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West calls for new School Board
04/08/2008 5:15 PM by John M
7th District School Board representative Keith West has launched Save Richmond Public Schools as part of a “grassroots organization conceived to elect a better School Board”. The group is “seeking candidates for every district”; the representatives elected this year will serve 4-year terms. [via]
“There has been such a number of colossal failures over the years, the only reasonable thing to do is put a new group in place,” says West, who has said he’s not likely to run again for his own post. He calls his Web [sic] site “a long overdue effort to recruit qualified people to be on the Richmond School Board.”
A great site! Thank you West.
Bring back Steve Johnson! He was great on the School Board. I miss the days when we stayed out of people’s private lives and let them do their jobs.
I was impressed by this school board representative’s comment: http://nearwestendnews.net/2008/04/08/school-board-rep-kim-bridges-speaks-out-on-the-audit/
I wish we had a dedicated representative who is committed to working with others towards progress. West is a drama queen whose theatrics are doing a great deal of harm to RPS. Maybe in the long run his efforts will pay off. But in the short term, the families who actually attend RPS are the ones being hurt.
Not like he cares; he’s going to send his kids to private school anyway. Well, I don’t have that choice. Thanks for nothing.
I agree w/edg we have some good people on board but there will be open seats this November and there are members who need to be replaced. I hope Carletta checks out West’s site. I liked her posts and she is involved in a Richmond Public school. It is time to draw from a fresh pool of people.
I would love to see RPS administration downtown to have the same dedication and concern for our children like the good people, teachers, counselors, etc. in my neighborhood school. Downtown has given the classroom very little to work with –around $4,000 out of over $13,000.
per pupil.
I am not against revolution.
However, I believe the number 1 priority right now for Richmond is better neighborhood school buildings. Renovate or build new, make legal with ADA access, green, solar, energy-conserving.
I am disgusted that the priorities in City Hall, if you look at taxpayer money spending, are white elephant downtown projects like the arts center and fighting with lawyers.
I find the website interesting. I’ve long said there was enough evidence, without the most recent audit, to make changes in
RPS. As one of the parents interviewed for the Great City Schools report I know there were enough ideas in that one report that could have produced change in the school system. What I don’t agree with is the statement on Save RPS under vision “Once we’ve identified qualified people who want to run, we will work with them to shape the specifics of what they will offer to the voters. Then we will publicize those specifics and post them here”. This group will then be doing the same thing they accuse other groups of doing,handpicking candidates. While they may state they are only seeking qualified candidates what gives the group a greater ability to pick who is qualified when Keith West himself proved ineffective in providing leadership. Just to clarify I’ve volunteered in RPS and I’m a parent on the Special Education Advisory Committee. With the current climate as it in City Hall what makes them think a candidate, handpicked by them, will be able to get anything done. Not to get personal but this sounds like a little kid who can’t win a fight and goes home to get his big brother. There are so many things that we need to do to make RPS better and the list is too long for me to post here but the priorities have to be listed in order to make the most impact for ALL RPS students.
Carletta, I think you should run for school board.
Carletta,
I’ll admit that I have failed to carry out reform. But whose fault is that? I put forward the so called new direction which could serve as a framework for improvement. The board approved it, then would not take the steps necessary to get it going. I have only one vote of nine.
So, what is the reasonable thing to do now? The reasonable thing is to walk away, just as thousands of parents have walked away from the system.
The only other option is to exercise the democratic process and get people in place who will do something. I can’t select those people, only the voters can. I can however talk to those who may be interested and try to convince them to run.
Handpicking candidates? Maybe so. I’ll tell you though, the school administration and teachers’ union picks candidates and you see what we have. What is wrong with trying to find candidates who stand for something different?
I hope the priorities set by the next elected board will focus more on building upon progress-made and making academic improvements rather than on simply cutting costs.
Cuts to bussing and afterschool programs will have a devastating effect on most of the parents that send their kids to RPS in our neighborhood. And, school closings should be determined based on enrollment, performance, and future need – not just by which schools would be the most expensive to update.
My main disagreement with West has to do with the above issues. I would also like to see the board that will become a good cheerleader for the school system, implementing solutions to improve the image of RPS rather than broadly attacking it.
Is anyone planning to go to West’s presentation Saturday morning?
“And, school closings should be determined based on enrollment, performance, and future need – not just by which schools would be the most expensive to update.”
Indeed. If RPS had proper grant writers, they would find that there’s all sorts of money available for rehabbing old buildings.
And in a perfect world, transportation wouldn’t be a big issue, because we’d go back to neighborhood-based zoning.
I look forward to an RPS administration minus Jewell-Sherman and her entourage. Cheerleading means damage control and protection of an inept and/or corrupt leadership. Don’t worry about image, just fix and improve the RPS system. Make it where more people will use their district schools. My list is long like Carletta’s.
Gray,
I most respectfully but thoroughly disagree with you. It is folly not to note successes and stand behind the what is being done well. I guess you do not believe anything is being done well, and I respectfully and thoroughly disagree with you here as well.
I am disappointed in West’s leadership and lack of committment to the job. Here, I guess we disagree as well.
Tiny, so you disagree with this —
“I would love to see RPS administration downtown to have the same dedication and concern for our children like the good people, teachers, counselors, etc. in my neighborhood school. Downtown has given the classroom very little to work with –around $4,000 out of over $13,000 per pupil.”
or
“I look forward to an RPS administration minus Jewell-Sherman and her entourage.”
or me suggesting Carletta run for school board? Tiny had you not read any articles on the audit report? Who would you hold accountable for the thousands to several million lost in the RPS system?
And where exactly did I speak on West’s leadership? I simply agree that some school board members need to go.
Tiny why don’t you list the successes of the system?
And finally, I’ve left several comments wanting to give time and money to Bellevue and several Bellevue families on this blog have failed to give me the PTA meeting times or comment on my idea for the yardsale. While at Cary I worked with a group (that were also chased from Cary) that raised $6,000 for the school. Before our groups arrival the same festival only made $200.
Tiny, I’m also speaking with folk about volunteering and supporting Bellevue. I think it is the job of families attending Bellevue to welcome district families.
Gray,
I do all I can. I have spoken to different people and try to advocate for the school as much as I can. I work 8 to 9 plus hours a day. I cannot take much time off, either, although I was able to attend mind games. Maybe this is why some of the struggles I have with quality after school programs and bussing are hot points for me. However, I know this issues directly affect many (if not most) of RPS families.
I am not trying to prove you wrong or me right, just trying to represent for the individaul teachers and all the others who do such good work for RPS and are maligned with whole-sale criticism of the system.
I have listed successes in the past and I am weary of the argument. There are positives and successes in RPS. If you disagree, fine. I just keep commenting so the readers can see there is more than one side to this issue.
Oh course I have read the articles about the audit. And I read the board’s response. For all items (over 100), there were only a couple items the board did not want to implement. All other items were either supported by the board, already in implementation by the board, or not applicable anymore due to changes in the system.
I have gathered that you support West. That is fine. I don’t, at all, as you know by my previous comments. I know there are people who have the same opinion as you, but I assure you there are also those who have the same opinion as me, but they may not be active on this blog.
Hey I’m up for fundraising for Bellevue so maybe we can have some cool after school programs like a drama club. And I would love for Bellevue to have an Accelerated Reader program. I think the yardsale at Libby Hill could be a good opportunity to raise a little money and promote the school. I called Bellevue and they told me the PTA meeting times.
I don’t think West will be running for school board again. And I agree with him that the RPS system needs new and fresh leadership. The group we have now heading RPS is incestuous. And if they hadn’t wasted or lost so much money Tiny you wouldn’t be so concerned about bussing kids to out of district schools and all schools could perhaps have great after school programs.
Tiny, I have praised teachers, involved families, etc in my posts. Don’t they deserve great leadership downtown?
What items did the board not want to “implement”? Are you talking about the renting of the expensive warehouses, the over purchasing of text books, the $500,000 spent without receipts, the hiring of relatives, etc? What is not applicable anymore? Your language in the fourth paragraph is vague. I’m not sure what you’re saying.
I do hope Carol Wolf runs again. She is the one who blew the whistle on the superintendent of finance. She is also a great student advocate and has continuously worked on RPS becoming ADA compliant so that students with disabilities can enter their district schools.
I submitted a response and it didn’t post. John, can you check that.
Tiny, I called Bellevue and they told me the PTA meeting times.
Is Bellevue your district school?
Tiny,
Of course there are successes in the system. I’ve said it many, many times. But I don’t get reported saying that because 1. That is what most every other board member is saying and 2. Carol Wolfe and I are the only members offering criticism and 3. Only a very small portion of what you say ends up making it in the paper and TV.
The School Board works mightily to be the system’s cheerleader, but inevitably fails, just as parents who try to be their children’s friends fail. Cheerleaders are unable to set and maintain standards and hold people accountable. That is what a school board must do.
The fact there are successes does not obscure the fact that the system drives away students and fails many others. If a school board fails to address those issues, who else will?
I realize that this board does not listen to me. I consider that a personal failure, but I don’t see how anything could have been different given the personalities involved. Without significant membership change, it would be pointless for me to stay on. The best I can do is make public ongoing follies and hope that the voters see enough to put different people in place.
I don’t mind if people disagree with me, but if you think that adding one or two more to the 7 cheerleaders already on there is going to make a difference, prepare for disappointment.
Mine didn’t post either.
Tiny,
Given that you clearly value the good work done by some teachers and principals in the RPS system and that you work for a living and pay taxes, doesn’t it bother you to see the gross mismanagement of the school system?
The culture of waste and misinformation that oozes from some central administrators, denies our children what they need. I certainly have a problem with some of those fat cats running around City Hall wasting my tax dollars on their nonsense.I am sickened and shamed to know that we have Headstart classes in this city that RPS denies morning and afternoon snacks to these little four year olds. To be sure, central administrators and some school board members have credit cards. We pay for their gas, their cell phones, the umpteen breakfasts and banquets they attend because they are such important people — and WE ALLOW THEM to continue to deny snacks to out little Headstart babies! That fact right there oughta tells you what sick people people we are allowing to subjugate our children.
*typoe:
WE ALLOW THEM to continue to deny snacks to our little Headstart babies! That fact right there ought to tell you what sick people they are [for denying morning and afternoon snacks to 4 yr. olds] ….and what sick people we are for allowing them subjugate our children and get away with it. This situation is obscene!
Calm down, Get Real, you’re about to blow!!
I almost didn’t reply, because, honestly, I think this blog gets boring when it gets personal. I would much prefer not to be personally addressed, but rather to address the issues.
I would like to comment, but I really need more facts. I know that when my kids were in pre-K, each parent was asked to provide a snack for the whole class at least once a month.
And for heaven’s sake – can’t you understand this simple concept:
Just because I believe that there are successes and positives about RPS, it doesn’t mean I don’t support changes and improvements.
Hey Tiny, did you see my post on the Church Hill yardsale? I’m interested in promoting Bellevue and perhaps raising some money at this event. I’ve got some ideas and I’ve left a message with the PTA president. I bet we can get all sorts of donations to sell at the yardsale and the cost would be so small. I’ve participated in this Libby Hill yardsale a few times over the years and last year the crowd was huge. I have one parent interested so far. I haven’t heard back from the PTA president yet.
Tiny, Darlin’, you are the one needs to get a grip. You are free to let them waste your money and not give a rip. Fine. You are free to say you think there are successes — and never give any specifics. You are free to say you support changes and improvements — and never give any specifics. You are also free to be disingenuous and claim you don’t like it when things get personal — but your posts directly addressing Gray and contradicting whatever Gray says are what really gets boring.
If you want to take a position — fine — just back yourself up with some facts.
At least Gray is polite.
Okay Bellevue families(tiny, edg, and beth), anyone interested in my idea of Bellevue having a table at the Libby Hill yardsale? We could promote the school and sell donated stuff and drinks and maybe eats. I still haven’t heard from the PTA president. Who do I talk to about making money for the school? Hell maybe it’s a crappy idea. But wouldn’t it be nice to let the neighbors know the families attending their neighborhood school. Right now Bellevue is fine but with more support from it’s district, it can become great.
“At least Gray is polite.” ~ Tiny
And, Tiny, so am I. I just don’t suffer rhetorical and literal bullies as well as Gray.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men can’t put humpty dumpty back together again.
Shitty families and shitty parents make for shitty schools. So many of these kids are developmentally screwed by the time they are two yrs. old – long before they reach the school system. End of story.
Hillkid, certainly there is a better way to say what you need to say without sounding like one of those kids that “are developmentally screwed by the time they are two yrs. old….”
There are good parents with good kids, who read the chpn and leave comments who care a great deal about their neighborhood schools. Often we are in disagreement with how to improve the public schooling but that is far from being “shitty.”
From my experience thus far in the elementary RPS, I have found the children to be intelligent, creative, funny, and over all delightful.
post #20 – good response West. And thank you for bringing the much needed media attention to the RPS administration downtown.
I’ve brought attention to the 500 pound gorilla in the room. Deal with it.
“In the field of education, the common goal of white and Negro parents alike is the best possible education for their children. It is a national shame that the vast majority of Negro children are schooled even worse than they are fed … Millions are trapped in ghettoes and shanties — discouraged and hopeless. They will be as far from sharing in the promise of America as if they inhabited another planet.
Moreover, the isolation of Negro from white communities is increasing, rather than decreasing as Negroes crowd into the central cities and become a city within a city … For Negro poverty is not white poverty. Many of its causes and many of its cures are the same. But there are differences … These differences are not racial differences. They are solely and simply the consequence of ancient brutality, past injustice, and present prejudice. They are anguishing to observe. For the Negro they are a constant reminder of oppression. For the white they are a constant reminder of guilt. But they must be faced and they must be dealt with and they must be overcome, if we are ever to reach the time when the only difference between Negroes and whites is the color of their skin.”
– President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965
Hillkid …. You didn’t bring the 500-pound gorilla into the room. What are you willing to do to “deal with it”?
I hope that your district picks a candidate who will work for all of the children in the RPS system. Your representatve is on a board of nine with one vote and for 8 months he had no voice…His New Direction was a collection of initiatives the board collectively worked on. It is a shame that in a City like Richmond we have individuals who find it easier to tear down and not build up (only preserve the historical buildings!). I have had 3 children in this school system and recognie the GOOD the Bad and THe Ugly! I however don’t call it names like a kid…threaten others with a take over because they didnt make me chair! I have and will continue to work with this system to help improve it! The audit brought out systematic failures that have gone on long before this sitting board came in. It is easier to place blame but the challenge is to fix it! This is the sign of good leadership…fixing the problem instead of saying it wasnt me! (reminds me of the child who broke his mother’s favorite vase) We have a City where its easy to search for a BOOGEY MAN! (Administration they are the BAD GUYS!) It was the last 3 superintendents who were the problem…it was the last council….when will it end! (BLAME GAME!) Why didnt you get involved with the school system? Why did you send someone who had his own agenda by launching threats against the board when he couldnt have his way and walking out of meetings when he was challenged He has one vote but he has exercised that vote…did it help the system or hinder it? I ask you…who has been seeking attention after throwing tantrums? This system takes individuals who are committed to work…His solution is something that has been done over and over again and still the problem wasnt fixed because its…not my problem attitued exist in this CITY! The children are watching us….what are you prepared to tell them!
I close by offering you the words of your representative:
Since the landscape is changing quickly and I’m sure many of you are
weighing options, I thought I would give you an update to help alleviate
any concerns you may have about the next board.
Quality candidates will be running in every district. The people I have
been talking to have been identified not due to allegiance to any
particular faction or point of view, but on the basis of their competence
and recognition that change is necessary.
Of course, as always, money will be an important factor, and the issue has
been addressed. I would imagine that, unless some wealthy benefactor
intends to buy your seat, significant spending will be necessary for a
competitive race.
I thank each of you for your service. It is thankless for all of us. I
simply regret that many of the decisions you made did not turn out to
benefit the city or the schools. I hope the group that follows us has more
success.
Sincerely,
Keith West
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
The almost 50% drop out rate in this city is a burden to all of us – no question. Who’s fault is it? It seems that this blog, and this city, spends an awful lot of time consigning blame to the school board, administrators and teachers, dilapidated schools, lack of supplies, etc., etc., etc. And now, an almost 45 year old quote about racial inequality to explain this phenomenon? It’s certainly part of the problem, and one that needs to be addressed.
However, I don’t care what color someone is, how much money they make, or where they live. If someone chooses to have children, (which by the way, requires no talent, intellect, or any other virtue, except having working reproductive organs) then raise them to be productive members of society. Good schools require engaged parents and family members who are willing make sure that their children are well prepared for life inside and outside the school environment.
I don’t blame West or anyone else for wanting to send their children to another school district, and I know that there are kids thriving in the RPS, but again, assigning blame to folks who choose otherwise doesn’t address the underlying problem.
I “deal with it” by living in the city, and paying city taxes, voting, and engaging in the community as a volunteer for many projects.
Sorry, I can’t raise someone else’s kids, and all the money in the world and all the competence at the administrative and teaching level won’t change the mess that exists within the RPS.
Hillkid ~
We agree on more points than we disagree. I, too, am a city dweller who understands that the problem is far bigger than any individual or any particular neighborhood.
The “mess within the RPS” is merely a reflection of the mess within the City of Richmond.
…..which does not absolve nor blame any individual or neighborhood.
grammar correction above:
….which neither absolves, nor blames, any individual nor neighborood.
Please be careful to distinguish between the posts and the comments. I do not recall “this blog” ever really stating much of an opinion either way on this particular issue.
re: post#30 I think you are way off. That attitude towards “the problem with public schools” is pervasive but unjustified. People that have actually spent time in the classroom know that most of the kids are just fine, they’re not at all as you described. More parental involvement would be great but not everyone has the advantage to do so given work schedules. Obviously there are some with problem children but overall it’s not a problem with them, they just get the blame for it from the press and the administration. It’s easy to blame those who can’t defend themselves but spend some time at a school and ask yourself where the almost 14K per student is going. It’s not going to the teachers, who often buy supplies from their own pockets and have full classrooms. It’s certainly not going into the lunch room or for art or gym equipment. There’s constant SOL testing and prep, there are rampant “child studies” being performed for minor infractions, and the new CCP school which seems like a pre-prison program. All of these things cost a huge amount of money and have no benefit whatsoever to education and are actually detrimental to the development of the children. The fault here lies with those who support these obviously failed strategies and continue to blindly follow the leaders who initiate them. Those were just several examples but there is an overall pattern of increased administrative interference with the students as opposed to increased teacher-student interaction. Look at the system as you would any business – if those in charge are benefiting from it, they will be resistant to change. Anyone trying to upset the status quo will be ostracized because they are a threat to the benefits machine that is serving those in charge. Spend some time at a school, that’s all you have to do. It’s not the kids that are the problem.
Another problem we have with the schools in our area is the high rate of student offenses as record in the School Safety section of the School Report card. https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard
For example, the total number of offenses for MLK was 1434 for the 06-07 year, compared to Albert Hill with 379. And, the neighborhood that MLK is situated in high a very high rate of violent crime (remember last week’s drive by shooting?)
I believe MLK is an academically sound school and I believe the teachers that work there go above and beyond to help the students reach their potentials. But I am terrified to send my baby there because of the crime. We really need to address safety issues in our discussion of the schools as well as academic issues.
Gray,
I am not sure I will be able to participate in the yard sale, but I have had a few ideas to raise funds for the school myself. I have even floated the idea to some of my neighbors/friends about donating some of the construction expertise to help build ramps, etc. Also, I hope the local non-profit orgs (CHA, St. Patricks, etc.) would be able to help as well. I have not really gone beyond the idea stage, but what do you think?
It looks like I am playing catch up with the recently posted comments. Here is a link to the School Board’s response to the audit: http://media.gatewayva.com/rtd/pdfs/20080403_AuditReportPDF/response.pdf
Just to clarify, when I referred to “the blog” I meant the commenters.
I also do not blame the kids for the shabby state of affairs in the RPS. As a matter of fact, I think they are the true victims in all of this which trickles down to the rest of us.
However, I do blame the parents and families that do not commit to being involved passionately in their kids education and outside school activities. Families and parents needs to be held as accountable for the state of the RPS as much as the city does.
It’s obvious that there are many involved parents and families that participate on this blog, but unfortunately, I believe that you are in the minority. I still contend that parents who are not involved in their children’s educations at home or school, and who are also unwilling or unable to raise their children to be good citizens and students is the root of the problem with any school system, public or private.
If this component of the problem is not addressed, then all this other stuff about money, admin, buildings and teachers doesn’t get us anywhere.
Building ramps or anything to do with construction has to be accomplished through or by the RPS system. There is the issue of liability with construction and materials. What if a railing fails or a ramp collapses?
Also, by law, the RPS administration must bring all schools up to code regarding ADA compliance. So whether or not downtown likes it, they will be building those ramps.
Now RPS is not obligated by law to give our schools drama clubs, poetry workshops, dance, or even Accelerated Reader(which is unfortunate). So we, the parents, must raise the money for them. And for some reason, RPS does not feel responsible for giving our schools the necessary technology to have such wonderful programs such as the Accelerated Reader. The wealthy families at Mary Munford and Fox fund all of their wonderful programs. If I’m not mistaken, one year Fox raised around $80,000 with the Strawberry St Festival and Art Auction combined. Now that takes money to make that kind of money and a lot of stay at home parents.
So we have some work to do which includes involving many of these well to do families in Church Hill. That is what I am talking about when I say let’s promote Bellevue to the neighbors. Yes Bellevue is fine but can be great.
I also believe RPS needs to give the classrooms more than the $4,000 out of $14,000 per pupil. Too much of that money is going to administration.
Tiny, I like your idea of hitting the non-profits up for help.
We also need volunteers to help challenge the students who are advanced academically. An hour or two once a week in Space in not enough.
I agree, Gray, but Bellevue is on the list to be CLOSED by 2010 because of the cost to update the facility.
I have been told by members of the school board that about the only thing that will save it from the chopping block is community support and a sudden influx of money. – so I was primarily thinking about saving the school!
The current plan does not allocate ANY money to Bellevue for ADA compliant fixes. http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/pdfs/ExecSummaryMPUpdate_Final.pdf
Tiny said “For example, the total number of offenses for MLK was 1434 for the 06-07 year, compared to Albert Hill with 379. And, the neighborhood that MLK is situated in high a very high rate of violent crime (remember last week’s drive by shooting?)”
Please keep in mind that the neighborhood in which a school is located doesn’t necessarily reflect where its students live. For example, very few Albert Hill students are from WOTB/Fan, with the largest concentration coming from Jackson Ward & Gilpin Court.
As a member of the CHA, I would oppose giving money to the RPS or Bellevue for fixing up the buildings or for any other situation that should be funded through tax dollars.
As many of you have mentioned already, RPS funds are already disproportional in terms of where the allocations are being spent.
I,for one, and I know there are many others, who do not endorse seeking private funds for the schools when the RPS cannot manage their bloated budgets to begin with.
Why condone mismanagement of tax dollars? Demand that money be spent properly and make sure it happens before seeking private, non-profit funds.
But those districts are not in Hill’s megazone! How did they get in? We can’t get into Hill from our megazone. The only alternative is Binford which has full enrollment.
So the school board said that we need to pay for the ramp or they’ll close the school? I think some of those RPS employees downtown need to replace all that “lost” and wasted money. And Dr. Jewell-Sherman pay back that raise!
If they close Belleview, where will the students attend school?
I would rather turn Belleview into a charter school than have to raise the construction money for ramps, etc.
Hey hillkid, do you own property in the Bellevue school district? I agree with you on demanding “that money be spent properly,” however, schools still need neighborhood support. When a school is great it benefits everyone in a district, from property owners, families, businesses to non-profit organizations.
Tiny, recently Albert Hill did become a choice for us because Binford did not earn full accreditation. The only two fully accredited middle schools in the city are Albert Hill and Henderson. It’s funny how we in the eastend were never told that. I discovered it myself well after the deadline. But you are right, normally Hill is not in our megazone. I’ve always found it curious that Binford is offered to us but not Fox although they are both in the same Fan district. Time to drop the megazone lines and make open enrollment citywide. How is it fair that someone living in Woodland Heights can participate in open enrollment for Fox or Munford but not someone from the eastend?
BGW, Many kids from south of the river attend Albert Hill. I also expect that more students than ever will pour into Hill from the near west end, west of the Boulevard, and the fan in the very near future. Albert Hill is gaining a good reputation and I’m hearing great things about the principal.
Some general info from the inside:
* The vast majority of offenses fall under the general category defiance/disrespect or behaving disruptively in class. This is student-teacher stuff, not student-student stuff.
* There are very few offenses that are actual criminal or violent.
* Most students never get written up. Many of the rest of the students only get one referral over the course of the year. There are some students that get written up quite frequently.
Unless your child is a fighter or really likes to talk about someone else’s momma, he/she’d likely not have problems with other students at MLK. It seems that the kids prone to starting stuff do so with similar kids and leave the more focussed students alone (outside of the usual boy/girl teasing and the like).
Thank you, John. I was really starting to panic, because there is no way to get into Albert Hill. Albert is not on the open enrollment list and you can’t get in through no child left behind. I know this because I am in the throes of trying find a middle school for my son. If the kids south of the James can get into Albert Hill, how come we can’t? Our only option is Binford. Gray, do you have any information about how to get into Albert Hill? It sounds like you know a lot about the school board. I have made so many phone calls and I had given up, but maybe you know something.
Oh – BTW – no one told me we had to build a ramp or they will close Bellevue down. They told me that it was too expensive to update so they are closing it down. So, I just don’t want it to close!!
Henderson Middle School has been accredited for the past FIVE years in a row and has hit AYP each year. NO other middle school in the city has done this well. Further, Henderson had the HIGHEST scores of any middle school in the city, beating out Hill, Binford, Brown, MLK, Thompson, Elkhardt and Chandler.
Northsiders atr trying to get an I.B. program started in Henderson and could use some city-wide support. Lucille Brown has an I.B., but because the school is already crowded, the program cannot get any larger and each year they turn away far more kids than they can accept. If the city had two middle years I.B. programs — one South of the River and one North of the river — we could retain more families. NOT only does Henderson have the best academic record of any middle school in the city, it also has ROOM to allow the I.B. program to grow.
*Northsiders are trying ….[typoe]
Re: #46: People bring Themselves to all aspects of their lives, whether it’s their jobs, their families, their friendships, their communities. Wherever We go, there We are, right?
All corporate/leadership establishments, RPS included, need to have stopgaps installed to account for the lazy, the incapable, the earnest-yet-ineffective, and those unable to manage themselves and their own business. We can cry out for more parental involvement all we want, but as a person who did umpteen- gazillion hours of volunteer work while my son was at Fox K-5, and who chose to send that son to Seven Hills for Middle -mainly, but not exclusively, for the single sex aspect, I can tell you that change begins with acceptance, and analyzation of reality. Reality. Parents who are not going to be involved in their kids’ lives are just not going to do it. This is nothing new. (The plan is back to Public for High School, so yes this is relevent to my family…)
The fact is that parents have no enforceable accountability in this equation. Nobody can keep kids out of a public school “unless those darned parents care more!” But the system, itself, does bear the responsibility to pick up the slack. Nothing new. Responsibility fo the many falling on the shoulders of the few… That’s not just here, but everywhere ya look. It just is what it is.
It is, and will forever be unreasonable to require that a large group of stagnant humans do a complete 180 prior to the betterment of any situation. Not gonna happen. So wherever we are asking that someone else behave a certain way before we am satisfied, (parents MUST be more involved,) I must ask Myself how I am helping – how I am making a positive impact… A Positive impact, that is. And that includes my own attitude toward calling for that change.
I think that our attutudes toward being of assistance to the community in this area make all the difference in the world. Are we out for blood, or is the attitude one of service. You better believe that the kids are most certainly picking up the vibe, whatever it is.
What a beautiful opportunity to teach them about activism, and the concept that you get what you give.
Ha! I said “we am.” Ridiculous. I meant we are, of course.
I need to slow down. 🙂
Tiny, I read about Hill and Henderson’s open enrollment on the Richmond Public Schools website after the deadline for NCLB applications had passed. Enrollment became citywide because they are the only two fully accredited middle schools. Call the principals and see if anything can be done. Let them know you had no idea that these schools became available to us in the eastend and fill out an out of zone application –get on the waiting list. I would like to know why we were not told about this before the deadline.
How would anyone have been told? Is there a mailing list? Newspaper article?
Whose responsibility is it to make sure that people have information that might be relevent to their own personal situation?
I’m really wondering.
It’s really not necessary for so many of you to correct your grammar in a post script after your original post on this thread. You’re all trying too hard to come off like competent and intelligent parents.
You have nothing to prove to me or anyone else. These threads are stream of consciousness most of time and everyone accepts that. The important thing is the thought behind it and the interaction.
I also don’t ever think that it is “unreasonable” to expect parents to give a shit about what their kids are doing. There is a disproportional amount of parents in the RPS that fit this group.
Most folks don’t want their kids to be guinea pigs for an inner-city social/educational experiment (I have been told that comment verbatim by more than a few parents), and choose to leave the neighborhood for better school districts where many more of the parents do give a shit, and it shows in the schools. This is the rule more than the exception – at least for the past few decades,and a reality that will continue to play out for a long time to come.
I really feel for all you RPS parents, you have a tough road to go down. But, I respect your choice and commitment to making the system better.
Ha! Not trying hard to come off as anything, friend. Just laughing at my own damn self.
This is a serious topic, yeah. But a little goofiness never hurt anyone. And sometimes it lets a little light in so that a creative solution can be recognized, where attempting to impose self-will might just serve as a blockade to possibilities.
And yeah – it’s not unreasonable to Hope that more parents would be mindful of their offspring. It is, however, unreasonable to Expect it. The only person that we can ever reasonably expect more from is ourselves. That is, if we care to operate in a mode that does not leave us grizzled and angry all of the time, frustrated and disappointed at how others are not following our rules and standards. Didn’t they get the hadbook on “How To Be?”
The fact is that others won’t cooperate with my screenplay for them. They just won’t. Not everyone is you, or me. They have other distractions that seem to prevent them from meeting our particular and specific guidelines as parents, (and daughters, and sons, and spouses, and employees, etc.) So if we care about the kids, how can we stop judging and just start to help pick up the slack? What’s more important – being right, or being of assistance? I’d rather accept reality anyday so that I can understand the true parameters of the situation, than lose my voice screaming about how I wish others would do better at their lives. What a huge waste to time and energy. Sheesh.
In our case, I coached soccer for years and years – got to know tons of kids and parents that I wouldn’t have otherwise, as well as being able to keep an eye on those that my own kid was interacting with. Lots of those kids honored me by talking to me about stuff that they didn’t feel they could tell anyone else, letting me know that they found me approachable. I got the opportunity to assist, because I had apparently shown myself as trustworthy. How cool is that? Heavy. And let me tell you, some of these kids have seen things that are absolutely beyond belief – at age 7 or 8. There are hardcore obstacles for at least a large handful of these little guys and gals. The real deal. And no fantasy of “expecting” their situation to be different is going to change a thing.
Just one measley example of a bunch of volunteer stuff that I was fortunate enough to be able to be included with, and no big deal. But it worked well for us. Now that my son is 13, I really appreciate those times. We had, and still do have, lots of fun.
I also know that, from third grade on, there was a bunch of us that talked about middle school almost non-stop. We kind of laughed at ourselves for being like a bunch of hens, scratching around for any new information about deadlines, teachers, principles, who was going where… Most of us still stay in touch. That was our elementary school community, our peeps. And that’s no big deal either – just how we did it. Stayed involved.
Sidenote – I know a ton of families that chose Albert Hill, and speak very highly of the education and experiences that they and their kids are having there. My understanding is that Hill has become an excellent option.
/2008/01/12/applications-for-citys-open-enrollment-schools-due-feb-8/
I have experience with Henderson; my oldest son went there. While I know it is accredited, he really had a hard time there. The crowd was just a little too rough for him, and I saw him turn from an outgoing, cheerful boy, so a scared and withdrawn child.
In Henderson’s defense, my son did go from a small private school (St. Pat’s) to a big public school. Also, I truly believe the course offerings at Henderson were far better than at St. Patrick’s.
I really don’t know the answer. I am not going to try Henderson again, though. Hill IS an excellent option, if you can get in. But these darn megazones keep the poor (unable to provide transportation) kids in the east end and northside out of that school.
Tiny,
How long ago were you at Henderson? The current principal, Dr. Dionne Ward, is terrific and she has assembled an excellent staff. There are always going to be rough characters in ANY school, but it is the leadership in the building that makes the difference.
He attended the 2004 – 2005 school year.
We agree on something! I knew if we kept talking long enough we would find some common ground! Those megazones certainly do present a hurdle for the poor in our city to overcome.
Your time at Henderson predates our arrival. I wish you and your family had been able to have as positive an experience at Henderson as ours did.