Will local control be different?

I attended the first School Board meeting at the School District of Philadelphia on Monday, July 9, 2018. The set up looked very similar to the previous School Reform Comission meetings, but the energy in the air was different, it was expectant.

It opened with the appointment of the President pro tiemp, Dr. McKinley. Then after some quick introductions we started hearing the over 30 speakers. The constant theme across most of the speakers focused on the lack of democracy and transparency regarding the status of Strawberry Mansion, the demand for more Black Educators, funding for female sports, and most importantly, the hope that this new local control will be different then before.

The standout testimony was given by Tonyah Bah, who compared the state of public education to Willie Lynch. Her truth about the harm to Black and Brown bodies and minds struck a chord with the listeners, and the new School Board.

The board only nominated a single person for the role of President, Joyce Wilkerson. She was one of the last appointees of the now dissolved SRC. She is the Senior Advisor for Communication Relations to the President at Temple University. Her resume includes the Philadelphia Housing Authority and Executive Director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority after Hurricane Katrina. After she accepted her nomination she stated, “This is a time to not squabble but to look at more fundamental issues facing us.”

The board then nominated two individuals for Vice President but, Wayne Walter won 5-4. His background is predominantly in the restructuring of businesses. And it is no mere coincidence that on 12th and Market Street, there was a NFTE Entrepreneurial Teacher Summit occurring at the same time as the meeting. Dr. Hite was in the program, but he could not be at two places simultaneously. But, Mayor Kenney did go there immediately after the start of the board meeting.

This meeting also featured the awardees of the Model Teacher Challenge. This awarded six finalists with $20,000 and an additional $6,000 for their school. One of the schools is a Big Picture School, which focuses on project based learning and entrepreneurship for students. And all of the sponsors and attendees were corporate entities.

The committees were announced and who was interested in being a part of them were garnered, but actual decisions of chairpersons will occur at the next meeting on August 16 at 5 pm. The applications for students to play an advisory role only are due on August 13 and a decision will be made by August 30.

The committees will be the following:

• District and community partnerships
• Finance and Facilites
• Policy
• Parents and community engagement 
• Student achievement and student support

Did you notice that educators, labor, and curriculum are not included? They mentioned that the public is encouraged to participate, but not what that will look like. There should be a push for these committees to be fully transparent and for the meeting to be open and inclusive of the public. And at times that people can actually attend. 

After this nearly 4 hour marathon, most of what was said did not leave me with a great deal of hope, but it definitely reminded me that the status quo can be disguised in a cloud of fictional democracy. The district will have to borrow money to mostly pay charter schools, in other words there will be a deficit by December. School libraries and music programs will continue to be eliminated. And corporate vendors are still a constant presence. And many of our school facilities continue to be unsafe with lead, asbestos, mold, rodents, and more.

The need for more robust partnerships with Human Services was mentioned, but the study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia several years ago that stated the benefits of providing trauma services and approximately the cost associated with it was not. It sounded more like a sound byte than an actual commitment. It also reminded me that some of the most important studies and research that offer actual solutions are not common knowledge of the main stakeholders.

So continue to sign up and have your voice heard.

Of course, I hope that we can get it together and finally put the children first and work toward rebuilding a public education system that we all deserve. But, I also realize we can no longer reform a broken antiquated system that needs to be destroyed at its core and then hit the rebuild button. Local control was a start, but it’s already starting to look like business as usual. 

Why Black Teachers were vital for me?

I am currently involved in a campaign with several organizations to shine a bright light on the need for more Black Educators, and more importantly to provide actual strategies to make it a reality. Outside of the research and studies that support the presence of Black educators and the powerful impact they have on all students regardless of race and ethnicity, there also exists the personal testimonials.

Here is mine:

As a student, all of the memories I have of being seen or being uplifted were usually with a teacher. A Black teacher. And throughout my educational life, which spanned across K-12, undergraduate and graduate, I can only recount a few educators (Black and White) who provided any kind of light or hope. Or who didn't set out to diminish me.

The first instance was Ms. Jaunes, a strict Black teacher who was feared by most but is the reason that I got on the honor roll. She tutored me and helped me truly understand how smart I really was. I was new to the school, and of course that puts a target on your back. Most teachers did not appreciate my outspokenness, but she relished it. And it was because of her and Ms.Coleman, that I thrived.

There is no reason to mention my predominantly white Catholic High School because I only had one teacher who looked like me for a few days. And my memories of that place just confirmed the fact that I was a fighter and I was always willing to fight for my place no matter what. And that I had to fight. I was active in the school plays, musicals and choir. Oh wait, I do remember Sister Ellen who was always kind and never made me feel invisible. She was a bright light.

Then in college, when everyone in the Theatre department made sure to let me how much they did not like me. It was my English professor, Dr. Davenport who gave me a set of books for class when I didn’t have enough money. He encouraged me to write. To tell my stories through Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. To this very day, I attribute my love for writing to him and his classes.

At my second college, I found Marvin Simms. Let me just say, I would not be on stage today if not for him. The first day we met, I remember just sharing my story through tears and laughter. We talked for hours and then he cast me in Native Son, and after that he showed me what it meant to be Black and fearless in this world. He even got to meet my daughter when she was merely a toddler. And I can still hear him as I walk through this life because his advice and love, are always with me.

This is why Black Educators are important. It means something to see yourself in their eyes. It means something to see what is possible. And more importantly, it is vital to not be silenced and to actually be heard. The reason, I did not give up while being educated had a great deal to do with these few teachers who told me I can and should, while I was standing in a sea of “You can’t.”