On Thursday, Mayor Catherine Pugh announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had awarded Baltimore a Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant of $30 million to tear down and redevelop the Perkins Homes housing project, as well as several nearby institutions including City Springs Elementary/Middle School, a longtime partner of Open Society Institute.
As described in the recent Summer issue of OSI’s newsletter, Open Society Institute’s partnership with City Springs goes back to 2006, when OSI supported principal Rhonda Richetta’s training in restorative practices. Since then, City Springs has served as a model for integrating restorative practices, which Baltimore City Schools and OSI are now working to expand district-wide.
OSI supported the city’s efforts to win the grant by meeting with HUD officials and discussing its ongoing support for City Springs, which will be rebuilt and expanded as part of the initiative. Beginning this year, OSI will provide support for City Springs to serve as a model of restorative practices integration for educators visiting from other schools in the district.