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Talking with Don Coleman
I sat down on July 23rd with Don Coleman, candidate for the 7th District School Board seat, and Brandon Jaycox, Coleman’s campaign manager, for an interview at Buzzy’s.
Coleman is clearly an amiable man. In talking with him, potentially divisive issues become opportunities for collaboration, for “getting people excited at the opportunity to work together”. He describes this as a personal strength and it comes across in conversation. In our governance and in our schools he says that “we need to demonstrate a leadership culture of unity and mutual respect”, and this more than any specific set of solutions comes across as fundamental to his platform.
Coleman ran for the 7th district school board seat 2 years ago and missed by only 41 votes. He says that, if elected, he is “determined to be public servant” and that he will will work to hear parents, that “he will hear your perspective”. When asked which of the current school board he most respected, he paused for a moment and named 2nd District representative Lisa Dawson and 4th District representative George Braxton.
With a daughter at Martin Luther King Jr Middle School who is president of her class and a wife that is VP of PTA at MLK, Coleman says that he has strong connections to RPS. Coleman, his wife, and oldest daughter are all graduates of RPS; and he volunteers at Richmond Hill’s Armstrong Leadership Program.
Coleman has lofty goals, such as to “focus on raising our schools above and beyond the standard, and on closing any achievement gaps”, and to make it such that children “have the same great educational experience no matter where their school is located”. He does not, however, offer much in the way of specifics at this time. The two proposals that he describes, though, both work to build connections between the parents in the community and the schools.
One of Coleman’s ideas is to put together a group of parent advisors. He sees the new 4 year term as a great opportunity to forge strong relationships that will last. Another of his proposals is that the school system or the schools have a recorded information line for parents, much like the city’s recent 311 initiative.
It is a fact that percentage of parents in the East End choose to send their children to out-of-zone or private schools. Coleman says that “there needs to be an intentional effort to draw people back in”, and the “best people to do so are the parents that have stayed”. It is important, he says, to get the message out that you can get a good education for your child out of RPS.
Coleman takes on some of the structural issues concerning RPS in saying that “we should not just measure schools simply by SOL scores, but look at ‘Complete Health of Schools’ including teacher retention, graduation rates, and PTA involvement. When asked to elaborate, Coleman responded that, “We need SOLS, there is no question that need standards, but teachers need to have freedom to teach without being boxed on focussing on the SOL test. We need to not squelch the creativity of the teachers.” Acknowledging that teaching can be a hard job, he calls for incentives to encourage the teachers, teacher appreciation teams, to let them know that they are supported and that the community is invested. He went on to say that RPS need to work on recruitment, again with possible incentives, reasons to come into RPS.
When asked about a few of the local hot-button issues, Coleman was deferential. The potential closing of Bellevue prompted Coleman to say that this is an issue that needs to be “talked through”, that it would be “another opportunity to hear from parents”. His take on the megazone policy was the same: he would “want to hear from parents”. He says that is comes down to that he wants to represent constituent concerns: his door will be open, and people need to be engaged.
More info: the Don Coleman campaign has a website and has put out two info sheets: A City Wide Vision for Educational Excellence and Don Coleman’s Community Connection Strategy.
Coleman,
Parents like myself need to know where candidates stand on closing Bellevue. It is one thing to work on a failing school, but to spend time, money, effort on a school doomed to closure just doesn’t make sense. It is not psychologically healthy for the students or staff to be in a place on the chopping block -no hope.
Don Coleman is the main inspiration for why my wife and I chose to move in and invest in Church Hill – he’s got our vote. It is time for everyone to start investing in the schools. MLK, our only middle school, has 3 parents on the PTA. This is a travesty that we as a community need to rectify by intentional investment.
Will you shut up about Bellevue. Your kids are not the only kids. All kids should get a good education. I hate me me meeeeeeees.
Matt, we have the same situation at Bellevue, only three parents showing up to PTA meetings. Fortunately we had someone from the Church Hill Assoc. come in to help. I’ve been told that 12 dedicated parents turned Holton around and I’m hoping the same will occur in the east end. Are there neighborhood organizations, churches, businesses will ing to pitch in? I’ve often thought that all the PTAs in the east end could gather together and try some things jointly like shared after school art programs or fundraisers, etc.
re post#3, For people that live in the neighborhood and have children that attend Bellevue, knowing whether or not your school will be there next year is kind of an important issue, and for most people it would not seem unusual to want to know where a candidate stands on that issue. You obviously don’t have kids that attend Bellevue or else it would be of concern to you as well. I guess your comment about “all kids should get a good education” doesn’t apply to them. Maybe next time you comment you can actually try to add to the discussion.
I said all kids should get a good education. But all you people think about is your kids. What about Armstrong and Kennedy. Oh you will not send your kids to schools like that. When they get to middle and high school, you are going send them to other schools, because you think that Bellevue is the only school in the district that your children can get a good education. When they leave Bellevue you will send them somewhere else. You don’t want them to come on the other side of Broad St, all you all know this is the truth. Yes the race card.
@ rlksk – You’re fairly new to the site, and you might want to take a little while and soak up everything a it before you throw around any of the “all you people” stuff. It is divisive, and has the potential to really limit the discussion.
rlksk,
What do you mean by “race card” and “all you people?” Are you talking about the black families that moved their kids to Henrico county, out-of-zone such as Henderson and Hill, and private schools after they graduated from Bellevue?
By the way, there aren’t any kids living south of Broad that I know of attending Bellevue. Now there are out-of-zone kids coming from south of the River.
Like Art Burton said on the other thread, it’s not just the middle class whites leaving.
I know McQuinn is strongly against the closing of Bellevue. With the change of administration, I am sure we will see progress in favor of NOT closing Bellevue.
It is not the PTA that holds power – the PTA is primarily a fundraising organization, not an organization that can change curriculum (sp?) or the problems that may be perceived in the administration. There are many parents who do get on the phone call up their reps about this school, even if they do not go to the PTA. An inactive PTA may mean that some extra curricula activities go unfunded, and clearly, these types of activities are not that important to MOST parents at Bellevue.
But Bellevue offers other options that are important to me, and many of the other parents. For example, the excellent after school program. Believe me, if plans were made to cut that back, the school board would be inundated by calls – just like when they announced plans to close Bellevue. McQuinn got plenty of calls, and I am sure West did as well (at least from me).
PTA funds field trips and it would be nice to have some after school arts programs.
Few other things PTA works on in other schools -school promotion, teacher support, grants, technology, bringing in programs such as minds in motion. Wouldn’t it be nice to have working computers in the school? I know the teachers are always begging for a copier.
But yes Tiny, we also need to get on the horn and call our reps. I have been placing calls re Bellevue prior to sending my children there.
Tiny, to bash the PTA all because you’re unable to participate is unnecessary. Yes you do your part re your kids and their teacher but remember there are many kids whose parents do not participate. The PTA can help fill in this gap.
Tiny by saying “activities are not that important to MOST parents at Bellevue” will in no way attract new families to the school. When I spoke of the PTA in the previous post, I wasn’t thinking of you. I was trying to drum up outside interest.
If you like when I go to the next meeting I’ll let them know that a parent representing most of the families at Bellevue has stated that the PTA is not wanted.
Gray, I am not bashing the PTA, I just don’t assign it the power you do. If you want to build it up, more power to you. If I choose not to participate, it does not mean I do not care or that am uninvolved.
And, the best way to keep new parents away from attending RPS is to demonize the system and scare people away. I have written many glowing post about Bellevue, and in response other posters complained about the horrific conditions at that school (which of course I disagree with).
You get people into a school by advocating for it, by believing in it, and spreading the word – which is what I do. And my praise is sincere. I truly am pleased with the education my children are receiving and feel RPS has been bad-mouthed.
Your last statement does not reflect my feelings and can speak for myself. You last statement is also a personal attack. Please be curteous (sp?).
Posters have complained about the horrific conditions at “various” schools. I complain because I want the system to fix and correct itself.
I do not assign the PTA some kind of special power.
Tiny, here is exactly what you said, “An inactive PTA may mean that some extra curricula activities go unfunded, and clearly, these types of activities are not that important to MOST parents at Bellevue.”
My last statement was only slightly off in reflecting your feelings.
Regarding extra curricula activities and field trips, I will ask a show of hands at the next assembly on whether or not parents find them important. I will count your vote as “no.”
Gray, as activities come up, I will weigh in my support or not. I am usually notified of such things via take-home notes, not in an assembly because I am not available to attend school with my children.
You are off in your assessment of my feelings. I am not against the PTA and I think it is wonderful that parents who have the time to do so can contribute. I can only give money. I just feel like you imply that I am not involved because I do not attend PTA meetings.
I love that you want to improve the school, I simply think we can build up rather than tear down. I know you disagree, I would not try to change your opinion. I really do try to be respectful in my comments, and wish that the same respect would be accorded to me.
Tiny, Look at my posts on this thread prior to you stepping in. Do you see anything about yourself in my comments? No. But you assumed so and started talking negative about the PTA. While writing my comments I didn’t think of you even once.
If all parents thought like you Tiny, I would give up on RPS and join West for vouchers. Like you, I want to feel I made a good decision in sending my kids to the neighborhood school but I’m unwilling to lie and cheerlead a system that is inadequate or corrupt for it. The first step towards improvement is honesty.
RE: #14 “The first step towards improvement is honesty.â€
Nope. The first step toward improvement is respect – respect for other people and their right to have differing and unique viewpoints. Then honesty has a fertile path to solution.
Honesty implies truth, and truth is subjective based on perception and values. Trying to browbeat others into submission is a sure way to create resistance, at the very least. At the very worst, it is inviting all-out rebellion. Neither effects are supportive of change that is purported to be the goal, and do very little besides devalue another person and their experiences and needs. Bitter victory.
Does the end always justify the means? Because if so, it should be noted that this is one of the main tenets of Fascism. And Fascism has never made for a very happy society, historically.
Check the goal.
It should be noted, just recently I discovered that tiny is edg and her two characters have had an ongoing debate with me for sometime on the topic of RPS on various community blogs. Here is Tiny as edg, starting with #149 /2008/06/30/goldman-and-west-to-propose-school-uniform-policy/ .
Shannon,
What sort of pop-psychology bubble-gum are you chewing? You clearly do not know your history from a hockey puck.
Since you employ the specious example of facism being the net result of what happens when people do not RESPECT other people’s opinions, allow me to point out that perhaps an “unintended consequence” of the world sitting back and “respecting” the rights of such accomplished facists as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin et.al. was that more than 52 MILLION (52,199,262) people died, including those in the European and Pacific Theaters.
Honesty earns respect, not the other way around.
And, Tiny, edg …. Gray may be on to something here …. hmmmm
I’m closing this one. Godwin’s Law.