Vol. 10, No. 35
FAILURE
WALL STREET OR MAIN STREET? While we can appreciate the current banking crisis making front-page news, maybe more national papers should pay attention to the numerous school systems currently going under as well. The situations are not all that dissimilar - a system in debt with "products" that are not marketable, an overage of cash being spent, and administrators making huge salaries.
CLEVELAND. Recent coverage of the Cleveland, Ohio Public School system finds that enrollment is down to its lowest since 1894. The projected 47,000 students in the traditional system have dwindled, as "voter" confidence has declined. At their height, Cleveland schools enrolled about 150,000 students. Where have the students gone? Thankfully they've had choices. Last year the parents of more than 25,000 students exercised their opportunity to choose the best learning environment for their children and enrolled them in charter schools or took advantage of Ohio's voucher program. Reading the comments related to the Cleveland Plain Dealer article is equal parts hilarity and sadness, but one reader says it best when he writes, "Cleveland public schools are at 1894 levels. I bet their budget was a lot less than the 2008 budget and I'm also betting that they were a lot more successful with their students."
DETROIT. Another urban school system on the brink is Detroit, a once-thriving city teaming with industry. Workers and their families have abandoned downtown and its schools for greener pastures. With a dropout rate of 75%, it's no wonder. Mired in a history of mismanagement and weak fiscal oversight, not to mention poor test scores and a meddling union, it's not surprising that Detroit schools are seeing a dramatic drop in interest. Current state law is prohibitive of school competition when enrollment remains at 100,000 or more (designating DPS as a first-class district, granting it broad financial powers and limiting the presence of charters within DPS boundaries). This fall marks a dip below that mark, and the school system is so fearful of potential charter school growth in their once tightly controlled territory that they have been lobbying Lansing for revised legislation. Seemingly, perhaps blissfully, unaware that the Detroit school system is falling apart, spokesman Steve Wasko continues to argue for relaxed enrollment standards, "So many things we count on, that our community counts on" are "incumbent on remaining a first-class school district," he said. "To put us in a process where the very governance of the school board would be in question would just be another unnecessary indicator of instability."
CHOICE WINS
RHODE ISLAND. It turns out that candidates can win races when they take on the establishment. Cumberland, Rhode Island Mayor Daniel McKee was the lead champion for a charter concept dubbed Mayoral Academies, which are schools formed as a partnership between local mayors and successful non-profit charter school organizations. This Democrat partnered with others around the state, including Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, but the unions fought hard to kill the concept, which the mayors believe will help them open great schools and restore quality education in their towns. Some would think McKee would have been a goner after his actions. But with the support of 64 percent of voters, McKee won a hard fought race against challenger David Iwuc this primary season. The centerpiece of the fight was Mayoral Academies. Iwuc was backed financially and politically by a state teachers' union, which is vehemently opposed to the creation of charters. In his victory speech, McKee railed against the union, "This is about state unions and state influence and trying to influence the Cumberland election and put in a mayor who didn't care about Cumberland," he said. "They don't care about students, parents, or the teachers."
SACRAMENTO, CA. Speaking of mayors, the race in California's capitol is heating up, as former NBA star Kevin Johnson, who later led the fight to take over his alma mater Sacramento High and turn it into a high achieving charter school, is running to become that city's mayor. At a forum in Washington, D.C. last night, Johnson told supporters that his host, Mayor Adrian Fenty, was a model for the country and that his campaign to turn around all D.C. schools is something he'll strive to follow. An increasing crop of energetic and bold mayors can do for this decade what governors did for the last one.
GEORGIA. Perennial school choice supporter and Senate President Pro Tem of Georgia Eric Johnson isn't worried about his tenure either. Believing that the system will never improve without wide-scale competition, he plans to introduce a bill that would create the nation's first universal voucher program for a state. Previous voucher legislation in Georgia has provided support for special needs students to attend private schools, but Johnson's new plan would allow all Georgia parents the opportunity to send their children to the school of their choice with a proposed $5,000 tuition assistance scholarship from the state. Opponents of choice in Georgia maintain that no voucher program in the country has provided proven academic achievement, but Johnson argues that competition for students would benefit all schools saying, "Studies show that the public schools that are exposed to vouchers improve faster than public schools that don't. This is really more about improving public schools than giving vouchers to private schools.... The fact that a child could leave that school will make (educators) more sensitive to parents and better customer service."
PARTLY SUNNY. The Foundation for Florida's Future, founded by former Governor Jeb Bush, has released a report card for Florida state legislators. Lawmakers are graded on education policy with an eye towards accountability, standards, data, teacher quality, choice etc. Of 40 state senators, 37 percent of members received an A grade, while 30 percent received a B. Fully 25 percent of the State Senate were handed an F. The House proved to be an only slightly sunnier environment for education policy. While 68 percent of representatives earned an A grade, 22 percent received a D. Of 120 total state representatives, only one, Elaine Schwartz, can claim to be unique among many. She was the sole recipient of an F.
In Other News
MATCH-ING FUNDS. While the overall effects of America's fluctuating economy may not be known for some time to come, some in the education community are feeling the pinch right now. One of Boston's thriving and most successful charter schools, MATCH, is facing a $20,000 shortfall of funding for a program to provide books for its students pledged by the now defunct Lehman Brothers firm. "We were in the process of reapplying for the grant as recently as a couple of weeks ago," said Alan Safran, MATCH's executive director. "I don't know what will happen." Want to help? Call Alan at (617) 232-0300.
DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY. In case you missed it we wanted to wish you all a belated Happy Constitution Day! Don't worry, we didn't get you a card either. September 17th marked the 221st anniversary of the signing of our U.S. Constitution. With all the data pointing to a severe lack of civic understanding showcased by American students, perhaps we should put more pressure on Hallmark to bring this holiday to the fore.
