpretation of it. The only way to a successful Springfield community is to have one that is all inclusive and embraces it’s issue with open arms and minds.  You accomplish that by working together and not against each other. That does take open communication rather than secret meetings and calls to code enforcement and issuing “red alerts”.  SPAR Council may not even be able to do that at this point, but I know the real residents, the ones that moved here for a true community that is all inclusive and full of very different and vibrant people can and will.

[ChriswUfGator]

This is frustrating.....why are you arguing about something that wasn't stated?

I never said they were responsble for every businesses' existance.

I said "ask them if they think Spar is anti-busness", and please do.




The business info is distributed in thier news letter, which can picked up at various locations in the neighborhood and is mailed to most members (though i've never received them, there's some hitch in the syetem I think). Some business info is also included in thier weekly email newsletter.

I could go on about other Spar initiatives that benefit local businesses too, if you like......just ask. =)

You posted a list of businesses and said "Why don't you ask..." to find out how helpful SPAR is, and SPAR had nothing to do with most of them. Almost every name on of your list was around decades before SPAR even came into existence. Ridiculous.

[fsu813]

Or ask Fusion, A&A Auto Repair, Uptown, Valerios, City Kidz, Wafaa & Mikes, Three Layers, Tommy's, Hola, H&R Block, Shifters, 3rd & Main Apartments, American Celebrity Fashions Botique, Tropical Island Cafe, An Olde Time Hardware, Carolina Lumber, Pasco, Fortec, etc if Spar Council is anti-business.....

...The next Board meeting, which are all open to the public, is Monday the 8th @ 7pm.

Please attend. Ask questions. Get involved.

&

I said "ask them if they think Spar is anti-busness", and please do.

I could go on about other Spar initiatives that benefit local businesses too, if you like......just ask. =)

[Springfielder]

And we said that the list of businesses you posted, spar had nothing to do with, yet you list them as if it did...it's not like spar helped, endorsed or promoted them, most were already there...so why are you making it seem like spar is at all involved with their existence? Whether or not spar likes those businesses or not, is totally irrelevant to whether or not spar is business friendly.

[fsu813]

(sigh)

[uptowngirl]

So, the schools in and around Springfield ROCK!

[thelakelander]

The schools should be better marketed as a benefit to living in the neighborhood.  Too many people (especially suburbanites) assume that all of the schools in the urban core are bad.