At the end of his term, outgoing 7th District School Board representative Keith West shares what he has learned about the Richmond Public Schools:
I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve for two years and answer those questions for myself. So that the effort does some good other than my own gratification, I attempt here and in next week’s column to pass on my impressions and offer suggestions to the incoming board and the city about how we can have a better school system.
26 comments
I’ve got to say that this looks right to me.
Given this level of understanding, I’d like to see West’s next column touch on the effects of the abandonment of the public school system by a significant segment of the community.
Wow. I have to admit for all my disagreements with West, this is a well-thought out piece. Good job, Keith West.
Yes, a well written and thought out piece West.
john m, I like your idea for the next column and I would include the RPS downtown administration, employees, principals, teachers, and aids who have chosen private or county schools for their children. I would also like to hear their reasons why.
Private schools are better than public schools, it just shows once again that the govt. is terrible at running anything. Its not that the people working in public schools are the problem its the stagnant system of public ownership, with private ownership there is accountability, flexibility, competition.
That’s not a good comparison. Private and public schools have different missions and serve generally different audiences.
There are good, mediocre, and bad private and public schools, however, public schools should have the mission to serve and educate all audiences (from the poor to the rich to the disabled to the gifted) since we all pay for it. Private schools by definition do not have to serve all.
Good summary of the difference in missions between public and private schools Gray.
Regarding the general topic of the status/progress of RPS, I want to share several additional ways to get a current snapshot of the school system: first, the school board will have a “wrap-up” of sorts at its 12/15 meeting (the last meeting of the current term), with the superintendent giving a progress report on the 6 major goals of RPS and each board committee presenting a summary of the work we’ve completed and the work that remains for the next board. I hope everyone interested in the progress of our city’s public schools will attend the 6:00 meeting or view it on Channel 99 after the fact.
In addition, the supt. has ramped up the production of the RPS annual report to have it available before year’s end (as many corporations and nonprofits do.) I haven’t seen the new document, but she indicated to me last night that it will include some helpful “where we are” data. Finally, Dr. Brandon has scheduled “coffee with the Superintendent” at 4 schools in one day to dialogue with parents and the community about the schools. On Monday December 8 she’ll be at Thompson Middle at 8 a.m., at Chimborazo at 11 a.m., at Mary Munford at 2 p.m. and at the Technical Center at 5:00 p.m. Come out and have some coffee or tea with Yvonne Brandon and a great opportunity for informal conversations about our schools- Kim Bridges, 1st District School Board representative
I have to disagree with you, Liberty. The private school I previously sent my children was not nearly as robust as the public school they go to now. And, after school homework help and tutoring was not available at the private school. I truly feel like my younger son was nearly a year behind when he left the private school and enter public school. Since there are no published standard test results for private schools as whole (not for the individual students), there is no way to compare one with another. This is likely because, as John said, each has a different mission. The statement,”Private schools are better than public schools” is a subjective statement and an overly simplistic one at that.
@John, a failing public school gets what? more money. Whereas a failing private school goes out of business. A successful private school gets more students and thusly makes more money. A successful public school dosent get anything more, all the money goes to failing public schools. The public school is motivated by perverse incentives. Its all about the economics/money. I went to both public and private schools and the private school was much better.
@Gray- good point Gray, private schools dont have to serve all. I believe a voucher system could alleviate this by allowing those who cant afford to send their child to a private school. There would be competition then which motivates schools to be the best. I think a voucher system would be more efficient for the taxpayer and give the child and parent the choice of where to go and not be forced to go to a failing school.
Actually, as per No Child Left Behind, a failing school get less money.
Public school systems are tasked to educate every student, regardless of income, parental involvement, capabilities, disabilities, desire, etc.
This often involves investing in the areas of the highest need, economically and socially. Over past few years, this has led to much progress in the city schools. In our neighborhood, an area that includes from 3 different public housing communities and the attendant social challenges , all of the neighborhood schools are fully accredited. These are not “failing schools”.
The public school system is motivated by a desire to offer an education to every student; this is hardly perverse.
Liberty, successful public schools actually receive more money whereas failing public schools have funds withdrawn and eventually closed if certain benchmarks(?) aren’t met over a period of time.
Current voucher suggestions such as $2,500 to $4,500 would only go to serve the upper middle classes to the wealthy. For one, good private schools start at atleast $8,000(lower) on up to $19,000(upper school). Anything under that, chances are your kid is receiving a lousy education. Voucher via tax credit again would only serve those who make enough to be taxed, ie, upper income brackets.
My family members, including my children and myself have experienced the full range of education, everything from mediocre to bad public to poor to expensive private schools and the only good ones out of the bunch were the expensive private then running in second place, the mediocre public.
Also, money is not the only way that private schools don’t serve all. Many schools are religious-based institutions that may not appeal to all people. Also, few private schools offer extra tutoring or other special education resources. If your child is in a private school and needs these resources, you are asked to pay for these outside the school or find another place to go. And, all private schools have the right to accept or not to accept any incoming enrollment. Just because you have a voucher, it does not mean you can get into the school. Or stay in. Very few, if any, private schools provide bussing, which is another problem for working parents.
Good response, John. Liberty is a bit uninformed about how the system works.
@tiny..I could have been overly complicated but i didnt have the time, theres alot of subjectivity in your comment also by the way. Look i think the mission of private and public schools is the same, prepare young people to realize their dreams. You choose public schools, at least you have a choice, alot of people dont. If everyone could choose then I think the schools with the most enrollment would be a democratic reflection of parents free choices to send their kids to a successful school. And the schools with low enrollment would be the ones that be held accountable. This is why i support vouchers.
Liberty, for a private school to be eligible for vouchers, their student enrollment policies would have to change, for example, they would need to make room for special education students, the physically disabled, students with learning disabilities, etc. The private school would also have to meet ADA compliance. Many private institutions would opt out of the voucher system.
Gray, so governmental/bureaucratic red tape once again stifles needed reform. The simplified answer is a waiver of the current rules. At some point common sense has to break thru, there has to be a way. The needs of special students can be addressed reasonably along with a voucher program, why not? It seems the needs of a few trump the needs of the majority in the regulatory world of public ownership. Is this reasonable? I think both groups needs can be satisfied, but of course someone will always be unsatisfied. I think it can be done.
John, I’m not putting RPS down, I’m giving my layman opinion of what i see going on, i think this is a good discussion with a goal of trying to improve public schools. As i see it,if a school is underperforming the answer i constanly hear to improve performance is they need more money for more programs. So by the school failing they get more money, hire more people, and grow larger. Normal incentives reward success with more revenue which enable successful enterprises to flourish. By throwning more and more money at unsuccessful enterprises is a recipie for disaster because it just enables failure to continue.
Honestly, isn’t the simple answer to support and continue to develop our public schools? This is much simpler than the overhaul of the system you mention.
I am waiting for someone to wonder when we are going to stop throwing more and more money into the Pentagon and war-machine enterprises such as Halliburton before we realize that it just enables the failures to continue?
That noted, when will people realize that any call to reform the public schools, to overhaul a system that while meeting the needs of some still falls short of meeting the needs of all, is not an indictment of the system as much as it is a fervent prayer of hope that enough voices will join the choir so that we can someday achieve that most rarefied element of the American Dream — an equal and excellent education for all, regardless of class, color, creed, gender or (dis)ability?
Public education shouldn’t be razed but it is time to do away with the support beams holding up the facade and build a real school house on it’s foundation.
Amen, Gray & Wolf!
Again, Libert, the way the system is set up, the school is denied money if it is indeed failing. At least Federal Funding is cut if the school shows to be failing as a part of NCLB.
And like John said, you assume all the public schools are failing. I think, like all things, they need work, but as a whole, the schools are not totally failing. What they need is support, as they have been abandoned and have died of neglect.
Now the the issue of the school system is front and center, I do believe the schools are starting to get some of the attention they need. And, we are starting to see results as more and more people are working hard to improve the schools.
Keith you should really think about running, because I’m going to make sure you don’t win. You are an embarrassement to RPS. You and Malone are the worst.
Does anyone know what the government’s obligation is to schools with less-than-favorable parental support, resulting in lowered performance? Where is it the job of the masses to step in to assist kids who are already behind the 8-ball, socially/economically? Is there any Federal legislation about this situation, if and when it may occur?